"Pavol Demitra skated on his own Wednesday morning, but it was tough to find his stride with heavy legs and a heavy heart.

A day after test results revealed that his wife, Maria, is on the road to recovery after another medical scare, the exhausted Vancouver Canucks winger revealed what it was like to deal with that uncertainty while missing sleep and the last four NHL games.

"We had 911 on the speed dial and she was in the hospital a couple of times," said Demitra. "Obviously when you have to call 911, you're very scared."

While Demitra wouldn't provide ailment details, his wife was also hospitalized in early February with a reaction to a prescription that initially looked like she may have a heart problem. Demitra missed three games before the Slovakia native led the Winter Olympics in scoring with 10 points (3-7) in seven games and was named to the all-star team. And just when a season of adversity seemed to be turning around for Demitra, his wife became ill again.

"It was very tough and very hard on the family," said Demitra, who has a son, Lucas, and daughter, Zara. "They're still young enough, but they know mommy is sick and they don't understand how serious. When it came back the second time, you start thinking that it's more serious and you have to take the time.

"We've been in and out of the hospital the last two weeks and doing all the testing she needs to make sure she's fine. We're hoping for a quick recovery. It was very serious; I'm glad I'm playing for a great organization and they understand our family issues. They sent food and flowers and they took care of everything. I'm glad I'm playing for these guys and hopefully I can get back to my hockey and help — especially in the playoffs.""