Ex-Blues Player Dies Of Cancer

Doug Wickenheiser, whose dramatic overtime playoff goal in 1986 is fondly remembered by St. Louis Blues fans as the Monday Night Miracle, died Tuesday of lung cancer. He was 37.

Funeral arrangements were pending for Wickenheiser, who was with the Blues for all or parts of four seasons from 1983-1987.

Wickenheiser had 51 goals and 67 assists in 230 games with St. Louis, and the team used the ex-center's jersey number, 14, as an inspiration source for battling the disease.

For the past two seasons, several Blues players and front office personnel, as well as fans, wore T-shirts emblazoned with the number 14 atop a burning candle to symbolize hope in Wickenheiser's battle. He had been hospitalized since late summer and was on a ventilator his last months.

Wickenheiser's goal completed the Blues' rally from a 5-2 deficit to beat the Calgary Flames 6-5 in Game 6 of the Campbell Conference Finals on May 12, 1986. The Blues trailed by three goals with 11:52 to go, but scored three goals to force overtime. Wickenheiser got the game-winner at 7:30 of the extra period.

The victory forced Game 7, which Calgary won 2-1 two nights later to advance to the Stanley Cup finals.

Wickenheiser totaled 111 goals and 156 assists in 556 games in a 10-season career that also had stops at Montreal, Vancouver, the New York Rangers and Washington from 1980-90.

Wickenheiser, his wife, Dianne, and three daughters settled in St. Louis after his retirement.

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