Avalanche defenseman lost mother, grandfather to melanoma 1 year apart
Defenseman Josh Manson reflects on his mother’s fight against cancer and the gift of time
DENVER — When the NHL approached Josh Manson in 2024 about being involved in its Hockey Fights Cancer initiative, the decision was a no-brainer for the Colorado Avalanche defenseman.
“It started with, obviously, with my mom being gone,” Manson said of becoming a Hockey Fights Cancer Champion. “That was just something that hit close to home. So I was like, ‘OK, I want to get involved in some way and try to honor her memory, because she fought hard.’”
Manson lost his mother Lana to cancer on Aug. 5, 2023. What had started as a mole on the back of her calf became melanoma. Lana was initially given three months to live, but the experimental treatment she received extended her time with her family to more than seven years.
He also lost his grandfather to melanoma a year later.
It was those experiences — and knowing firsthand that trial drugs and cancer research require funding — that inspired the 34-year-old to first become an advocate.
“It’s good to see him step up to the forefront and be an ambassador for it,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “Obviously, it’s something that a lot of people deal with, and he’s in a position to be able to kind of share his story and support others that are going through it. … So I think it’s a real mature move by him to get involved in it and kind of be our speaker of the house.”
Colorado will host Hockey Fights Cancer night against the New York Islanders at Ball Arena on Sunday (9 p.m. ET; MSGSN, ALT, SN, TVAS).
Manson saw how new treatments provided his family with more time with his mother. She got to see him get married, have kids, and was even on hand in Tampa, Florida, in 2022 when Manson won the Stanley Cup with Colorado.
Whether it was attending events or simply connecting and sharing stories with survivors and supporters, Manson knew he could use his platform to help spread awareness and raise money for Hockey Fights Cancer, a joint initiative of the NHL and the National Hockey League Players’ Association that fundraises for cancer research, educates and empowers fans to learn about cancer risk factors, and takes action to get people screened for certain cancers.
“It’s obviously something that means a lot to him,” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “It’s obviously something that he’s got a very personal story with and a personal experience with. And I think that just makes it that much more meaningful, right? We all know what kind of person he is. He cares deeply. He’s very kind and loyal.
“No initiative is ever going to fix things or bring people back, but I think for him, it’s just a way to pay it forward and to help spread awareness. Other people might be going through things that can relate to somebody like him.”
In partnership with the V Foundation, Hockey Fights Cancer raised $8.2 million during the 2024-25 season, $4.6 million of which will go directly to research at the top cancer research institutions across the U.S. and Canada.
Twenty-six research grants have been awarded in 16 NHL markets over the past two seasons, including one in Lana Manson’s name to Matthew Griffin, Ph.D., who is researching using precision probiotics to overcome melanoma resistance to therapy at the University of California, Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“The NHL does a really good job with Hockey Fights Cancer and the money they raise,” Manson said. “They’ve been doing a great job. So I think it’s a pretty good partnership to try and be a part of.
“There’s plenty of projects like that. They’re doing a great job.”
As a special gift this year, Hockey Fights Cancer provided its Champions with custom blazers featuring a liner detailed with photos and memories of their loved ones. Manson’s included a handful of items, like a centerpiece photo of his family together on the ice after Colorado won the Cup in 2022.
“I sent in a bunch of pictures, and then they just laid it all out,” Manson said. “I gave them one of my mom’s sayings. Said I wanted the Hockey Fights Cancer ‘I Fight For Mom’ card on there. It turned out great.”
Manson received the present on Nov. 3, and it made its pubic debut the next night prior to Colorado’s 3-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I didn’t realize it was going to be like as public as it was,” he said. “I thought it was going to be more like a private memento, but they kind of wanted that little exposure, which is great. It’s for a good cause. It remembers my mom, and gets her name out there, which is exactly what I want to do.”
Manson sees the blazer as one of those truly special hockey items he has collected over the course of his 12-year NHL career. He hopes his kids will cherish it the way he admires the things his father, Dave Manson, who played 16 NHL seasons, collected.
“I think it’ll be cool to look back on,” Josh Manson said. “My dad played. I look back at the mementos that he has from when he played, and this would be like that.
“It’s kind of a cool one. You go through the closet. My kids can open it up and look all the pictures of them when they were just babies with my mom, right? And then knowing that I wore that while I was playing, it’s pretty cool.”
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