PITTSBURGH -- Marco Scandella choked up Tuesday morning when reflecting on what his ailing father, Francesco, meant to him.
There were the early morning drives to hockey rinks across Montreal, the daily conversations and the winter nights when Francesco turned on the headlights of his car so that Scandella could continuing skating at the local park after the sun had gone down.
Last week, Scandella returned home to Montreal to say goodbye to his father, who is in the final stages of a battle with prostate cancer.
"It's tough saying goodbye," Scandella said.