THE TRUE WARRIOR

Hockey players are widely known for their toughness.
We're rarely aware of any injury or ailment they're playing through on any given night.
But maybe one of the toughest moments at the Scotiabank Saddledome this year came from someone other than a member of the Flames.

Nov. 12, 2022.
Hockey Fights Cancer Night.
Seven-year-old James Lipowy, a hockey player himself, smiled and waved from the Zamboni end of the ice with pure joy in front of a capacity crowd that saluted him with a huge ovation as the Scotiabank Skater.
In that moment, you would never know that earlier in the day, James was in the hospital for nearly five hours dealing with the side effects of an immunotherapy drug he had been taking as a treatment for Osteosarcoma - a type of bone cancer - and wasn't sure if he would even get to the game.
"That just shows his strength, right? We made it that evening and for the hour-and-a-half that we were there, you could just tell how much it meant to him," said his father, Ryan Lipowy. "He wanted to be there, he wanted to do it, and even though he was far from 100%, he pulled through and he did it. Even friends were texting me seeing him on Hockey Night in Canada they're like, 'Wow, he looks great.'
"In my mind, I was like, 'If you only knew how this day went.'"

James was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in January of 2021 at the age of five.
Since that gut-wrenching day when Ryan and James' mother, Jacquie, received the "phone call that any parent dreads," James has undergone multiple scans, rounds of chemotherapy treatments, and countless hours spent in hospital.
At the age of six, James underwent a surgical procedure called a Rotationplasty, where amputation of the leg is done to treat bone tumours in children. The procedure removes the entire femur and cancerous section, but also allows for the greatest mobility possible as they continue grow.
In the eight-hour surgery, doctors removed James' upper left leg, while keeping his lower leg intact, since there was no cancer below the knee. They then took the lower leg, turned it front-to-back, and moved it up onto his hip. So, basically, his ankle is his new knee, and his foot goes below, into his prosthetic allowing him to walk, skate and have any sort of range of motion.
The surgery was a success and scans determined he was cancer-free in October of last year.
But this past summer, the cancer returned - and so did the treatments and surgeries. Through it all, James continues to show incredible strength and resilience, including that special night he shared with his local hockey heroes.
"That's on a whole other level," said Chris Tanev, the fearless leader of the Flames' blueline brigade, who's gotten to know James and his family over the past few months.
On the ice, Tanev is known by teammates and those around the league for being a warrior. He's one of the toughest players in the sport, sacrificing his body for the team and playing though pain to stay in the lineup.
But none of it compares to what 'real life' can throw at you.
"Going through chemo and radiation and you're still positive and willing to try new medicines, it sort of blows your mind that some people have to deal with that at such a young age, but to be able to persevere and battle as he's done is very impressive," Tanev said.
Chris and James hit it off at the Calgary Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic this fall, prior to the season. The family sat across from the blueliner at the dinner, getting to know each other, before James declared on stage in front of a room full of participants his favourite player is Chris Tanev.

"Chris then took the initiative the rest of the night to take him and his sister around and meet all the players," Ryan said. "That was immense and something he (James) talked about for days and weeks after."
Tanev then hosted them at a practice a few weeks later.
"He got to see Chris again, got an autographed stick and he stayed with us the whole time, answering any of James' questions (and) gave him a tour of the facilities.
"It was just great. It was huge."

Through the most difficult of circumstances, hockey has always been part of the journey. James even declared he was ready to make a return to the ice this fall and resume playing the game he loves so much.
"He said 'Dad I want to play hockey again,'" Ryan said. "I was thinking sledge hockey and he clarified and said, 'No, no I want to play hockey again,' and I was like, 'OK, if you want to play, you'll play."
And so, he did, suiting up for McKnight hockey.
"He got out for a few practices and then the first weekend with a game, he scored his first goal. So, even just doing that was amazing," Ryan said. "He's a boy that wants to play, he wants to have fun, he wants to be with his friends.
"But once he started on this new immunotherapy drug, playing hockey right now is just not realistic. The physical toll and the increased risk of him getting sick or hurt (is too great)."
In the meantime, James will be cheering on the Flames.
And the Flames?
They'll be cheering on James.
NHL players can have an immeasurable impact on the lives of children - especially those that are waging their own battle against an all-too-common foe. For Tanev, it's never about notoriety, or getting 'credit' for showing compassion in some small way.
He does it because he cares.
And because he knows how even the smallest gesture can help brighten a child's day.
"I think we're all very welcoming and very willing to try to do what it takes to make someone happy for a second, or an hour or a day or whatever it is to sort of take their mind off whatever they may be going through," Tanev said. "I think that's a big part of what we do here, I mean playing in Canada, we're sort of more in the spotlight and it's something that we can try to use to try and help people just smile and be happy and maybe enjoy the moment while they're going through a lot bigger things."
"I think the people around him are optimistic and they have good support crew around them to help them get what they need. The Flames are just a tiny little piece of that.
"If you can bring them a smile for a day it can go a long way."

It certainly did that for James, who still talks about that day with Tanev and his teammates.
"These are things that James won't ever forget, and it'll stay with him forever," said Ryan, adding that when James watches every game now, he's constantly on the lookout for No. 8 in red. "He's looking for his buddy. That's the thing that he notices and that's the thing that he follows through on the most."
The fight against cancer - and specifically child cancer - is something no family is prepared to tackle, but one the Lipowys have battled head on.
"It's going to be something that we focus on for the rest of our lives, and really try to increase exposure for kids cancer and help generate more funds going toward care and research whether it's locally here in Calgary or Alberta just in general."
And while James is always watching and cheering on his favourite team and favourite player, there's no question the support goes both ways.
As the fight against his increasingly aggressive cancer continues, so do the need for support. A GoFundMe has been set up to assist the family in their fight:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/together-we-stand-with-james-in-fight-with-cancer