Saint John rallies around longtime Sea Dogs staff member

Saint John is rallying behind a founding member of the Sea Dogs in the face of illness.

David Kelly, or DK as he is known,is the team's head equipment manager, and has been battling cancer for three years.

He missed his first ever Sea Dogs game last night, breaking his 12 season, 769 game streak.

That didn't stop him fromcheering on his team from his room at the Saint John Regional Hospital.

"It was different watching the guys on TV," he said, "You know, you kind of feel helpless and you want to be there with them, but they're in good hands with guys that have stepped up to help out."

He even Facetimed the group from the hospital during the game, talking them through how to replace a skate blade.

#TeamDK

The entire hockey community has rallied around Kelly with #TeamDK, aterm coined during Kelly's second surgeryover a year ago.

He has received support from former Sea Dogs players like Jonathan Huberdeau and opposing teams, including the Moncton Wildcats and the Halifax Mooseheads.

Andree Stephen is the Sea Dogs game day and community manager. She visited Kelly in hospitalon Tuesday afternoon.

"He does everything," she said. "He's a best friend, he's probably a father to a lot of the children."

"With me, he's a good friend. Sporting entertainment is a difficult job, and he's taught me a lot on how to be successful, he's taught me everything."

'We're a family'

Kelly remainshumble, believing that the power lays in the hockey community itself,rather than his own unbreakable spirit.

"We are a family," he said, "so when somebody goes through this, you do it together, and nobody can do it alone, nobody should do it alone."

"I'm fortunate to have a team, fortunate to have what feels tobe an army with me, so it's pretty special."

Kelly is scheduled to remain in hospital for four weeks, following news that another surgery to remove the cancer in his neck would be unlikely to succeed.