The Montreal Canadiens announced Wednesday that former defenseman, Hall of Famer and current Wild amateur scout Guy Lapointe was diagnosed with oral cancer.

Lapointe, 71, will begin treatment in the coming weeks. The cancer is located at the base of his tongue. This form has a high cure rate, the Canadiens said in the release.

One of the longest-tenured members of the Wild, Lapointe was hired in 1999 after an illustrious playing career.

He won six Stanley Cups in the 1970s with Montreal, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993 as one of the game's best defensemen and had his No.5 retired by the Canadiens in 2014.

Before abbreviated stops in St. Louis and Boston, Lapointe spent 14 years with Montreal – scoring 166 goals and recording 572 points in 777 games as part of the Canadiens' "Big Three" with fellow Hall of Famers Serge Savard and Larry Robinson.