Coach Has Peace About Battle With Cancer Roger Neilson, well-known to the media, is making the news again. This time it's for his positive attitude to illness.     Roger Neilson, coach of the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers, has attracted his share of media attention.     Known as “Captain Video,” a wearer of loud ties, and a man with a curling mop of hair that hasn’t changed in over twenty years, Neilson is a true NHL character.     He’s hockey’s “absent-minded professor,” with such a bad sense of direction that Philadelphia Flyers’ general manager Bob Clarke arranged for door to door limo service.     On December 10, Neilson once again made the headlines, this time with his announcement that he’s suffering from bone cancer. He announced his illness in typical Neilson style, slipping it out at practice.     “They were sleeping, as usual, through the video and at the end I just told them,” says Neilson.     “I was in shock,” says Flyer captain Eric Lindros. “He was stronger about it than I was. Roger means an awful lot to me ... He’s someone you can trust and confide in.”     Sportswriters have had lots of material to work with when they write about Neilson. He was the first NHL coach to use video tape to train his players, earning him his “Captain Video” nickname. As of mid December he was ranked ninth for NHL career wins at 431 and 10th for games coached with 945 over 20 years.     The sports media are once again taking notice of Neilson — not for his innovations or statistics, but for his attitude. His optimism about his illness has reporters scratching their heads.     “The most amazing thing about Roger Neilson’s cancer diagnosis: how upbeat he is,” wrote Jim Matheson in the Edmonton Journal.     How does a person faced with the reality of a painful death keep such a positive outlook on life? “My faith is what keeps me going,” says Neilson.     Doctors say that with proper treatment he should survive at least five years, possibly as many as 15 — Neilson says it’s in God’s hands.     “I believe God has a plan. If the plan is for me to beat it, I’ll give everything I’ve got.”     And if he doesn’t beat the cancer?     “Heaven is a better place than Philadelphia,” he quips.     Neilson has multiple myeloma, a form of bone cancer. While the disease is incurable it can be treated. Neilson will undergo about three months of chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant. He’s expected to miss about six weeks of the season.     It’s not the first time Neilson has seen bone cancer in his family. In 1994 he lost his sister Joan to a form of myeloma bone cancer. Never married, Neilson kept a close relationship with his sister even when distance separated them.     “She was a fine, Christian woman, not worried about dying at all,” Neilson said.     The Neilsons' faith and trust in God grew out of a strong Christian upbringing.     At age 12 Roger Neilson gave his life to Jesus Christ.     “It’s been the best thing that ever happened to me for sure,” he told Sports Spectrum magazine.     Neilson’s faith has helped him through some tough times in his NHL coaching career.     “There’s a lot of pressure at the NHL level. You usually last a couple of years with a team and you’re fired or not rehired,” he told Sports Spectrum. “That’s where your Christian faith kicks in. That’s what keeps you going.”     Neilson has been fortunate to coach for a record seven NHL teams. Since starting with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1977 he’s coached the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Florida Panthers before coming to Philadelphia during the 1997-98 season.     Earlier this season, Neilson narrowly escaped being fired by the Flyers when the team got off to a rocky start. His team has since battled its way to the top of their division.     During the 1981-82 Stanley Cup playoffs, Neilson waved a towel over his head while coaching the Vancouver Canucks, expressing his displeasure over what he deemed was unfair officiating. The move started a towel waving craze in Vancouver dubbed “towel power.” Harry Neale, Hockey Night In Canada color analyst and longtime Neilson friend, was the Canuck’s General Manger at the time. He doesn't expect Neilson to throw in the towel during his battle with cancer.     “Knowing Roger he’ll take this a lot better than most people,” Neale told the Edmonton Journal. “He’s got a real strong belief in God and heaven, much stronger than anyone I know in this business.”     As for Neilson, he says: “I won’t be complaining to God.” Do you want to find peace in Jesus? Click here to find out how. [LLN-Online] [Adopt-a-Block] [Newsbriefs][Event Calendar] [Lifestyles] [Juke Box] [Cover to Cover] [Movieguide][Casting the Net] [Viewpoints] [General Info] [Rates & Sizes][Marketplace/Classifieds] [Volunteer Ops] [Writing Guidelines] [Contact Us] [Subscribe][Archives][Good News] [About Us][Links]