The Saint John Sea Dogs have been practicing and working out without a familiar face behind the bench.

The team’s long-time equipment manager, David Kelly, is doing well for someone who just had surgery to remove tumors from his neck on Tuesday. Now he’s anxious to recover and re-claim his spot on the bench and join his hockey family.

"We all go through rough times in our life and that's the nice thing about being involved in hockey,” says Kelly. “No matter where you're from or what team you're with, we all have each other's back."

Head coach Ross Yates is keeping his players up-to-date on Kelly’s recovery. He’s expected to return home from the hospital on Thursday.

The team has also rallied behind Kelly, creating T-shirts and a fundraising campaign to help out one of the only remaining original Sea Dog employees. Kelly has been on the bench for every one of the franchise's 679 games - a streak he doesn’t intend to break.

"I've worked every single one of them so I really want to keep the streak going at 680 and I know I’ll be useless, but I have every intention of being behind the bench in Bathurst on Friday night,” says Kelly.

As the team gets ready for the playoffs, Kelly wants to make sure he’s a part of it.

With files from CTV’s Mike Cameron