Feature Photo: Getty Images

Dakota Joshua’s return to the Vancouver Canucks lineup on Nov. 14 didn’t end with a win, but for the player who was diagnosed with testicular cancer over the summer, it certainly felt like one.

When the moment to hit the ice finally arrived, Joshua, who had revealed his cancer diagnosis prior to training camp and underwent surgery in September, wasn’t quite sure what to expect or how he would feel.

His first shift provided the answer.

“Feeling alive is the best way to describe it, that I am back doing what I love and I am back in the mix, once again being an NHL player,” the 28-year-old forward told NHLPA.com.

“It didn’t feel real until I threw that first hit or got involved in the flow of the game. It was amazing to compete again.”

Players are happy to have him back in the fold – and not just his teammates.

“Guys across the league have been great. In that first game, guys would come up to me and say, ‘congratulations’ and ‘welcome back.’ And that has still been happening since that first one – it’s very cool.

“Even though we play against one another, there is always that respect and I appreciate them showing me some love.”

The Canucks’ Hockey Fights Cancer night, held on Nov. 17, had a bit of an extra special meaning for Joshua this year. The centre took part in the ceremonial face-off with the Openshaw family, led by five-year-old identical twins Weston and Bennett who are officially in remission after undergoing treatment for leukemia.

The brothers, who were diagnosed when they were two, were quick to bond with Joshua. After meeting the twins following a Canucks practice and asked who they would write they’d fight for on the token lavender ‘I Fight For’ cards, the twins were quick to request Dakota. In return, the Canucks forward wrote Bennett and Weston. 

Love and support from his teammates and the entire Canucks organization has been a constant from the moment the Michigan-born forward shared his diagnosis.

“My teammates helped me throughout all this. They were very respectful of everything. I knew they wouldn’t forget me when I wasn’t there, but they were amazing. I was able to be around the team a lot in the recovery process, so that was nice, that they could see things could get back to normal for me.

“My life is different and always will be, but they have supported me and were behind me at a very tough time. It helped me tremendously.”

Joshua, who set NHL career highs in goals (18), assists (14) and points (32) in 63 games last season, is more grateful than ever to be playing hockey again.

“This did give me a new perspective on what I do for a living and also how fast it can be taken away,” said Joshua, who signed as a free agent with Vancouver in 2022. “That is where I feel extremely lucky.”

Lucky is a word he uses often.

“It’s hard to write about or put into words – I don’t want to make it any worse or sad – but I got lucky that we discovered it early and were able to treat it.

“To know the game could be taken away from you at any second is tough to go through, but it made it that much more special when I did finally get back out there.”

Joshua, who led the Canucks in hits last season and finished ninth in the league with 244, has continued to display the physical side of his game since returning to the lineup.

Whether he can top his team in that category remains to be seen.

He intends to give it his best shot.

“I do have a ways to go to catch Kiefer [Sherwood] – I think a lot of guys throughout the league do,” said Joshua of his teammate, whose 125 hits currently sits atop the league 19 games into the season.

“But I am going to do my best to give him a run for my money.”

That he has been given that chance is the biggest reward of all.

“It [first game back] was very eye-opening. I didn’t know what it would feel like until I made it back to that moment. It was something to be very thankful for and to realize how lucky I was with the whole situation and to go through that, but still be in a position to get back on the ice reasonably soon.”

His message to others affected by cancer is what he told himself the moment he was diagnosed.

“Take it day by day. Through the ups and downs, don’t give up hope and know that better days will come. It’s easier to look and find happiness than it is to be down and disappointed by the situation.

“Use it as a moment of courage rather than seeing it as a negative.”