Stars' Strader: 'For 4 hours, I didn't feel like I was sick at all'

For veteran announcer Dave Strader, the Dallas Stars' overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday night was the sweetest of victories. But that sentiment had little to do with the game's outcome.

The match marked Strader's long-awaited return to the Stars' booth after being diagnosed with bile duct cancer last summer, forcing him to miss the first 59 games of the 2016-17 season while receiving treatment.

Needless to say, it was a joyful return.

"This is the first time, to be honest with you, that for four hours I didn't feel like I was sick at all," Strader told Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News after the win. "Maybe it was the adrenaline high, but I really, really feel great right now."

The Stars made a point to make Strader's presence known following their win, with captain Jamie Benn gathering his teammates to salute the play-by-play man.

Their gesture didn't go unnoticed.

"Of all the things the team has done for me, and they have done so many wonderful things for me, but when they came over to salute me ... that was unbelievable," Strader told Heika.

While the Stars' season hasn't gone as planned, getting Strader back in the fold provided a much-needed boost for the struggling club.

"It just brings a smile to all of our faces to see him," Benn said after the Stars' win. "He's battled hard, he's been our strongman. He obviously brought us some luck. It was nice to have him back where he belongs."

That luck is in line to continue, as Strader is set to call the next four games for the Stars, after which he said he'll look to join the team on the road whenever possible.