The Chicago Blackhawks community was saddened to learn Friday that longtime Blackhawk and former Carolina Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Bickell, 30, played for the Blackhawks for eight seasons, from 2006-07 to 2014-15, and was a member of the team for its Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013, and 2015. As Scott Powers wrote earlier, Bickell dealt with mysterious health issues during the tail end of his time with the Blackhawks. The problems began during the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs and continued at various points of last season. Bickell was never able to regain any sort of consistency with the Blackhawks and spent stints in the AHL last season.