WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — As the Utah Grizzlies hockey season begins, one former player is fighting a serious health battle off the ice.
Grizzlies forward Johnny Walker is no stranger to dropping the gloves, but a fight on the ice pales in comparison to the fight his former teammate Joey Raats is experiencing.
"Just recently Joey was diagnosed with testicular cancer," Walker explained.
Walker and Raats met while playing college hockey at Arizona State University.
"He will always be a teammate, it's something that hockey teaches you and it's to take care of those who take care of you," Walker said.
While Walker finished his studies, Raats moved to Utah to play for the Grizzlies.
Walker followed in his best friend's footsteps, however, they never actually got to hit the ice together on the same team.
The bond the pair developed in college only grew as Raats put his hockey career on hold to battle cancer.
"Spending the summer with joey really opened [my] eyes to what really matters in this world and when you see a friend and brother struggling it makes everything matter a bit less," Walker said.
Now, Walker is sharing this story with a goal to raise awareness for men's health.
Walker told FOX 13 News Raats is doing better and he plans to make a trip to Utah later in the season to see the Grizzlies in action.
