Former NHL coach and current Canadian senator Jacques Demers is in stable condition after suffering a stroke on Wednesday, according to CBC.ca
Demers, 71, is a two-time Jack Adams Award winner and led the Montreal Canadiens to a Stanley Cup championship in 1993. He served in 1,007 NHL games as a head coach between his stints with Quebec, St. Louis, Detroit, Montreal, and Tampa Bay from 1979 through 1999.
His life is a story of a boy born into bad circumstances and finding success in spite of that. He came from an abusive household and left school after Grade 8. He revealed in 2005 that he was functionally illiterate.
Roughly a decade after he coached in his last NHL game, he was appointed to the Canadian senate and continues to serve in that capacity.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter this morning to wish Demers well.
Sending my best wishes to Senator Jacques Demers for a full recovery. Get well soon.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 7, 2016
