Shea Theodore's offseason took a turn he didn't expect.
In a piece published Thursday in the "Players' Tribune," the Golden Knights defenseman revealed he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent successful surgery to remove a lump in the last three months.
Theodore learned about the disease following Las Vegas' elimination from the playoffs and after playing with Team Canada in the IIHF World Championship in May when a drug test came back positive for hCG, a hormone that normally appears in women during pregnancy that can also be an indication of testicular cancer.
"I was finally ready to come home and relax after such a crazy few months. And then … my whole life changed in the blink of an eye," Theodore wrote.
But he had a strong support system not only with his family and girlfriend, but with his teammates and their significant others as well.
"In Vegas, we’re extremely tight," Thodore wrote. "We’re close in a different way than most teams. We actually have this massive group text for all the wives and girlfriends, and it’s really like its own news organization."
He also got support from former Penguins and current Coyotes winger Phil Kessel, who also overcame testicular cancer. Kessel even called Theodore the night before his operation to try to help calm his nerves.
"A big source of my anxiety was getting put under for the surgery, because believe it or not, in 20 years of playing hockey I’d never had to go through that before. Thankfully, it could not have been easier," Theodore wrote.
"I woke up like I’d just taken a really good nap, and the doctors told me that the lump was successfully removed. I felt (sic) O.K., but the only problem was that it really, really hurt to laugh."
Theodore had a biopsy after the procedure and has since made a full recovery, but said he will continue to check in with his doctors and do his best to create awareness.
"The whole butterfly effect of what happened is pretty mind boggling, honestly," Theodore wrote. "You never think that something like this could happen to you. But the reality is that testicular cancer actually has an out-sized effect on my age group.
"I know how fortunate I was to be able to come through this experience with my health, and be able to continue playing the game that I love."
Theodore, 24, was traded from the Ducks to the Golden Knights at the 2017 expansion draft and signed a seven-year deal with Las Vegas last September that carries an average annual value of $5.2 million.
In an effort to stress knowing the symptoms and being open about screenings, he has pledged to donate to early detection causes for every point he tallies during the 2019-20 season, and the Golden Knights Foundation will match Theodore dollar for dollar.