"I think hockey saved his life, absolutely."
/Set aside a few minutes and read this offering from The San Jose Mercury News.
The story begins with how the mother of San Jose Sharks rookie Matt Nieto was diagnosed with breast cancer in September.
Two surgeries, a round of chemotherapy and with more surgery to come, the great news is that her prognosis is good.
Mary Nieto, on Matt: "He's very encouraging. He's like a really big positive thing in my life, for sure."
The article also delves into Matt's younger years and how critical hockey became in his story.
"Probably everybody that he hung out with is either in a gang or on drugs or something," she said. "It's good that he got out of this environment for sure. I think hockey saved his life, absolutely. Hockey became a way out for a Mexican-American kid in Southern California.
"When he was born, we lived in a really bad neighborhood," Mary Nieto said. "There were drive-by shootings. He jokes about it, that Snoop Dogg lived around the corner. It's true, but Matt wasn't born then."