This article appeared in the Tuesday, July 11 issue of the Bangor Daily News (http://www.bangornews.com)

Walsh in high spirits at hospital
By John Holyoke, Of the NEWS Staff 

University of Maine men's hockey coach Shawn Walsh is in high spirits after surgery to remove a cancerous kidney, may return home as soon as Wednesday, and has not lost his sense of humor, his mother-in-law said Monday night. 

"When he was in the recovery room, just after the surgery, Dr. [Gino] Carpintino introduced him to the two anesthetists,'' Liz Vickery, mother of Walsh's wife, Lynne, said. 

"The three [doctors] are standing there and [Walsh] said, ^This is the power play, huh?' '' she said. 

That episode sums up Walsh's attitude, she said. 

"He was joking in the recovery room, and this positive attitude is catchy,'' she said. "Everyone's sure he's going to do great.'' 

Liz Vickery said that since the operation Walsh has been up and around, and is anxious to get home. 

"He's doing fine,'' Liz Vickery said. "He's walking around, watching his IV's and making sure they're dripping properly,'' she said, pointing out that the fact that "he doesn't have a hockey team to coach right now'' has made Walsh a bit antsy. 

"He's ready [to come home],'' Liz Vickery said. 

Carpinito, the surgeon who performed Friday's operation at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, told WCSH-TV in Portland that it was unclear how long Walsh will remain hospitalized, but Liz Vickery said that he may be home as soon as Wednesday. 

"Things have gone well and they're just happy that things have gone as well as they have,'' she said. 

Carpinito said Walsh is recovering "beautifully'' after the surgery. 

Walsh, whose cancer spread to his lymph nodes, said previously that he may undergo an intensive 20-day immunal therapy program at the University of California at Los Angeles after the surgery. 

Liz Vickery said on Monday that the logistics are still being worked out "as we speak.'' 

The type of cancer affecting Walsh, renal cell carcinoma, is the most common type of kidney cancer, according to the National Library of Medicine. 

A nagging cough led to the diagnosis of Walsh's cancer in mid-June. Walsh said last week that he'd always had a cough during hockey season, but this year the cough didn't go away after the season was over. 

Walsh, 45, led the Black Bears to national championships in 1993 and 1999 and his teams made five other trips to the Frozen Four during his 16-year stint at Orono. 

Walsh has compiled a 379-203-37 record in his 16 years at the helm of the Black Bears. 

He said he is scaling back his administrative duties this summer and hopes to return to the ice this fall. 

But even before his operation on Friday, Walsh said he was taking care of hockey business. 

"The last thing I did this morning before leaving the office is dictate a letter to all of our players telling them about the situation,'' Walsh said on Thursday. "It included a midsummer surprise conditioning test. I want them to make sure they come to camp in great shape.'' 

And even before his operation, Walsh was upbeat about his chances. 

"I believe if you don't have the best of everything, make the best of everything you have,'' Walsh said on Thursday. "I believe the biggest part of the fight is the attitude.'' 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.