Dr. Isadore Brodsky also said Wednesday the 65-year-old coach will miss about six weeks of the season early next year while getting treatment.

"He's going to be around for a long time," said Brodsky, chief of hematology and oncology at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Neilson, who has coached more NHL teams than anyone, was diagnosed last week with multiple myeloma, a bone marrow disease similar to leukemia.

Though he originally planned to miss no games, Neilson learned that a bone marrow transplant in late February or early March will put him in the hospital for three weeks. He will need three or four more weeks to recover before rejoining the team, Brodsky said.

"Knowing Roger, he'll be back behind the bench real fast," Brodsky said.

Neilson is to begin chemotherapy Monday. It was expected to begin Wednesday, but Brodsky said he was still gathering information and doing tests.

Neilson stuck to his regular routine Wednesday, pedaling to work on his 10-year-old mountain bike. He grabbed a whistle and a pair of skates and did what he has done for the better part of four decades -- coached hockey.

Afterward, he discussed his latest medical news with his usual nonchalance and humor -- saying general manager Bob Clarke might have an idea about when he should sit out.

"Clarkie thinks that a good time would be the first round of the playoffs, because we've been knocked out the last two years," Neilson said with a smile.

This was Neilson at his self-deprecating best -- rattling off quips, joking about what color wig he'll wear when the chemotherapy chases the curly, blond locks from his head.

"Clarkie said I have a different tie every night, I should get a different wig every night," Neilson said. "Be a redhead one night, something else the next. I don't know if I could go for that or not. You've got to see what you look like. I may look really good without hair."

Neilson, a quirky, beloved ringmaster in a brutal game, may have saved his best jokes for his toughest opponent.

Starting Monday, Neilson will have three chemotherapy drugs pumped into his system, as well as an anti-inflammatory steroid. The outpatient treatment lasts four straight days and will be repeated two or three times for a total of eight to 12 weeks, Brodsky said.

Dr. Mitchell Smith of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia said most patients have few side effects other than hair loss.

If all goes well, Neilson will undergo a bone marrow transplant using his own cells. He will be hospitalized for three weeks, and might be "somewhat incapacitated for three to four weeks after," Brodsky said.

That means Neilson could miss 15-19 games. The Flyers have said assistant coach Craig Ramsay would take over the team.

"He should be able to make it to the playoffs," Brodsky said.

Chemotherapy combined with the marrow transplant is still considered experimental in the United States, but produced promising results in a study in France, Smith said.

"There's a lot of people who believe that it's clearly better, and other people who still say we need to know more," said Smith, who is not involved in Neilson's treatment.

The Flyers took in the latest news with caution.

"We've persevered so far, and we're going to continue to persevere once again," captain Eric Lindros said.

Neilson ranks ninth in NHL career wins with 431 and 10th for games coached with 945. His team is 0-2 since learning of his illness.

Multiple myeloma strikes about 15,000 people a year and causes about 10,000 deaths annually in the United States. Though there is no cure, patients have lived 10 years or more.

Neilson, who lost his sister to cancer two years ago, is staying with the team because he didn't want to fight this battle alone.

"I think it's good to kind of keep going," Neilson said. "It's your regular routine. If you're just sitting in a hospital someplace, it wouldn't be much good."