MONTREAL (AP) -Jacques Demers, the former NHL coach turned Canadian senator, says he will have a third operation after nearly dying during a botched hernia procedure.

The 66-year-old Demers made his first public appearance since the initial operation when he joined Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday at an outdoor rally.

A piece of Demers' intestine was cut during surgery June 29 at an Ottawa-area hospital, and he was forced to undergo a second operation.

The longtime NHL coach led the Montreal Canadiens to the 1993 Stanley Cup title.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.