For a generation of New York Rangers fans, Ron Duguay was all glamour and glide, the flowing hair at Madison Square Garden that made hockey feel like rock and roll. Today, that same icon is in a hospital gown, fighting for his life with his daughters and partner, Sarah Palin, at his side.
TLDR
New York Rangers great Ron Duguay is battling Stage IV colon cancer that has spread beyond his colon. With help from daughters Shay and Amber, a devoted Sarah Palin, and a new medical trial, he is confronting mounting treatments and bills.
From Garden Glory to ICU Nights
According to Page Six, Duguay, 68, learned he had Stage IV colon cancer in November 2024 after a stretch where he actually believed he was healthy. The Canadian-born star spent six seasons with the Rangers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, then shifted into broadcasting as a familiar face on MSG Network and later as co-host of the New York Post sports podcast “Up in the Blue Seats.”
The first red flags came far from the Garden lights. His daughter, Shay Thomas, told Page Six that symptoms started while he was visiting Palin in Alaska. He felt bloated and exhausted, needing naps he never used to take. Blood work back home in Florida revealed that something was terribly off.
Doctors found colon cancer that had already spread into his liver. Thomas explained that he has since lost part of his appendix and his gallbladder, endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy, and had a port installed in his liver. His daughter said, “He has always been healthy. This was very shocking for him.”
The toll has been brutal. Thomas shared that there have been moments when her father felt “pretty close to death a few times.” Yet she and her sister Amber have tried to stay steady in front of the man they grew up watching dominate on the ice.
Palin’s Vigil in Two States
Into this deeply personal fight has stepped Palin, 62, the former Alaska governor who publicly reentered his life as a romantic partner several years ago. People previously reported that Palin and Duguay were dating, and the relationship has become an emotional anchor as his health has declined.
Thomas told Page Six that Palin has been “very involved and incredibly supportive throughout the whole journey,” even though they live on opposite ends of the country. The distance has not stopped her from rushing onto red-eyes, sitting bedside through surgeries, and staying for days in the hospital when he has needed someone who knows both the public Ron and the private one.
“Sarah has been a huge source of support not only for my dad, but our entire family, and we are incredibly grateful for everything,” Thomas said. For a man who spent decades in locker rooms and TV studios, the new inner circle looks different. Now it is daughters with notebooks of medical questions, a political lightning rod quietly holding his hand, and a family clinging to its faith.
A Legacy Built on Grit
The financial reality has been as relentless as the disease. Page Six reported that Thomas and her sister launched a GoFundMe to help cover spiraling medical costs after Duguay could no longer work. She admitted her father resisted the idea, telling the outlet that he hated asking anyone for help, but the bills left them little choice.
🚨 JUST IN: Hockey legend Ron Duguay, dating Sarah Palin, gets devastating stage 4 cancer diagnosis – family launches GoFundMe amid battle! 🚨
Former New York Rangers star Ron Duguay (ex-NHL heartthrob & “Romeo of the Rink”) has been fighting stage 4 colon cancer for a year, per… pic.twitter.com/eRrBKzK3TW
— The scoop stateside (@ScoopStateside) February 25, 2026
“We still have a road to go with everything, and we are grateful because he was having a hard time paying his bills and getting here for treatment,” Thomas said. Once the campaign went live, Duguay felt relief rather than embarrassment.
There is, for now, a fragile thread of hope. Duguay has been accepted into a new medical trial designed to help T cells better recognize and fight cancer cells. Thomas shared that the approval came only days ago, calling it something the family is “really grateful” for after a stretch in which his cancer markers had spiked again.
Amid the treatments, Duguay has framed his fight in terms of purpose. He told Page Six, “I need to get better so I can help others.” It is a sentiment that fits the kid from Northern Ontario who became a Broadway sports idol, then an analyst, and now a patient whose story is pulling old fans and new supporters back into his corner.
Join the Discussion
How does seeing a one-time sports and media star so vulnerable, yet surrounded by family and a devoted partner, shape the way you think about public figures and private battles?
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