Ron Duguay spent 12 seasons in the NHL and became one of the most beloved players in New York Rangers history. At 68, he is in the fight of his life.
Duguay publicly revealed this week that he has been battling Stage 4 colon cancer for more than a year. The disease has spread, requiring major surgeries on both his liver and colon.
He has lost his appendix and gallbladder in the process and is currently on a chemotherapy protocol through City of Hope in California while pursuing alternative treatments including blood ozone therapy, IV vitamin drips, and other holistic therapies.
His daughter Shay Thomas went public with the diagnosis February 24th through an Instagram reel showing Duguay in hospital beds, holding medical scans, and using a walker across multiple treatment visits.
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who has been dating Duguay since 2022, appeared in the video caring for him during his hospital stays. As far back as April 2025, Palin had told reporters that Duguay was dealing with health issues, but offered no specifics at the time.
Family Goes Public To Ask For Help
The family’s decision to go public now was driven by finances. Duguay was initially treated in Florida, but his daughters say that care nearly killed him. They relocated his treatment to Orange County, California, where Thomas and her sister Amber Stavros live.
The move stabilized him, but it created a logistical problem that has compounded the financial strain. Duguay now flies cross-country from Florida to Orange County every two weeks for ongoing care.
The cost of constant travel, multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, supplements, and alternative therapies pushed the family to launch a GoFundMe.
The campaign was initially set at $26,000, raised to $50,000 after quickly exceeding the original target, and has since surpassed $41,000. The family has also stated they are exploring treatment options outside the United States as his cancer numbers have recently started rising again.
Duguay told Page Six the fundraiser was not his doing.
“I find it extremely hard asking for funds for all these costs I’m going through. Normally I’m helping others.”
His daughters made the call without him. They wrote on the fundraiser page,
“Our dad has never been someone who asks for help, especially when it comes to money. He has always tried to handle everything on his own and didn’t want to burden anyone else with what he’s going through.”
The career those funds are helping to support was a significant one.
Duguay’s Playing Career: The New York Legend
The Rangers drafted Duguay 13th overall out of Sudbury, Ontario in the 1977 NHL Draft, and he made the jump directly to the NHL without a single game in the minors, scoring 20 goals as a 20-year-old rookie in his first season. He went on to spend his first six seasons in New York, accumulating 164 goals in 499 games with the Rangers, 25th most in franchise history.
His best season came in 1981-82 when he led the team with 40 goals and earned a spot in the NHL All-Star Game representing the Wales Conference.
He also helped the Rangers reach the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals, where they fell to the Montreal Canadiens in five games, scoring 27 goals in the regular season and five more in the playoffs that year.
He was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in June 1983 and had arguably the best run of his career there, posting 33 goals and 80 points in 1983-84, then 38 goals and 89 points in 1984-85, the best offensive season of his career.
He went on to play for Pittsburgh and Los Angeles before a brief return to New York, finishing his NHL career with the Kings in 1989. In total he played 864 career games, scoring 274 goals and adding 346 assists for 620 points across four franchises.
After his playing days ended, Duguay stayed connected to the game and to the Rangers specifically. He worked as an in-studio analyst for MSG Network from 2007 to 2018, when the network opted not to renew his contract amid programming changes.
He pivoted to co-hosting the New York Post’s “Up in the Blue Seats” podcast, which continued into 2025 and kept him active in the Rangers media landscape until his illness made work increasingly difficult.
Duguay said his goal hasn’t changed. “I need to get better so I can help others.”
