With a contagious smile on his face, Pavel Novak exclaimed that “I am cancer free.”
It’s great news for Kelowna Rockets fans, as the high-scoring winger from Czechia was given a clean bill of health last week.
“They said everything seems to be alright, I don’t have any tumours in my body anymore, so that was great to hear,” Novak told Global News from his hometown of Tabor.
During his two seasons with Kelowna, the 5-foot-9 winger was a prolific scorer, amassing 54 goals and 130 points in 117 regular-season games.
He was counted on to help carry the team’s offence. But, during the latter part of last season, Novak says he just didn’t feel right.
“It started probably (in the) playoffs when I had COVID. I couldn’t play the fourth and fifth games against Seattle,” said Novak. “I didn’t feel good. I was really really tired.”
After signing an NHL entry-level contract with Minnesota — the Wild drafted him in the fifth round, 146th overall in 2020 — Novak returned home, where he was eventually diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
In battling cancer, Novak underwent four rounds of chemotherapy.
“You feel really bad. Your stomach is upset and you feel like you will throw up, but you will not throw up. But you only feel that way on the days when you have chemo,” said Novak, recalling his treatment in Prague.
“The other days you feel like, pretty good.”
Leave it to Novak to describe chemotherapy off-days as “pretty good.”
“I’m just very happy that I can lead a normal life again and it’s just fantastic,” Novak added.
After only a week, Novak is already planning his comeback. In fact, he says that he skated the same day he received his cancer-free diagnosis.
“I had my last appointment on Tuesday in the morning, and I skated Tuesday in the evening,” said Novak.
In related news, the Kelowna Rockets will host their 11th annual Pink the Rink fundraiser on Friday night when they host the Everett Silvertips. The team will be auctioning off game-worn jerseys, with funds going to the Cancer Society.