Former Edmonton Oilers goalie Andy Moog shares message of positivity amid cancer battle

Decades ago, Andy Moog was battling between the pipes, hoisting Lord Stanley’s mug in 1984, 1985 and 1987 with the Edmonton Oilers.

But now, Moog is in a different fight: one for his life.

Late last week, the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson reported that Moog had been diagnosed with cancer at 63 years old. More details about Moog’s diagnosis were shared during the Oilers’ Tuesday night game against the Vegas Golden Knights during the club’s Hockey Fights Cancer night.

It was there that Sportsnet’s Gene Principe said during the intermission that Moog had found a lump on his neck and subsequently received the diagnosis.

Moog, however, appears to be taking his diagnosis in stride. During the broadcast mentioned above, Sportsnet aired a video clip of Moog sharing a message to Oilers fans:

“Hey Edmonton Oilers fans, and Oilers, I guess you may have heard I’m going through a bit of a rough spot right now,” said Moog, adding, “But I’ll tell you right now, I’ve got the secret to battling this horrible disease.

“My secret to you is positivity. Think positive, be around positive people and take that positive energy, and send it towards your battle. I’ve had a lot of great support over the last couple weeks as I deal with this cancer and I credit it all to people around me who have been very positive.

“Good luck with your battles, wherever you are.”

Moog was the first goaltender drafted in the franchise’s history, selected in the seventh round, 132nd overall, in the 1980 draft. Taken a year before the Oilers drafted local boy Grant Fuhr 8th overall, the pair would be a key reason for the success of the franchise in the 1980s.

While you may look back at their stat lines and see save percentages in the .880’s, far from the numbers you see in today’s game, they were among the best netminders in the league for years. Over Moog’s seven-year career in Edmonton, he saved 75.1 goals above average, compared to the league-average goaltenders of the time. Fuhr, meanwhile, was just as good, stopping 64.2 goals above average, according to Hockey Reference.

Moog’s tenure in Edmonton, which saw him appear in 235 games and post a 143-53-21 record, ended in March 1988. At the time of the deal, Moog was looking to have a more prominent role in the crease and could not do so with Fuhr still in Edmonton.

The Oilers subsequently traded Moog to the Boston Bruins for a second-round pick in 1988, forward Geoff Courtnall, and netminder Bill Ranford — the latter of whom would backstop the Oilers to a Stanley Cup championship in 1990, the fifth in franchise history.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.