Devils’ Boyle diagnosed with leukemia, still hopes to play

Brian Boyle hopes to play hockey again soon, he said Tuesday after being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a type of bone-marrow cancer that the New Jersey Devils’ team doctor said can largely be treated with medication.

The 32-year-old forward and 2003 firstround pick of the Kings was diagnosed with CML, the same disease that former NHL forward Jason Blake played through in 2007. Blake played six more seasons after being diagnosed.

The Devils open the regular season at home Oct. 7 against the Colorado Avalanche. That might be an aggressive target date, but Boyle said he expects only minor side effects even while he is being treated. Boyle wants the season to go on as normal and for no one to blame the disease for his play one way or the other.

“We don’t have to be asking about it all the time,” Boyle said on a conference call. “If I suck one night, it’s because I sucked, not because of any other reason. And hopefully if that’s the biggest issue, then that’s a good thing.”

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