'It’s been a long journey': Hurricanes' Bickell almost back after MS diagnosis

Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano holds up Bryan Bickell of the Carolina Hurricanes during an NHL game on Oct. 19, 2016. (Ted Rhodes/Postmedia)RALEIGH, N.C. — Bryan Bickell wasn’t sure this day would come again.

And here he is taking another step towards a return to the NHL.

A disappointing season may be coming to a close for the Carolina Hurricanes as they prepare to miss the playoffs, but there’s something very special happening as the club’s 30-year-old winger, who received a devastating multiple sclerosis diagnosis last November, is getting ready to make a comeback.

In a story that is, in many ways, about perseverance and dedication, Bickell — who spent his four-year OHL career with the…