“I said, ‘You know, a month from now, I’m going to be a little dumber having all your blood and everything in me.’… He started laughing. He said, ‘You’re finally going to have a vocabulary,” said Kelly Chase about how he and his brother teased one another. And yet, Chase didn’t laugh when he recalled that conversation, which was about his brother donating stem cells to fight the cancer that came back.

The former St. Louis Blues forward first found out he had acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in November 2023. “We elected to go to Siteman’s,” said Chase, where he tried a clinical trial that put his AML in remission. Unfortunately, the cancer was not done with the 57-year-old. So this time, Chase had to rely on his brother’s bone marrow and chemotherapy. The cancer is in remission once again but despite the doctors advising him to not strain himself, the former Blues star still gave back.

On April 4, Kelly Chase organized the second annual Puck Cancer Second Shift Alumni game. A year ago, he had done the same while fighting cancer for the first time. So on Friday, the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks alumni teams squared up against one another at the Centene Community Ice Center to play a round of hockey. People turned up in droves, buying $50 and $500 (VIP) tickets.

The game raised a whopping $600,000. Needless to say, the support moved the former Blues forward to tears. Despite looking a little worse for wear, the former NHL player walked out on the ice with a walking stick and was overwhelmed by the turnout. So when the reports on the turnout caught up to the 57-year-old, he couldn’t hold back his tears. “They’re here. So you gotta show up,” said Chase.

The hockey icon battling cancer continued after regaining his composure. “I’ve got good friends,” he told reporters. “In that locker room, the lengths that people have gone to come here to this event is crazy. I’d like to say that it’s inspiring, and it’s inspiring for me,” added Chase. What more? Not a single penny of $600,000 was for his benefit.

Kelly Chase earns the community’s respect again

Watching Kelly Chase fight cancer for the second time left many fans emotional. “Heartbreaking to see what the cancer has done to Chaser,” commented one longtime Blues fan. “Hoping he can find the strength to beat it,” he added, and that’s exactly what the 57-year-old is striving for. Although learning that the cancer had returned was hard to process, Chase didn’t give up.

And the former Blues forward didn’t just do it for himself. That’s because neither the first nor the second Puck Cancer game’s earnings went toward his cancer treatment. Instead, the former NHL player used the power of hockey to bring the community together, raise awareness, and donate to cancer research. No wonder the community poured their hearts out in support.

“Chaser is the best! We can all learn from him. He gets it! @Chasenpucks39 thank you for reminding us what it is all about,” commented another fan. And Kelly Chaser didn’t just remind the fans but his fellow players too. Former players including Brett Hull, Chris Chelios, Keith Tkachuk, Chris Pronger, and many more veterans played on the ice, with current Blues coach, Jim Montgomery behind the bench.

In fact, the second annual Puck Cancer game saw no decline in the money raised for research, as Chase had donated $600,000 last year as well. That’s $1.2 million for cancer research within a year. So it’s not surprising to hear Chase say he has “good friends.” In fact, one said that whether in person or on social media, the entire hockey community is with him.

“He sure does. We’re all behind him in his battle,” commented one Blues fan. Yet, where exactly did the former ice hockey player donate the money? All proceedings went to Siteman Cancer Center and the V Foundation for Cancer Research. These were the two organizations that gave Kelly Chase the option to fight cancer with clinical trials when traditional treatment just couldn’t cut it.

Now, Chase hopes that his donation can make a difference in helping progress future cancer treatments. Finally, one fan wrote that the Blues should pay tribute to their former player and inspire him in his fight with cancer. And what better way to than to go all the way? “We gotta bring another cup home for him!” commented that fan.

And considering just how well the St. Louis Blues are playing right now, it doesn’t seem like a wild idea. After beating Colorado 5-4, the Blues have extended their win streak to 12 games. Who knows? Maybe the Blues might pull off the ultimate tribute for Kelly Chase after all.