UPDATE: Marty Howe says dad isn't suffering from dementia, should live "for many more years."

Mr. Hockey has dementia.

Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe is battling the disease that killed his wife Colleen three years ago, according to a Canadian Press story.

Howe, who turns 84 next month, has a mild case of dementia but will continue his fundraising efforts for the disease, according to son Marty.

"He's a little bit worse than last year, but pretty close to about the same,"

. "He just loses a little bit more, grasping for words. The worst part of the disease is there's nothing you can do about it."

Marty and older brother Mark both played alongside their dad in the WHA and NHL. Howe's third son, Murray, is a radiologist in Toledo.

Murray said his father's prognosis hasn't been determined.

"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. He doesn't fall into what I would say is any particular category. He really doesn't seem to fall into the Alzheimer's dementia category because his disease is pretty stable."

Gordie Howe played professionally in six decades beginning in 1946.



He spent 33 seasons in the NHA and WHA -- including 25 with the Red Wings -- and then returned in 1997 to play one shift for the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League at age 70.

Howe played in 1,767 NHL games, scoring 801 goals among 1,850 points. He played another 419 games in the WHA, where he had 174 goals among 508 points.

He played in the 1980 NHL All-Star Game in Detroit at age 51 before retiring after the season.

