In Penguins training camp on a pro tryout contract, Leland Irving is beginning to find what Pittsburgh is all about.
Skating and speed? Star players? Two excellent goaltenders atop the NHL depth chart?
Well, yeah. Irving has noticed that. But he also has begun to learn about Austin’s Playroom, the Penguins’ affiliation with UPMC, and franchise co-owner Mario Lemieux’s charity work, through his foundation, raising money for cancer research and patient care.
Pediatric cancer is something near and dear to Irving’s heart because he went through it. When Irving was 8, the Swan Hills, Alberta, native was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer where malignant cells form in muscle tissue.