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Canadiens defenceman Brandon Davidson is fighting for a regular spot on the Canadiens’ blue line, but he has already won a much more important battle in his life.

After being selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Draft, Davidson was getting ready to start his pro hockey career when he went for his physical before the start of the 2012-13 season with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons.

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“I was kind of feeling a little off myself,” Davidson recalled after practice this week in Brossard. “I knew something was kind of wrong.”

But he never expected to hear the dreaded word that came from a doctor following the examination: cancer.

At age 20, Davidson was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” said Davidson, who is now a muscular 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. “I felt like I was Superman for so many years. It was a change for sure, but also scary. I wanted to make sure that I was going to be healthy first, but I was also worried about my career. I had finally gotten to be in a pro locker room and I didn’t want it to be over already. That kind of stuff worried me and crossed my mind, for sure. But the big thing was the doctors approached me in such a way that made me feel that it was a good, curable chance and I was going to be all right.”