Devils’ Boyle says cancer in remission

Devils center Brian Boyle delivered the best news possible on Wednesday. His cancer is in full remission.

“The [test] results showed all zeros on Monday,’’ Boyle told NHL.com, regarding his latest exam.

“It’s full molecular remission, and I feel really good. It was kind of the way the progression was happening the last few tests. When I told my wife, she was excited and got emotional.’’

Boyle, 33, was diagnosed on Sept. 19, 2017 with chronic myeloid leukemia and told that full remission could take up to 18 months.

He actually made his 2017-18 season debut on Nov. 1 — just 43 days after his diagnosis. He played 69 games last season, scoring 13 goals and 10 assists — all while undergoing treatment.

“A test (BCR-ABL1) looks for the leukemia cells in your blood, and when I was first diagnosed, it was at 75 percent,” Boyle told NHL.com. “At the end of last season, it was at .08 percent, and in July I was .04 percent. ...

“The game plan has been working well, and now I’m just going to continue with it. It was good news, but it doesn’t change a whole lot for me and I’ll continue taking the medicine.”

Going forward, Boyle said, he will continue taking medication once a month, along with regular checkups.

Boyle — who also played with the Rangers from 2009-2014 — won the 2018 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy from the Professional Hockey Writers Association for “perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”

Now in his 12th NHL season, Boyle has three goals and one assist in six games for the 4-2-0 Devils, who next play Thursday, hosting the Predators.