from Stephen Whyno of the CP,

Gordie Howe has a long way to go to recover from a stroke he suffered over the weekend, his son said Wednesday amid an outpouring of support from the hockey community....

"It's a difficult time for Dad," Mark Howe said in a phone interview from Lubbock. "It definitely impacted his life, so we're dealing with this, I think, as all families do and just trying to be there. The best thing we can do is just be here and be supportive and try to keep him in good spirits."...

Howe said his father would require "a lot of work in order to be able to recover." For now, the family is just enjoying spending time with him.

"It's a beautiful, sunny day," he said. "If dad hadn't been through this, he'd probably be outside going for a little walk or something."

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