Alex Luey’s three year battle with cancer came to an end on Sunday.
In a post on twitter Luey’s father said that he passed away in his sleep.
Luey was a hockey player from Niagara that had inspired NHL superstar Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
Ovechkin built a relationship with Luey over the years and considered the 15-year-old an inspiration. The Capitals forward had first invited Luey to a game in Toronto against the Maple Leafs in October 2017 where Ovechkin scored a hat trick.
Ovechkin and the Capitals kept in touch with Luey, seeing him at more games, and even inviting him to and his family to the 2017 Stanley Cup parade in Washington.
Ovechkin tweeted a photo with Luey on Sunday saying the capitals family is “heartbroken”.
In 2016 Luey was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, the same cancer that took the life of Terry Fox. Luey was declared cancer-free in 2017 but it returned and became untreatable.
Luey’s family asks that those attending the visitation arrive in a sports team jersey to celebrate his love for sports.
Visitation will be held between 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m, and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday at the Patterson Funeral Home in Niagara Falls. His funeral will take place on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the funeral home.