Canadiens' team captain diagnosed with cancer

MONTREAL -- After getting over the shock of learning he had abdominal cancer, Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu sought out some inspiration.

"He asked us to bring him a copy of Lance Armstrong's book when we go back to visit him later today," Canadiens defenseman Craig Rivet said Thursday after he and teammate Brian Savage visited Koivu in the hospital earlier in the day.

With surgery ruled out as an option, the 26-year-old Canadiens center will begin chemotherapy as soon as the type of cancer is determined, a process that could take up to two weeks.

Rivet and Savage said Koivu was in better spirits a day after he received his grim diagnosis.

"He seemed to be a lot more cheerful, but he's obviously scared," Savage said. "Just the unknown of what kind of cancer it is is pretty difficult for him right now."

Koivu's toughest moments came Wednesday, when he was advised that malignant cells had been found in his abdomen.

"We were there about 10 minutes after he was told that he did have cancer so it was a pretty rough time, a pretty emotional time for him," Rivet said. "We didn't get to spend a whole lot time with him. It was kind of a shock for all of us in there."

Koivu was hospitalized for tests Tuesday night after complaining of abdominal pain and vomiting following his arrival from his native Finland on Monday.

An ultrasound exam showed an abnormal buildup of fluid in a chamber of Koivu's abdominal cavity, said team physician Dr. David Mulder. Fluid taken from the area contained malignant cells, he said, and now further biopsies and other testing is taking place to learn more about the illness.

"We found malignant cells. They would basically fall into two broad categories," Mulder said. "One we're looking at would be in the field of lymphomas, which is cancer of the lymph system. The other would be a tumor in any other part of the abdominal cavity.

"We're hoping that this will be a kind of lymphoma," Mulder said.

Koivu's NHL career has been plagued with injuries. He missed 28 games last season with a knee injury that required surgery.

He had 17 goals and 30 assists in 54 games last season.