NHL Legend's health in rapid decline.

In a piece of unfortunate news, one of the greatest players to ever play the game of hockey has seen his health rapidly decline due to a horrible illness.

According to Bertrand Raymond of RDS, Montreal Canadiens living legend Henri Richard, who has been battling Alzheimer's disease, has now been confined to a specialized care facility.

The 79-year old was sent to the facility to relieve his wife Lise Richard of the enormous responsibility that comes with caring for someone suffering from the degenerative disease.

In a translated quote from his wife, Lise Richard explains why keeping Henri at home was no longer an option for the Richard family.

"I could no longer sleep, as he would walk around the house at night. I feared he would leave the house, something that he has done in the past. He had fallen and hit his head. We drove him to the hospital the next day and the doctors told us he could no longer return home."

At the moment, Richard recognizes his wife, but can no longer remember the names of his five children.

Lise continued by explaining the pain she feels seeing her husband's memory deteriorate in such a way.

"It's a frightful disease," said Lise. "We are all affected by what he is going through. His memory is continually degrading. I am having difficulty accepting the situation. It hurts the moral, I would never wish this on anyone."

The "Pocket Rocket" is widely considered one of the greatest hockey player of all time. As a player, Richard won an NHL record 11 Stanley Cups with the Habs. In 1256 games, Richard scored 358 goals and added 688 assists for 1046 points, all with the Canadiens. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.

He is the brother of former Canadiens legend Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, who passed away in 2000 after a long battle with cancer.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Richard, his wife Lise and the entire Richard family.