Most Viewed Stories
NHL Capsules: Clowe helps Sharks skate past Stars
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Ryane Clowe had plenty to celebrate. He played his first game since a facial fracture two weeks ago and scored a goal. Even better, his father was among the sellout crowd.
"I looked up and saw him pumping his fists," Clowe said. "He seemed to be having a good time."
Clowe and four others scored in helping the San Jose Sharks win their third straight, beating the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Thursday night.
Several of the Sharks played in front of their fathers, who were seated in a luxury suite and were shown, beers in hand, on the big screen every time the Sharks scored.
Michal Handzus, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau also scored for the Sharks, who beat the Stars for the fifth straight time.
"We all enjoy having our fathers here," Thornton said. "They all turn into kids when they are at the rink."
Clowe scored with 8:26 remaining. He has eight goals and 23 points against the Stars, his most against any team.
"I felt stronger as the game went on," he said. "There were a couple of times early when I got the puck in the neutral zone and got caught from behind. I had to remind myself to keep my feet moving. I had to get up to the pace."
Steve Ott and Jamie Benn scored for the Stars, who have yet to win the second game of back-to-backs this season in nine chances.
"There were a lot of frustrating things tonight," Ott said. "We didn't get the result we wanted and collectively there were a lot of little breakdowns. I think our faceoff percentage was about 15 percent and when that happens you're going to chase the puck around a lot."
The Sharks had a 77 percent faceoff advantage, the best by any team since the lockout.
Thomas Greiss stopped 19 shots to earn his seventh win for the Sharks, who established a franchise record for the longest scoreless streak by their opponents of 190:51. Dallas' Richard Bachman made 32 saves.
Handzus gave the Sharks an early lead, taking a pass from Brent Burns, who skated the puck out from behind the net, and converting at 4:42 of the first period.
Pavelski scored on a power play with 3:38 left in the period to pad the Sharks' lead.
"Our power play got us two and I thought our penalty kill was good too," Sharks' coach Todd McLellan said. "The power play is starting to look like it should. There is some emotion."
Ott was credited with an unassisted goal during a power play midway through the second period. Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle tried to take the puck away, but he put it into his own net.
The Sharks answered with two goals in the final five minutes of the period. Marleau redirected a shot from Burns off the skates of Stars defender Trevor Daley.
"The Sharks played a good game from start to finish," Stars' coach Glen Gulutzan said. "Good indications were the faceoffs. They were manhandling us in the draws."
San Jose scored less than two minutes later after Pavelski stole a pass and gave Thornton an empty net to shoot at for an easy goal.
"It's good to see Joe creating some offensive numbers," Clowe said. "When he starts to score like that you know he's creating a lot of opportunities."
Benn made it 4-2 early in the third period when he took advantage of Griess' inability to cover the puck.
NOTES: Sharks G Antti Niemi missed the game because of an injury. The Sharks recalled G Tyson Sexsmith from Worchester of the AHL to be Greiss' backup. ... Sharks D Jason Demers was placed on the injured list to make room for Clowe, who was activated before the game. ... Stars D Nicklaus Grossman was back in the lineup after missing a game due to flulike symptoms. ... San Francisco Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong became the second baseball player to visit the Sharks in two days. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Nyjer Morgan skated with the Sharks on Wednesday. ... Ott has four points in two games. ... Benn scored for the second straight game since returning from an injury.
Other NHL Capsules
Gagner rolls up eight points as Oilers beat Blackhawks
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Sam Gagner had four goals and four assists in the NHL's first eight-point game in 23 years, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 8-4 on Thursday night.
Gagner fell two points shy of matching the NHL mark of 10, set by Toronto's Darryl Sittler on Feb. 7, 1976, but he tied the club record of eight that is held by Wayne Gretzky and defenseman Paul Coffey.
The 22-year-old Gagner, who had only five goals this season before Thursday, was chosen as all three stars of the game.
Taylor Hall, Ryan Whitney, Jordan Eberle and Cam Barker had the other goals for the Oilers (20-26-5), who are 3-0-1 in their last four games.
Patrick Sharp had two goals, and Jamal Mayers and Dave Bolland also scored for the Blackhawks (29-16-7), who have lost four straight.
Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux was the last player before Gagner to have at least eight points in a game when he did it on Dec. 31, 1988, against New Jersey.
HURRICANES 3, BRUINS 0
BOSTON (AP) — Cam Ward made 47 saves — 22 in the first period and 20 in the third — Brandon Sutter had a goal and an assist, and Carolina finished its first season sweep of Boston.
The Hurricanes, who won all four meetings with the Bruins, are 15-25-9 against the rest of the NHL and are last in the Eastern Conference. Carolina outscored Boston 14-5 in the season sweep, the franchise's first over Boston, dating to the days when the team was the Hartford Whalers.
Eric Staal scored in the first period, Tuomo Ruutu converted Sutter's rebound in the second, and Sutter added a goal 3:13 into the third.
Ward, 11-11-2 against the Bruins, posted his third shutout of the season and 19th of his NHL career — including three over Boston.
FLYERS 4, PREDATORS 1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Wayne Simmonds had two goals, Matt Read and Claude Giroux also scored, and Philadelphia snapped Nashville's five-game winning streak.
Ilya Bryzgalov made 26 saves to earn his 175th career win, and the Flyers finally played just 60 minutes. They went to a shootout in their previous three games, losing twice.
Ryan Suter had Nashville's lone goal. The Predators had won nine of 10 and entered with the NHL's best record since Dec. 28, going 13-2.
DEVILS 5, CANADIENS 3
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Zach Parise scored two goals, including the go-ahead tally with 2:44 remaining, and New Jersey rallied to beat Montreal.
David Clarkson also scored twice, including an empty-netter in the final seconds. Dainius Zubrus added a goal, and Ilya Kovalchuk had three assists for the Devils, who have won two straight. Martin Brodeur made 27 saves.
David Desharnais, Andrei Kostitsyn and Mathieu Darche scored for Montreal, which had 18 saves from Carey Price.
Parise's second goal gave the Devils their first lead of the night. He deflected Kovalchuk's shot past Price to break a 3-3 tie. Clarkson finished the scoring for the Devils, who had trailed 2-0 and 3-1.
JETS 2, LIGHTNING 1, OT
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Wellwood scored 3:14 into overtime to lead Winnipeg past Tampa Bay. Wellwood scored from in close off a left-circle pass from Blake Wheeler.
Wheeler also scored for the Jets, who had lost seven straight at Tampa Bay, dating to the franchise's time in Atlanta. Ondrej Pavelec finished with 30 saves.
Victor Hedman scored and Mathieu Garon stopped 22 shots for the Lightning, who had a season-best, five-game winning streak snapped. Garon fell to 5-1 against the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise.
Hedman tied it 1-all at 10:34 of the third after taking a nifty neutral zone touch pass by Martin St. Louis. The defenseman snapped a 25-game goal drought, dating to Oct. 22 against Buffalo.
St. Louis has 10 assists and 13 points during an eight-game point streak. The right wing has at least one assist in every game of the spurt.
WILD 1, AVALANCHE 0
DENVER (AP) — Niklas Backstrom had 37 saves for his third shutout of the season and 25th of his NHL career, and Greg Zanon scored the lone goal in Minnesota's win over Colorado.
Jean-Sebastian Giguere had 20 saves for Colorado, which has lost four straight and continued to struggle at home against Minnesota. The Wild are 10-1-2 in their last 13 visits to Denver. Backstrom is 9-1-2 in those games.
Zanon's goal was his second of the season.
Backstrom made it stand up, but Colorado didn't make it easy by recording 17 shots on goal in the third period.
RED WINGS 4, CANUCKS 3, SO
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Pavel Datsyuk and Jiri Hudler scored in the shootout, and Detroit padded its lead over Vancouver in the Western Conference standings.
Both shooters beat goalie Roberto Luongo on the stick side to give the Red Wings a 6-0 record this season in shootouts. Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard smothered Alex Edler's close-in shot, and Mason Raymond lost control of the puck in the tiebreaker.
Drew Miller, Hudler and Dan Cleary gave the Red Wings one-goal leads. Detroit (35-16-1) won for the ninth time in 10 games to move four points ahead of Vancouver (31-15-5), which has a game in hand. It was also the fourth win in four road games for Detroit, which is 15-14 away from home.
Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Raymond forced overtime for the Canucks, who were outshot 43-25 before the shootout. Vancouver went 3-3 on a homestand that spanned the NHL All-Star break.
Other NHL News
Gagner has NHL's first 8-point game since 1988
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and ... Sam Gagner?
The Edmonton Oilers forward matched a franchise record held by two of the NHL's all-time greats Thursday night when he had eight points in an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Gagner, who entered with five goals all season, broke loose for four goals and four assists — the first eight-point game in the NHL since Pittsburgh star Mario Lemieux did it on Dec. 31, 1988, against New Jersey. Gagner fell two points shy of tying the league mark, set by Toronto's Darryl Sittler on Feb. 7, 1976.
"I didn't think I would ever be mentioned in the same breath as Gretzky or Coffey," said the 22-year-old Gagner, selected all three stars of the game. "You never expect to do something like this.
"It's a great lesson to never set limits. The great players who played here never did that. It was just one of those games where everything went in and just a great feeling."
Taylor Hall, Ryan Whitney, Jordan Eberle and Cam Barker had the other goals for the Oilers (20-26-5), who have gone 3-0-1 in their last four games to move into a tie for 28th in the NHL with Anaheim.
Hall, who set a career high of his own with four points in the game, only wanted to talk about Gagner's night.
"I feel like a bit of a pigeon with four points tonight," he said. "It was just a crazy night. Every time we got the puck in the offensive zone, especially in the third period, it ended up on Sam's stick and he made a great play with it. I'm really happy I was able to be on the ice with him. It's a really cool moment."
It was the second time this season that the Blackhawks have given Edmonton fans plenty to cheer about. Chicago lost 9-2 to the Oilers at Rexall Place in November.
"It was really fun for our fans to see something like that tonight," Oilers coach Tom Renney said. "Sam was having the time of his life and so were his linemates and the entire team.
"It's been one of those years where you are looking for things to hang your hats on and feel good about and it doesn't get much better than this. It puts a smile on your face in a tough year.
"People will remember this game for a while."
Patrick Sharp had a pair of goals while Jamal Mayers and Dave Bolland also scored for the Blackhawks (29-16-7), who have lost four straight.
"We really got away from our game plan and opened it up a little and they really made us pay," Sharp said. "We need to be better in a lot of areas and we're obviously not happy at all. We've gotten away from what makes us a good team.
"We got caught up in scoring goals and playing on the wrong side of the puck. It wasn't good enough as a team. We need to play defense first and we'll get our chances from there."
Just 40 seconds into the second period, Chicago made it 2-0 when Patrick Kane fed the puck to Sharp, who found a clear lane to beat goalie Devan Dubnyk.
The Oilers responded less than 2 minutes later as Gagner earned his first point of the night. With a long pass, Gagner sprung Hall, who chipped in his 18th of the season past Chicago goalie Corey Crawford. Hall has scored in three straight games.
Gagner then tied it just more than 7 minutes later when he picked up his own rebound, circled behind the net and scored on a wraparound.
The Oilers took a 3-2 lead with 7 minutes remaining in the second as Whitney ripped a shot from the point while on the power play for his first of the season. Gagner earned the assist.
Chicago tied it 2 minutes later on a short-handed 2-on-1 as Dubnyk gave up a rebound to Sharp, who buried his second of the night.
Gagner made it 4-3 only 2 minutes into the third with his second goal of the night. Whitney's shot sailed over the net but bounced in front for Gagner to put past Crawford.
The Oilers chased the Chicago goalie 2 minutes later when Barker fluttered a shot from the point that Crawford waved at as it went into the top corner. Gagner earned his third assist and Ray Emery replaced Crawford.
The Blackhawks got a goal back 6 minutes into the third as Bolland made a no-look backhand swat at a puck that squirted past Dubnyk.
Gagner completed the hat trick 30 seconds later to make it 6-4, as Hall spun around and found Gagner streaking down the ice for his sixth point of the game.
But he wasn't done yet.
Eberle and Hall did terrific tic-tac-toe passing to get Gagner the puck, and he slapped his fourth goal of the game into a wide-open net as Emery slid to keep up with the play.
With their hats already thrown onto the ice earlier in the period, one fan resorted to throwing a shoe after the goal.
"I was hoping that would be the end of it because if he scored another one we might have seen other paraphernalia that we didn't want to see," Renney said with a laugh.
Gagner then added his eighth point of the game by making a prefect feed to Eberle, who scored his 20th of the season with 4 minutes left.
Dubnyk finished the game with 43 saves on 47 shots.
Crawford let in five goals on 28 shots. while Emery allowed three goals on 13 shots.
Road beckons for Blues, among NHL's best
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Well past the halfway point of the season, the St. Louis Blues are in great shape. They return from the All-Star break with a record that is close to the NHL's best.
The rest of the way, they can't let up a bit.
The Blues are 21-3-4 at home, leading the league in victories and points, and can build on that Friday night against the Los Angeles Kings. After that, they hit the road, where they're a far less impressive at 8-10-3. Only 13 of their 32 remaining games will be at the Scottrade Center.
Coach Ken Hitchcock, who's presided over the franchise's sudden rise to prominence, is far from satisfied. Especially entering the break off a loss at Detroit and a shootout setback at home to the Penguins.
"I think the last two games are eye-openers," Hitchcock said. "We're as good or better than 22 teams, but there's eight out there, they're big-time teams. Big-time teams and we get 'em, and we gets lots of them and we get them in their building."
The Blues have four games left with the Blackhawks, three of them in Chicago, plus two in Nashville and one each in Vancouver and San Jose.
Thus far, they've thrived on defense and stingy goaltending. Brian Elliott was an unexpected All-Star, and armed with a multiyear extension after signing a two-way contract before training camp.
"It's definitely something you don't picture," Elliott said. "It's an honor to be selected. It's not something you put as a goal, but when it happens, it's pretty cool."
Elliott stepped up when Jaroslav Halak slumped at the start of the year and has turned the position into a job share by using his 6-3 frame to advantage.
"Brian was a talented guy that kind of got off the rails and put himself back on the rails," Hitchcock said. "Anybody in hockey's proud of it."
More production from an anemic power play is needed to invigorate a lineup that gets major points for being relentless but has often lacked the finishing touch. Hitchcock believes if the Blues could have capitalized more with the man advantage, they could have knocked off both Detroit and Pittsburgh.
The Blues also have only one shootout victory.
"That's an area of the game where if we're a little better we're probably in first place with some room below us," captain David Backes said. "We've improved game to game, week to week all season long. We just have to make sure we don't have any drop-off."
Among the positive signs: Patrik Berglund snapped a seven-game point drought with two goals against Pittsburgh. Forward Andy McDonald is edging closer to returning from a concussion.
"We're young, we've got young players playing prime minutes," Hitchcock said. "But boy, we're going to really have to amp it up here when we get back. That's what we told the players: Take a good break but, man, when we come back we're going to really have the temperature turned up to get better."
-- R.B. Fallstrom
NHL looking into scoreboard error
TORONTO (AP) — The NHL is investigating a scoreboard error that could have an "enormous impact" on playoff races in the Western Conference.
During Wednesday night's game at Staples Center in Los Angeles, the clock briefly stopped in the closing seconds — giving Drew Doughty enough time to score the winning goal in a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The puck officially crossed the line with less than a second to play in regulation. However, when the Blue Jackets looked at video after the game, they discovered the clock froze for roughly a second just prior to Doughty's goal — meaning time should have expired.
The NHL's video room looked at the play immediately after the goal was scored, but didn't notice that the scoreboard stopped while the Kings were buzzing around the net.
"We didn't even look to go back and say 'OK, did something happen (with the clock)?'" Colin Campbell, the NHL's senior executive vice president of hockey operations, said Thursday.
"When it crosses the line (and) you review it, you back the puck out and you see what the clock was. And the clock was 0.4 (seconds).
"And then after the game, minutes after the game, we see (it and say) 'Holy cow.'"
Campbell confirmed that the goal shouldn't have counted and said the league would conduct an investigation to determine what caused the error.
"You ask some tough questions," he said. "You've got to ask every question."
The result of the game is expected to stand.
The Blue Jackets were upset by an incident that cost them at least one point in the standings.
Even though the team has the NHL's worst record, general manager Scott Howson wrote in a blog post that the unjust result "matters to our players, to our coaches, every person in our organization and our fans."
There's also the question of what it might mean for teams battling the Kings for a playoff position in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles is seventh in the conference — five points ahead of eighth-place Minnesota and six points ahead of Dallas and Colorado.
"We will never know if the Kings would have got the extra point in overtime or shootout, but they may not have," Howson wrote. "This extra point in the standings could have an enormous impact both competitively and economically. What if the Kings make the playoffs by one point or gain home ice advantage by one point?"
Campbell says he can't recall a similar situation during his 14 years with the NHL.
Byfuglien's boating case appears headed for trial
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien will likely go to trial in a boating while impaired case in Minnesota, his attorney said on Thursday.
Mitch Robinson said he and a prosecutor were "miles apart," and unable to agree. The next hearing is April 19, and Robinson anticipates the case will go to trial in June.
Byfuglien is accused of boating while intoxicated and other charges stemming from an Aug. 31 incident on Lake Minnetonka. He was stopped because the boat's navigational lights weren't on.
Byfuglien, a Minnesota native, was on the Chicago Blackhawks team that won the Stanley Cup in 2010. He was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers in a salary dump, and the franchise was relocated to Winnipeg in the offseason.
Byfuglien was activated from the injured list and was back in the Jets lineup at Tampa Bay on Thursday night after he missed 16 games because of a knee injury.
Sabres rookie D McNabb demoted to AHL Rochester
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres have demoted defenseman Brayden McNabb to AHL Rochester, where the rookie will have the benefit of getting more playing time after missing eight games with a concussion.
Coach Lindy Ruff announced the move Thursday, saying McNabb has been cleared to play.
Ruff says McNabb was sent down to allow him to get additional ice time. That's unlikely to happen in Buffalo, where Ruff is comfortable with his current six-player defensive rotation.
It's a group that's finally healthy. Christian Ehrhoff returned last week after missing 11 games with a rib injury, and Robyn Regehr is also back after missing four games with a shoulder injury. McNabb had a goal and four assists in 20 games in Buffalo this season, before getting hurt against Toronto on Jan. 13.
Carter activated by Columbus Blue Jackets
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — After missing 10 games with a separated shoulder, Jeff Carter has been activated by the Columbus Blue Jackets. At the same time, the Blue Jackets placed defenseman Nikita Nikitin on injured reserve, retroactive to Jan. 21, with a knee injury.
Carter was hurt at Anaheim on Jan. 8. A big offseason trade acquisition from Philadelphia, he has 10 goals and seven assists in 30 games. Despite also missing 10 games with a broken foot, he leads the club in power play goals (five), while ranking second in goals. In 491 career NHL games, he has 191 goals and 169 assists.
Nikitin, acquired in a trade earlier this season with St. Louis, suffered a knee injury at Detroit on Jan. 21 and is listed as week-to-week.
Flyers, Capitals exchange minor leaguers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired right wing Matt Ford from the Washington Capitals for defenseman Kevin Marshall in a trade of minor leaguers.
Ford had 10 goals and 28 points in 39 games for Washington's AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. He will be assigned to the Adirondack Phantoms. Ford has 50 goals and 100 points in 190 career AHL games with Hershey, Lake Erie and Hartford.
Marshall appeared in 10 games for the Flyers this season. He had two goals and three assists in 32 games for Adirondack this season. The deal was announced Thursday.
Related NHL News
Howe's dementia fight personal and public
At 83, 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. The disease killed his wife, Colleen, in 2009 and is beginning to affect him.
"He's a little bit worse than last year, but pretty close to about the same," son Marty said. "He just loses a little bit more, grasping for words.
"The worst part of this disease is there's nothing you can do about it."
While the long-term effects of concussions have been very much in the news lately, the family is hesitant to link the Hall of Famer's condition to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the degenerative brain disease typically found in autopsies of people who have had multiple head injuries, including more than a dozen former NFL and NHL players.
Concussions weren't tracked when Howe played, so it is impossible to know how many he sustained. And 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's dementia is currently mild and his family members haven't sought a diagnosis of exactly what kind he has. They did that with Colleen, who died at 76 of Pick's disease. The rare form of dementia is marked by changes in mood, behavior and personality, followed by memory loss similar to that experienced in Alzheimer's.
Another son, Murray, a radiologist, says his father's symptoms don't fit either Alzheimer's or Pick's.
"He has what we call mild cognitive impairment," Murray said. "His brain power is not what it used to be. In terms of the prognosis and diagnosis, it's still wide open."
Howe has short-term memory loss, difficulty speaking and some confusion in the evening when the sun goes down. The latter, called "sundowning," occurs in people with dementia, although the cause is unclear.
"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.
Howe's stamina and power were legendary during his 33 seasons of pro hockey. Physically, he's doing well for a man about to turn 84 in March. His sons say Howe likes to do household chores and go fishing, one of his favorite pastimes.
"He's still Mr. Hockey and that's what is so great because he's just such a pleasure to have around," Murray said. "He'll wake up first thing in the morning and there's a bunch of leaves outside and he'll rake for three hours. He's so pleasant and upbeat.
"When he first started showing signs of memory loss, we were concerned it was Alzheimer's and it was just going to go downhill."
It's possible Howe's dementia is vascular in nature. He suffered from heart disease later in his life and required the implantation of a coronary stent about a decade ago.
"He's had a couple episodes of getting faint or passing out around that time," Murray recalled. "It's possible he had a couple of mini-strokes that picked off some of the parts of his brain that you need to be able to retain short-term memory. That's my theory and what his family physician is thinking."
Howe had episodes of forgetfulness about six years ago while caring for his wife. The Howe children recognized the signs they'd previously seen in their mother.
The hockey great also was tired and not looking after himself, which made his condition worse. A program of regular physical activity has helped him combat his dementia.
"He can easily walk four miles on very hilly terrain without a problem," Murray said. "When he first came to us, he couldn't walk 100 yards up a slight incline without having to stop because of chest pains. It was a complete turnaround for him."
After Colleen Howe's death, the Howes were approached by the Toronto health organization Baycrest to put Gordie Howe's face on a fundraising campaign for Alzheimer's.
Affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest specializes in mental diseases of the elderly.
Howe, accompanied by Marty, makes public appearances at an annual series of Scotiabank Pro-Am hockey tournaments across Canada. More than $16 million has been raised by the Gordie and Colleen Howe Fund for Alzheimer's.
Howe is scheduled to attend a Canucks game in Vancouver on Thursday night to promote a Scotiabank Pro-Am in that city later this year.
Marty says his father plans to help kick off the same tournaments in Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto this spring.
He also will also attend a news conference Thursday afternoon in advance of a tribute in his honor at Friday's Vancouver Giants game.
Howe has his photo taken with fans and signs autographs under Marty's watchful eye at the events. A speech isn't an option anymore. Fatigue tends to exacerbate Howe's condition and Marty doesn't want his father feeling strained.
"If you see him now, obviously you can kind of tell he's not firing on all cylinders," Marty says. "Most people see Gordie and they're just happy Gordie is talking to them."
Marty was alarmed by a decline in his father's condition before an appearance in Calgary last year, but didn't want his condition made public until the family had a better handle on his condition.
"For people who are dealing with this, you have to have a sense of humor," he said. "Nobody wants to see their family members go through this. It gets harder. Towards the end, it's really no quality of life whatsoever. Pretty depressing, but you have to find the humor in some of it. Otherwise, it will kill you, too."
Marty and Murray are just grateful the dementia hasn't changed their father's personality or attitude so far.
"We're enjoying the times we have now," Marty said.
-- Donna Spencer
