Jordan Sigalet鈥檚 NHL goaltending career lasted all of 43 seconds 鈥� a true blink-and-you鈥檒l-miss-it stint in silks on Jan. 7, 2006.

But that fleeting moment in time represented the high point of a remarkable journey. Nearly three years prior, after being diagnosed with , Sigalet was told by doctors that he鈥檇 never be able to play hockey again.

So, while 43 seconds might not seem like a long time, it meant the world to Sigalet.

鈥淚t was a huge honour,鈥� recalled Sigalet, who came on in relief of injured Bruins starter Andrew Raycroft at the tail end of a 6-3 win over the .

鈥淚鈥檇 backed up for about nine or 10 games, and Raycroft came skating over to the bench, all keeled over. I鈥檓 like, 鈥極h man, I鈥檓 going in.鈥� The heart started racing, and I can鈥檛 even remember it at this point, it was so short. I didn鈥檛 even get a shot (on goal). But I was out there.

鈥淚 can say I played the game.鈥�

These days, the 30-year-old Sigalet works as the s goalie coach, but he also serves as an inspiration to many people who live with MS, an inflammatory disease which affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other effectively.

Sigalet鈥檚 first inkling that something was wrong came back in the spring of 2003, when he was at .

After playing back-to-back games on a Friday and a Saturday, he woke up Sunday morning and his left foot was completely numb.

鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 slept on it funny, like how you might wake up with pins and needles in your arm or your leg,鈥� he explained.

鈥淚 went about my day and it didn鈥檛 go away 鈥� it just kept humming and buzzing every time I stepped. The next day I woke up, and it was like that from the chest down.鈥�

After undergoing a battery of tests, Sigalet received the gut-wrenching MS diagnosis. His first instinct was to keep the news to himself.

鈥淚鈥檇 been drafted by Boston, and I thought if they found out, they鈥檇 just drop me and forget about me,鈥� he said.

鈥淔or six months, just my family knew.鈥�

Sigalet immediately began taking medication to slow the progress of the disease, but he only sat out one game before returning to the Bowling Green lineup.

鈥淏ecause my hands were still numb, I had to get used to holding a stick again,鈥� he said.

In December of 2003, about nine months after his initial MS diagnosis, Sigalet decided it was time to go public.

鈥淭here were times when I wasn鈥檛 feeling good when I鈥檇 hide it and say I was just sick, or had a cold,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 was kind of sick of lying, and I think people started to realize something a little more serious was going on.

鈥淚t was just a burden on my shoulders, and once I told everyone, I had great support. It was a great relief to me, and let me just focus on my hockey.鈥�

The following season, Sigalet returned to the Bowling Green lineup and put together his best collegiate campaign, going 16-12-3 with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.

His remarkable return was featured in and , and he was nominated for an ESPY award as the best comeback athlete for 2004-05.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 win the award, but I got to go down to Hollywood for the awards, got to visit the Playboy mansion 鈥� a lot of different events,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was just a great experience.

鈥淕oing public allowed me to reach out to other people, using hockey through those publications, to get the word out about MS.鈥�

After three seasons in the Bruins organization followed by a short stint with a pro team in Vienna, Austria, Sigalet retired and made the transition into coaching.

He began teaching private lessons through 鈥� offered in 91原创 and Burnaby 鈥� and then was hired as the goalie coach for the WHL鈥檚 for the 2010-11 season.

Sigalet made the jump to pro hockey in August, when he was hired to be the Heat鈥檚 first full-time goalie coach. Head coach Troy Ward said Sigalet鈥檚 presence brings 鈥渁 whole new level of professionalism鈥� to the AHL club.

Leland Irving, the Heat鈥檚 starting netminder until he was called up to the Calgary Flames last month, expressed excitement at the opportunity to work with a dedicated position coach.

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a step in the right direction,鈥� Irving said.

鈥淛ordan鈥檚 a great goalie coach. He鈥檚 detailed, but up-to-date with all the modern fundamentals of goaltending. He鈥檚 very level-headed 鈥� he鈥檚 not going to scream and yell at you, but everything he says makes sense.鈥�

Sigalet, who was born in New Westminster and grew up in Cloverdale, has taken on several fundraising projects to support MS research. His foundation, , stages a dinner and charity hockey game in Burnaby every second year, and has generated approximately $180,000 for the National MS Society.

鈥淪ometimes you almost get MS as a middle name 鈥� Jordan Sigalet with MS,鈥� he said with a wry grin.

鈥淏ut every time somebody reads it or hears it, it does create that awareness.

鈥淚 know when I was diagnosed, I didn鈥檛 even know what MS was. I鈥檓 hoping the next time someone鈥檚 diagnosed, they鈥檒l know a little bit more about it, and maybe there鈥檒l even be a cure by that time.鈥�