The final four months of hockey legend Ron Duguay’s life were “like a roller coaster,” his daughter, Shay Thomas, told the Daily Mail in her first interview since the former New York Rangers star died.
Duguay discussed his battle with colon and liver cancer in an exclusive Daily Mail interview in late February. He described the severity of his illness, the treatments he underwent and the growing medical expenses that ultimately prompted Thomas to launch a GoFundMe campaign, despite his initial reluctance.
Duguay died from the disease on October 22, surrounded by family and friends, including his longtime partner and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
In the months before his death, Duguay endured serious setbacks. A fall caused him to lose teeth and suffer internal bleeding, while increasingly costly treatments offered only limited hope.
Thomas said her father also felt hurt by what he viewed as a lack of support from the Rangers, a team to which he had remained deeply loyal. The chance to repair that relationship never came before his death.
Yet a final trip to his native Canada in the last month of his life became a profound gift for Thomas. She said the greatest blessing was simply being able to remain at her father’s side during his final moments.
Shay Thomas, daughter of the late NHL great Ron Duguay, has spoken about his final days
Duguay died surrounded by family and loved ones, including Sarah Palin (top center)
Thomas described her father’s cancer battle and his final days to the Daily Mail
When Duguay spoke to the Daily Mail in February, he acknowledged that accepting help had been difficult after Thomas created the GoFundMe campaign. Eventually, however, changing his outlook allowed him to concentrate more fully on getting well.
‘Now, my mindset is, “OK, I’m gonna accept this,” because this has been lingering on too long,’ Duguay told the Daily Mail. ‘And I need to get better quickly so I can go back to doing what I was doing before, and I’m gonna do a lot more of it now.’
By July, though, his condition had become more challenging. A fall at his Florida home left Duguay with missing teeth and internal bleeding linked to portal hypertensive gastropathy, a complication in which cirrhosis impairs blood flow through the liver.
Because his liver cancer was so advanced, Duguay was not eligible for a transplant. As his liver function declined, his oncologists turned to an experimental drug that cost almost $100,000 for four doses.
Thomas said Duguay “never stopped fighting,” adding that the experimental treatment “brought my dad back” in certain ways. “Even when things got worse, he was still looking forward to the next treatment and holding on to hope,” she told the Mail. “He had so much more life he wanted to live.”
As his health deteriorated, those closest to him gathered at his bedside. They included Thomas, her siblings Amber, Sarah and Noah, Duguay’s former wife Robin and Palin.
‘She flew out right away, she was there the whole entire time,’ Thomas said of Palin, the former governor of Alaska, who had been in a long-distance relationship with Duguay.
‘She actually didn’t even leave his room. She slept there. It was two weeks that we were there, Sarah did not leave his side the whole time.’
Palin (second from right) “did not leave” Duguay’s side, Thomas said (far right)
Duguay and Palin maintained a long-term, long-distance relationship for many years
Thomas said both Duguay and Palin valued their privacy
When the Mail previously interviewed Duguay and Thomas, they had been cautious about discussing Palin’s place in his life. Thomas now wants people to understand how much the former Alaska governor did for him, saying “it’s important that people know Sarah’s role in everything because she’s earned that.”
Thomas said: ‘As my dad got sick, he felt like he couldn’t take care of her, which was sad. When you’re sick and you’re used to being this professional athlete, my dad just had a really hard time with guilt… like he wanted to be more for her.’
‘We are forever grateful for Sarah and everything that she’s done, and I made sure to let her know how much my dad loved her and how much he appreciated her, cause he did. She’s loyal and we love her and we consider her family.’
Thomas explained that the couple had kept their relationship private, adding: ‘I’m only speaking on this because I want people to know the truth of their relationship and the love that they did share and her loyalty.’
Thomas said Duguay felt protective of Palin but was unable to care for her during his final months
The Rangers icon, who starred in the 1970s and ’80s, battled cancer for nearly a year
Palin joined Duguay’s family at Madison Square Garden in late October, when the Rangers honored him during a ceremony. Thomas, Palin and other relatives stood on the ice to remember one of the most beloved Blueshirts in the franchise’s history.
However, Duguay had told the Daily Mail through Thomas in March that he was “very disappointed” by what he considered a lack of work, support and acknowledgment from the organization during his cancer battle.
According to Thomas, those feelings remained in the months before his death: ‘My dad was very hurt. He was very loyal to the Rangers, even after he felt like they didn’t really give him the time of day.’
‘When they reached out to us and we had that conversation about them wanting to honor him, we felt that’s something my dad would have wanted because even at the end, he was still loyal.’
Although Thomas and her family appreciated the tribute, she said: ‘I’m not going to say that it didn’t hurt me that he couldn’t have been around to see that support himself, because I know that always hurt him.’
The Rangers honored Duguay during a ceremony at Madison Square Garden
Thomas wished her father had lived to see the Rangers’ tribute
‘But we were beyond grateful that happened, that the Rangers did that – being able to stand on the ice at Madison Square Garden and watching that tribute of my dad. My dad had a deep connection with New York and the Rangers, so it just meant so much to our family to see him being honored.’
Thomas said the NHL Alumni Association provided significant assistance during and after Duguay’s illness, offering to help with medical expenses and even cremation costs. ‘They definitely are doing so much and we’re so grateful for them,’ she said.
In early October, Duguay briefly appeared to improve. Although his liver was still struggling, Thomas said he expected its function to recover and made one final journey north to Sudbury, Canada.
The trip held special meaning. Duguay had been unable to travel when his mother, Anita, died at 97 in August because he was among the sickest he had been.
Three weeks before his own death, he returned home to attend her funeral. ‘He was too sick to be there before she died, so he went there for her funeral,’ Thomas said.
The visit brought some comfort. Duguay was able to say goodbye to his mother and was also honored by his hometown major junior hockey team, the Sudbury Wolves.
Duguay returned to his native Canada shortly before his death
Thomas said the greatest blessing was the extra time Duguay spent with his family
Shay (right), Ron Duguay (center) and Amber (left) pose during his treatment
Duguay’s number is displayed in the rafters of Sudbury Community Arena, and fans applauded when he returned. The Wolves also organized a collection to help pay for his treatment.
After returning to Florida, Duguay’s health declined “so fast,” Thomas said. He was transported across the country to California, where he had been receiving care, and died 20 days after the Wolves honored him.
In the weeks following her father’s death, Thomas said she has drawn strength from the time they were able to spend together.
‘These last two years was the most time that we’ve really had with my dad. I feel like that was honestly one of the biggest blessings of it all.’
