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..... he was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma, when he was just 33 years old.

Working, remaining involved in the daily activities of the NHL world, was a comfort to Bowman. It kept his mind engaged and his routine steady. He was able to show his two young boys, then just 2 and 5 years old, that their dad was still Dad. That some semblance of normalcy remained.

"I wanted them to have the illusion that things were going well," Bowman told ESPN.com. "Life goes on, and you can't feel sorry for yourself."