The final four months of hockey great Ron Duguay’s life were “like a roller coaster,” his daughter, Shay Thomas, told Our News Outlet in her first interview since the former New York Rangers star died.
Duguay discussed his battle with colon and liver cancer in an exclusive interview with Our News Outlet in late February. He spoke about the severity of his illness, the treatments he endured and the growing medical expenses that prompted Thomas to launch a GoFundMe campaign, despite his initial reluctance.
Duguay died from the disease on October 22, surrounded by relatives and close friends, including his longtime partner and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
In the months before his death, Duguay endured devastating setbacks. A fall left him with lost teeth and internal bleeding, while increasingly costly treatments offered only limited hope.
Thomas said her father also felt hurt by the Rangers, a team he remained deeply loyal to, believing the organization had failed to support or acknowledge him during his cancer battle. He did not receive the chance to see that relationship repaired before he died.
Yet a final trip to his native Canada became a profound gift for Thomas. More than anything, she said, the greatest blessing was being able to remain beside her father during his last moments.
Shay Thomas has spoken about the final days of her father, late NHL star Ron Duguay.
Duguay died surrounded by family and loved ones, including Sarah Palin (top center).
Sarah Palin remained at Duguay’s side as he neared the end
When Duguay spoke with Our News Outlet in February, he acknowledged that accepting financial help from others was difficult after Thomas created the GoFundMe campaign. Eventually, however, changing his outlook allowed him to concentrate on getting better.
“Now, my mindset is, ‘OK, I’m gonna accept this,’ because this has been lingering on too long,” Duguay said. “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, the battle had become even more difficult. Duguay fell at his Florida home, knocking out several teeth. The fall also caused internal bleeding linked to portal hypertensive gastropathy, a condition associated with impaired blood flow to the liver because of cirrhosis.
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 nearly $100,000 for four doses.
Thomas said Duguay “never stopped fighting,” adding that the experimental treatment seemed to revive him in some 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, the people 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 the former Alaska governor, 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.”
Sarah Palin (second from right) “did not leave” Duguay’s side, according to Thomas (far right).
Duguay and Palin maintained a long-term relationship across the miles.
Thomas said both Duguay and Palin preferred to keep their relationship private.
The private support Sarah Palin gave Duguay in his final weeks
When the Mail previously interviewed Duguay and Thomas, they were reluctant to discuss Palin’s place in his life. Now, Thomas said she wants people to recognize the former governor’s devotion because “it’s important that people know Sarah’s role in everything because she’s earned that.”
Thomas said Duguay struggled emotionally as his illness progressed. “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’s privacy was the reason so little had previously been said. “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,” she said.
Thomas said Duguay wanted to protect Palin but was no longer able to care for her during his final months.
The Rangers icon, who starred in the 1970s and ’80s, battled cancer for nearly a year.
Rangers legend felt forgotten during his cancer fight
Palin joined Duguay’s family at Madison Square Garden in late October, when the Rangers paid tribute to him during a ceremony. Thomas, Palin and other relatives stood on the ice to honor one of the most beloved players in Blueshirts history.
But in March, Duguay told Our News Outlet through Thomas that he was “very disappointed” by what he described as a lack of work, support and acknowledgment from the organization while he battled cancer.
Thomas said his feelings did not change 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 admitted it was painful that Duguay was not alive to witness it. “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.
Duguay’s emotional return home after his mother’s death
“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 was especially supportive throughout Duguay’s illness and after his death. The organization offered to help pay his medical expenses and even cover cremation costs. “They definitely are doing so much and we’re so grateful for them,” she said.
In early October, Duguay experienced a brief improvement in his cancer battle. Although his liver remained severely compromised, Thomas said he believed it would begin to recover, prompting him to make one final trip north to Sudbury, Canada.
The journey held deep meaning. Duguay’s mother, Anita, had died in August at age 97, but he had been too ill at the time to travel to her funeral.
Three weeks before his own death, he finally returned home. “He was too sick to be there before she died, so he went there for her funeral,” Thomas said.
The visit offered Duguay a measure of healing. He was able to say farewell to his mother and was also honored by the Sudbury Wolves, his hometown major junior hockey team.
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), Duguay (center) and Amber (left) take a photo during his treatment.
Hockey great died weeks after a moving hometown tribute
Duguay’s number is displayed in the rafters at Sudbury Community Arena, and fans gave him a warm ovation when he returned. The team also organized a collection to help pay for his treatment.
He later went back to his Florida home, but his health declined “so fast,” Thomas said. Duguay was then transported across the country to California, where he had been receiving care, and died 20 days after the Wolves honored him.
In the weeks since 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.”
