It began late last fall, when he began coughing up blood. It would happen randomly for New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider. For a few days, he'd be symptom-free. Then Kreider would wake up and spew blood, then break out in coughing fits throughout the day that he describes as "pretty gruesome."
The 27-year-old knew something wasn't right. When he was on the ice, he sometime felt a shortness of breath -- like his cardio wasn't all there -- and sustained light-headedness, too. But it was the time of year where everyone would get sick, especially road-weary professional hockey players, so he didn't blame doctors for a misdiagnosis of pneumonia.