“Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe took a turn for the worse Monday after experiencing what his family fears was another major stroke.
“We are awaiting test results at this time to determine whether he has had a new stroke,” said Murray Howe, Gordie’s son, in a text to metro Detroit media outlet Mlive.com. “He is responding and resting comfortably with family while in hospital currently. He is not in an ICU.”
Howe’s daughter, Cathy Purnell, told The Associated Press that Howe was stable and ”a little bit alert” this morning.
”He’s a fighter,” Purnell said. “The man is tough. He has this will to keep going.”
The latest occurrence comes just weeks after suffering a severe stroke while living with Purnell in Texas. While Howe, 86, initially showed immediate signs of improvement after the incident before suffering a setback and has not been able to walk since.
Howe is considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time. He is the only player to have played in the NHL during five different decades, winning the Stanley Cup four times with the Detroit Red Wings.
