NBC hockey analyst Pierre McGuire announced Wednesday he had his prostate removed last week after being diagnosed with stage-one prostate cancer.
McGuire, 56, said on TSN 690 in Montreal that the surgery was successful and he currently feels “fantastic.”
“I’ve been fortunate to have really good medical people, my family’s been so supportive,” he said. “I knew exactly what I was getting into. I chose to go the aggressive route and get the prostate out. They told me if I was 70 years old they wouldn’t be having this conversation with me, but I chose to go the aggressive route because I didn’t want to live with that on my mind every day.”
McGuire has worked in broadcasting for two decades, after a career as an NHL assistant coach and scout. He first joined NBC in 2006, splitting his time there and at TSN, before accepting a full-time position at the network five years later. He is known for his role as an “inside the glass” reporter on NBC’s hockey broadcasts.
The hockey world has recently been hit with a wave of bad news regarding commentators and cancer, including fellow NBC analyst Eddie Olczyk’s battle with colon cancer and Dallas Stars play-by-play voice Dave Strader’s death from cholangiocarcinoma, a form of bile duct cancer.
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“I had no signs at all that I was ill.” McGuire said. “Zero, nothing, nada. My work habits hadn’t changed, my workout habits hadn’t changed. My eating habits hadn’t changed. I hadn’t lost weight and hadn’t gained weight. I was just living a normal life.”
McGuire told USA Today‘s Kevin Allen he’s still doing radio hits and watching hockey nightly, and expects to be ready to call hockey for NBC in the PyeongChang Olympics, which start Feb. 10 in South Korea.
“I’m back doing radio and I’m watching games every night,” McGuire said. “I can’t travel right now. That’s what is holding me back.”
According to McGuire, one reason he pushed to have the surgery quickly was to give him the opportunity to be ready for the Olympics. He believes he will be ready for the grind of Olympic coverage.
“I feel fine. I feel great,” McGuire said. “I’m walking 3 ½ miles every day. Can’t do much else because of the sutures.”
NBC play-by-play commentator Mike “Doc” Emrick (a prostate cancer survivor himself) discussed the situation at the start of NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry broadcast Wednesday, sending McGuire the broadcast team’s thoughts and wishes:
We're thinking of you, Pierre! #HockeyFightsCancer
pic.twitter.com/2EvE9GoMKr — NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) January 11, 2018
McGuire said he will take a few weeks off before returning February 10 for Olympic work from South Korea. We wish him a speedy recovery.
[TSN 690]