After three weeks away because of a serious health scare, Mike Maniscalco returned to the Carolina Hurricanes TV broadcast Monday night.
Last month, the Canes rinkside reporter and pregame host on Fox Sports Carolinas was sent to the emergency room with severe abdomen discomfort. At the time, Maniscalco was with the team in San Jose and doctors at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center found a large mass in his stomach was the cause for discomfort.
Soon after, the broadcaster returned to Raleigh where he underwent successful surgery to remove the mass. The procedure was performed by Dr. Michael LeCompte and Dr. Michael Meyers at UNC REX Hospital, days later a biopsy determined the mass was non-cancerous. Maniscalco was set to be off-air indefinitely as he recovered from the procedure. Monday night, the indefinite leave ended as Maniscalco returned to the Hurricanes telecast three weeks after surgery.
“The support I have received from my family, friends, broadcast team, the Hurricanes organization, the entire hockey community and the fans was overwhelming in the best possible sense. There are no words to express my gratitude for the concern and positive thoughts,” Maniscalco told BSM following his first game back.
“To go from wondering when I could get back to work, to be able to get back so soon and see the team and the fans reaction was more than I could have imagined.” Maniscalco added as the Canes topped the Ottawa Senators 8-2 in his return.
A native of Buffalo, NY, Maniscalco has covered the Hurricanes for over a decade. Hosting their pre and postgame shows on the radio from 2007 – 2016, the sportscaster is currently in the middle of his fourth season working on the Canes’ telecasts. In addition to his contributions on Fox Sports Carolinas, Maniscalco also creates content for CarolinaHurricanes.com and hosts the Canes Corner radio show.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.