Hockey Hall of Famer Guy Lapointe diagnosed with oral cancer

Canadiens great Guy Lapointe smiles at the Canadiens' Hall of Fame in Montreal, on June 19, 2014. Lapointe's jersey retirement ceremony will take place Saturday before a game against the Minnesota Wild. (Graham Hughes/CP)

Longtime Montreal Canadiens defenceman and Hockey Hall of Famer Guy Lapointe has been diagnosed with oral cancer.

The Canadiens announced the news in a press release on Wednesday.

Lapointe, 70, is currently an amateur scout with the Minnesota Wild and will begin treatments in the coming weeks.

Dr. Keith Richardson of the McGill University Health Centre says the cancer is located at the base of Lapointe’s tongue and has a high cure rate.

“The family wishes to thank the personnel at the MUHC as well as all hockey fans and asks for respect of their privacy as they face this challenge,” the release said.

Lapointe played in 884 NHL games from 1968 to 1984 with the Canadiens, St. Louis and Boston. He scored 171 goals and had 451 assists over that span.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.