Son downplays report of Howe’s dementia

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MONTREAL - 1965: Gordie Howe #9 of the Detroit Red Wings helps defend the net against the Montreal Canadiens in 1965 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images)

Updated: March 4, 2012 8:18AM

Nearly 84, Mr. Hockey is still in demand and on the move. Gordie Howe is about to embark on another series of fundraisers to support dementia research.

It’s a personal cause. His wife, Colleen, died in 2009 of Pick’s Disease, which involves significant mental impairment and memory loss similar to that experienced in Alzheimer’s.

Now, dementia beginning to affect the Hall of Famer, according to a Canadian Press report.

“He’s a little bit worse than last year, but pretty close to about the same,” eldest son Marty said. “He just loses a little bit more, grasping for words.”

But Marty downplayed the seriousness of the report. “Just to set things straight Gordie does not have dementia,” he said while driving with his dad from Kamloops, British Columbia, to Vancouver. “He has had a cognitive problem for 7 or 8 years that causes mostly short-term memory loss. If he had dementia we would be lucky to have him with us.”

Dr. Murray Howe, the youngest of Howe’s three sons, said his father likely has mild cognitive impairment, which can be a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia.

The family is hesitant to link his condition to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the degenerative brain disease found in autopsies of people who have had multiple head injuries, including former NFL and NHL players.

Concussions weren’t tracked when Howe played, so it is impossible to know how many he sustained. He didn’t start showing signs of dementia until his late 70s.

“I don’t think anybody can really answer that question,” Marty said of a connection to CTE. “He went for so long without any symptoms whatsoever. You don’t have to be an athlete or in contact sports to get dementia.”

Howe has short-term memory loss, difficulty speaking and some confusion after sunset.

“He’s always worse in the evening,” Marty said. “It’s like when the sun goes down, something flips the switch.”

But Howe’s personality hasn’t changed and he continues to recognize his family and friends.

“He’s still Mr. Hockey and that’s what is so great because he’s just such a pleasure to have around,” Murray said.

The Canadian Press