Gordie Howe Remembered: Live Blog

Posted on by Jen Neale

[Ed. Note: To quantify the impact Gordie Howe had on hockey in one post is nearly impossible. Instead, we turn to the hockey community to celebrate his life in the wake of his passing. We’ll be updating this post all day as the tributes to Mr. Hockey come in. Post your remembrances of the legend in the comments.]

6:54 p.m. ET —

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6:15 p.m. ET —

Ted Lindsay released a statement on the passing of his friend:

“I was very sad to learn today of the passing of my longtime teammate, and friend, Gordie Howe. Gordie really was the greatest hockey player who ever lived. I was fortunate to play with Gordie for 12 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and I’ve known him for over 70 years. He could do it all in the game to help his team, both offensively and defensively. He earned everything that he accomplished on the ice. 

“Beyond hockey, Colleen and his family meant everything to him. Gordie was larger than life, and he was someone who I thought would live forever. My wife Joanne and I extend our condolences to Gordie’s children — Cathleen, Mark, Marty and Murray — and his entire family and many friends during this time.”

5:49 p.m. ET —

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• From George Vecsey of The New York Times: A hockey luminary, Gordie Howe glowed with modesty.

• From Neil Greenberg of The Washington Post:

His first Gordie Howe hat trick came on Oct. 11, 1953 when he scored, assisted on Red Kelly’s tally and fought Fernie Flaman of the Toronto Maple Leafs — all in the first period. His second was on March 21, 1954, which Jeff Marek of the CBC singled out as a doozy:

style=”padding-left: 30px;”>Howe’s high stick sliced Kennedy’s ear for eight stitches, which led to the Leaf lighting Howe up in a spirited fight. This was the second time Howe would record the his namesake’s hat trick as he scored the game’s first goal in the opening frame and then assisted on Ted Lindsay’s 25th and 26th goals of the season in the third period.

According to Official Guide to the Players of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Harry Cameron of the Toronto St. Pats achieved the first known Gordie Howe hat trick on December 22, 1920. The most recent was by San Jose blue liner Brent Burns against the Calgary Flames on March 7, 2016.

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• From Sports Illustrated: The most memorable quotes by Mr. Hockey. A favorite:

“All pro athletes are bilingual. They know English and profanity.” – Toronto Star, May 27, 1975

• From Mitch Albom of The Detroit Free-Press:

Superman just bid us farewell. It’s hard to believe, Gordie Howe dying, because for so many years, he seemed immune to all of life’s blows.

From a terrible early head injury that might have ended other players’ careers, to a stroke a few years ago that brought him to the front porch of death, Howe just kept checking Father Time, leaving the old specter bent in the corner and wondering what just hit him.

Nobody wins that fight forever.

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• From Adam Gopnik of The New Yorker: Gordie Howe was the ideal Canadian athlete.

• From Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com:

He was an ambassador for the game, a man of the people. So many of us have Gordie stories whether family, friend, foe or fan: that time we met him at a game, an autograph signing or a charity event; that time he told a joke, crushed a handshake or posed for a picture, throwing up a mock elbow at the last second.

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• From Matt Borcas of The Ringer: Important evidence that Gordie Howe was unbreakable.

• Legendary play-by-play announcer Bob Cole talks about Gordie Howe as a man, such a kind, gentle and special person, and says there will never be another player of his kind on the ice.

• From Tim Wharnsby of CBC Sports:

One of Harry Neale’s favourite stories about coaching Gordie Howe with the New England Whalers had to do with the team curfew.

Neale was 40. Mr. Hockey, who passed away at age 88 on Friday, was 49. The Whalers had a curfew of 11 p.m. while away from Hartford.

During the team’s first road trip, Neale went to check on his players. He started at one end of the hall of the team hotel. The first room was Gordie’s. Neale could see the light was on in Howe’s room from looking underneath the door.

Neale thought to himself, “I’m not going to knock on Gordie Howe’s door and disturb him. He’s Gordie Howe.”

The next morning, Howe was in the hotel dining room eating breakfast and reading a newspaper when he spotted Neale. Howe summoned over his coach.

Howe told Neale that he stayed up well past 11 o’clock waiting for the curfew check. Howe joked that he needs all the sleep he can get and that he was disappointed that there was no knock on the door.

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• From Ray Slover of The Sporting News:

Mr. Hockey. Gordie Howe was the standard by which all NHL players were measured. Correction: Are measured. And while the league prepares to celebrate its next champion, it pauses to reflect a true legend of its sport.

• From Stephen Busemeyer of the Hartford Courant:

There he was, Mr. Hockey himself, the heart and soul of the Hartford Whalers, looking over the ears of corn.

I was just another Connecticut elementary school kid at a roadside farm stand in Glastonbury in the middle of a late-1970s summer. I had adored the Whalers since they were part of the old WHA. I listened to the games on the old tube radio by my bed at night. I had the pennant on the wall, an autographed picture of Whalers’ right wing Tom Webster thumbtacked to the corkboard.

• From Davey Boy Phelan on YouTube: The 1980 All-Star Game in Detroit.

4:39 p.m. ET — Here are the some stories people shared about their personal experiences with Howe.

• Incredible collection of stories collected by Bill Roose of the Detroit Red Wings about Howe from: Bill Gadsby, Red Kelly, Ted Lindsay, Alex Delvecchio, Norm Ullman, John Bucyk, Glenn Hall, Marcel Pronovost, Leo Boivin, Frank Mahovlich, Andy Bathgate, Jack Adams, Mark Howe, Steve Yzerman, Paul Coffey, Marcel Dionne, Bernie Federko, Brad Park, Scotty Bowman, Eddie Giacomin, Larry Murphy, Jimmy Devellano, Budd Lynch, Bill Barber, Yvan Cournoyer, Mike Gartner, Clark Gilles, Fern Flaman, Jacques Laperriere, Dave Keon, Edgar Laprade, Milt Schmidt, Steve Schutt, Darryl Sittler, Clint Smith, Johnny Bauer, Denis Potvin, George Armstrong, Jean Beliveau, Michel Goulet, Dickie Moore, Bert Olmstead, Jarri Kurri, Mario Lemieux, Allan Stanley, Emile Bouchard, Bobby Hull, Tony Esposito, Phil Esposito, Tom Johnson, Elmer Lach, Rod Langway, Wayne Gretzky, Gilbert Perreault, Pierre Pilote, Gerry Cheevers, Dale Hawerchuk, Harry Howell, Borje Salming, Bob Pulford, Bryan Trottier, Maurice Richard, Bobby Orr, Rod Gilbert, Guy Lapointe, Denis Savard, Bernie Parent, Peter Stastny, Henri Richard, Jean Ratelle, Mike Bossy, Billy Smith, Joe Mullen, Serge Savard, Dick Duff, Stan Mikita, Lanny McDonald, Grant Fuhr, Bobby Clarke, Guy Lafleur, Pat Lafontaine, Patrick Roy, Larry Robinson, Cam Neely, Bob Gainey, Ray Bourque, Marty Howe, Dr. Murray Howe, Vic Howe, and Joan Clark.

• Don Cherry

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• John Cullen shares a story about his grandmother.

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• Scott Brown

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• Ryan Miller

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• From CBC News: Howe’s sister reflects on his passing and his fight in the final days.

His sister, Helen Cummine, received the news of his death this morning.

“I guess he didn’t want to fight anymore, but what a fight he had,” she said.

Cummine said the last few days had been bad for Howe and that she had been waiting for this call. 

• The Hanson Brothers

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• Bob McKenzie of TSN remembers Gordie Howe, including the contrast of his hard on-ice play to his off-ice kindness, and what his lasting impact on the hockey world will be now that he has passed away.

• James Duthie

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• From Darren Yourk of The Globe & Mail:

Bobby Orr has fond memories of the first time he ever met Gordie Howe. The Red Wings star was in Parry Sound, Ont., for an appearance and the young Orr was one of the many excited young fans who waited in line for the chance to meet Mr. Hockey.

Years later they would meet again on the ice as opponents, with Orr making his NHL debut against Detroit. During a foray deep into the offensive zone, the young defenceman had another run-in with hockey’s toughest winger that he’d never forget.

“Before I went by the net I threw a pass out,” Orr said with a chuckle. “I was kind of looking over my shoulder at my pretty pass and the next thing you know I was lying on the ice. It was some guy by the name of Howe. I think he wanted to let the kid know that he was the king. It was a great lesson: Don’t be watching your pretty passes when certain guys are on the ice, especially Gordie.”

• From James O’Brien of NBC Sports: Unbelievable but true facts about Gordie Howe.

• From Josh Gold-Smith of The Score: Nine unforgettable Gordie Howe stories.

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3:21 p.m. ET — If you aren’t already following @NHLHistoryGirl, start now. Here are just some of the many, many gems she’s posted about Howe today. It’s like chicken soup for the hockey fan’s soul.

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2:56 p.m. ET — 

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• Statement from Steve Yzerman:

“It was very saddening to hear the news of Gordie’s passing this morning. He has been an icon not only in Detroit, but throughout the entire hockey world for as long as I can remember. As one of the greatest players to ever play in the NHL, the majority of his career being in Detroit, it was an honor to wear the same uniform, spend time with, laugh, joke and seek advice from him. Gordie’s humility and kindness left a permanent impression on me, greatly influencing how I tried to conduct myself throughout my career.

“His impact on the Red Wings organization is still evident today. I travel the world and constantly hear stories from people who love the Wings and share memories of the glory days when Gordie and his teammates ruled the NHL. For all players fortunate enough to play for the Wings, we should take time to thank and honor Gordie, for he is a significant reason why Detroit is such a special place to play.

“To Gordie’s surviving family, I offer my sincere condolences, in particular to his son Mark, my former teammate and colleague, who cannot help but remind me of his father every time I see him.”

• From Kyle at Winging It In Motown:

A Eulogy for one of the greatest athletes of all time … We may never see anything like it again.

“I always tell kids, you have two eyes and one mouth. Keep two open and one closed. You never learn anything if you’re the one talking.” -Gordie Howe

Today, we mourn the loss of an icon of not just hockey, but sports as a whole. While we mourn the passing of Gordie Howe, a man who devoted his life to the sport of hockey, we celebrate the man who has long ago etched into the upper-echelon of hockey immortality.

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• From Dave Hogg at Today’s Slapshot:

Twenty-five years ago, as a young hockey writer, I was covering a Red Wings game in the tiny press box at Joe Louis Arena.

I don’t remember who Detroit was playing or what might have happened in the game, but there was one moment I’ll never forget.

My press-box seat was next to Cynthia Lambert of the Detroit News, and during the game, I heard a voice behind me.

“Cynthia, you have not introduced me to your new colleague.”

I distractedly turned around, expecting another media member or someone who worked for the team…

It was Gordie Howe.

“Hi, I’m Gordie,” he said and reached out to shake my hand.

• From Jouni Nieminen:

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• From Gary Lawless of TSN:

It was one of those nights verging on being an early morning when the late John Ferguson made the following admission: “After a while, I stopped asking Gordie. He was too much.”

The notoriously tough Ferguson had been pressed on who had his number during his days in the NHL. At first, Ferguson growled, “No one.” But after a few more glasses in a lobby bar at a downtown Cleveland hotel, he quietly allowed that Gordie Howe had proven too much.

“Too much” is a pretty good way to describe Howe. Too much power, too much speed, too much aggression. Too much everything.

But it’s not as succinct as “Mr. Hockey,” maybe the most apt nickname ever in pro sport.

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Ron MacLean from Hockey Night in Canada walks fans through the career of Gordie Howe.

• Steve Levy of ESPN goes through the life and legacy of Mr. Hockey.

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• From a March 16, 1964 article on Howe in Sports Illustrated:

“I had 50 stitches in my face one year,” says Gordie coolly. “That was a bad year. I only got 10 stitches last year. That was a good year.”

The full roster of Howe’s hockey injuries includes damaged knee cartilages, broken ribs, a broken wrist, several broken toes, a shoulder dislocation, an assortment of scalp wounds and a painful ankle wound. In a collision on the ice on March 28, 1950 (he was 21), he suffered a severe skull fracture, and he was in an operating room three hours while surgeons worked to halt a hemorrhage in his brain. Gordie dismisses them all with a casual, “Aw, it’s not all that bad.” And perhaps it isn’t, for injuries are a part of hockey. And hockey is the major part of the phenomenon called Gordie Howe.

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• From Eyes on the Prize, the last goal Gordie Howe score in the NHL at the Montreal Forum.

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2:06 p.m. ET —

• From Matt Larkin of The Hockey News: When was the first time Howe appeared in the publication?

• From Nashville Predators broadcaster Pete Weber:

This is a difficult day. Muhammad Ali’s life is being celebrated in Louisville as this is written. Ali was truly a giant of our time who transcended sports. Then the news came that we have also lost Gordie Howe – “Mr. Hockey” – as well.

This man played 32 seasons of major league hockey! Yes, he was durable if nothing else, but he was far more than that. That Gordie lasted this long is a testimony to medical advances. Many thought we had lost him in 2014.

Howe was the force behind the Detroit Red Wings dynasty of the late 1940’s and 1950’s, a team that won the Stanley Cup four times and made the Cup Final three additional years between 1948 and 1956. Howe was the right wing on one of hockey’s most famous lines – the Production Line – with center Sid Abel and left wing Ted Lindsay.

• Lanny McDonald, chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, authored this press release on the passing of Howe:

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• From Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: Mike Modano, Nicklas Lidstrom and Kirk Maltby share their most memorable moments with Howe.

• From Chuck Gormley of CSN Mid-Atlantic:

Howe suffered two strokes late in 2014 and several family members believed it was only a matter of time before they lost their father.

“You can see in his eyes he wants to communicate and he has a strong will to live,” Mark Howe said at the time. “But he’s trapped inside his body.”

It was then that Mark Howe told me about how the family had been approached by the chief executive officer and vice chairman of Stemedica, a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company that had conducted stem-cell research for more than 10 years.

The Howe family was told Stemedica would provide stem-cell treatment for their father free of charge, but he would need to be transported to Mexico to receive the treatments.

On Dec. 8 and 9, 2014 in Tijuana, Gordie Howe had neural stem cells injected into his spinal canal and received other stem cells intravenously and within eight hours of the second infusion he began talking and walking to the bathroom.

Within weeks Gordie Howe was able to throw a football with his grandchildren and flip hockey pucks to his sons. Most importantly, Mark Howe said, he was able to restore the dignity he deserved for the final 18 months of his life. 

• From Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail:

A few thoughts on Gordie Howe, nicest man you could ever meet, as long as it wasn’t in the corner of a hockey rink.

• Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan on his conference call with reporters this morning:

I never really had the opportunity to know Gordie. But obviously the impact that he’s had on the hockey community I think  goes  without  saying. He’s been a great ambassador for the game. He’s  been  a  great role model for all of us that have grown up with the game. Obviously it’s sad news to hear of his passing. 

1:41 p.m. ET — Hockey players, famous fans, executives and teams alike all react to the passing of Howe.

• Wayne Gretzky

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• Mario Lemieux

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• Brett Hull

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• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

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• Brian Burke

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• Patrick Burke

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• J.J. Watt

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• Theo Fleury

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• Kevin Shattenkirk

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• Mike Modano

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• Nick Foligno

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• Martin Biron

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• Mike Commodore

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• Daryl ‘Razor’ Reaugh

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• George Parros

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• Patrick O’Sullivan

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•  Ray Ferraro

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• Landon Ferraro

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• Hockey Hall of Fame

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• Scott Hartnell

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• NHLPA

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• NWHL

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•  The Score has reactions from all 30 NHL teams on Twitter.

12:44 p.m. ET — The outpouring of tributes to Gordie Howe is immense. Here are just some of the first we’re capturing on the blog. Check back for more throughout the day.

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• From the Bill Roose with the Detroit Red Wings:

Along with boxing legend Joe Louis and Tigers great Ty Cobb, Howe helped make up Detroit’s iconic sports trinity during the 20th century. He still holds franchise records for goals (786), points (1,809) and games played (1,687).

A proficient scorer and ferocious competitor, Howe anchored one of the greatest forward lines in league history. With his Production Line teammates Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel –and later with Alex Delvecchio –Howe became one of the most-dominant goal scorers in the history of the sport. He led the league in scoring six times, won the Hart Trophy, as the NHL’s most-valuable player, six times, and made 23 NHL All-Star Game appearances –the last at Joe Louis Arena less than two months shy of his 52nd birthday, in 1980.

Off the ice, Howe was very approachable, humble, funny, and down-to-earth.

• From Sean McIndoe of The Guardian:

Gordie Howe embodied very best of hockey’s sacred and profane qualities. No one mastered the skill and violence that represent hockey’s strange yin and yang as wholly as Gordie Howe, whose place in the sport’s lore is truly singular.

• From The Associated Press:

Howe shattered records, threw elbows and helped the Detroit Red Wings win four Stanley Cups, becoming an idol to Wayne Gretzky and countless other Canadians while also helping the sport attract American fans.

• From Howe’s obituary by John Chaput of The Globe & Mail:

Maurice Richard was more dramatic on the ice in the 1940s and ’50s, Bobby Orr more sensational in the 1960s and ’70s, Wayne Gretzky more creative in the 1980s, but Gordie Howe was as towering a presence in his day as they were in theirs – and his career intersected all of theirs.

• Photo essay from CBC News:

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• From Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times:

Phil Esposito, the Tampa Bay Lightning founder and Hall of Famer, talked a few years back about Mr. Howe, his boyhood hero.

“He was the end all, be all,” Esposito said. “He was the guy.”

And Esposito, has a permanent reminder of Mr. Howe, a scar above his lip.

You see, Esposito said Mr. Howe’s moniker of “Mr. Hockey,” was well-deserved, but so was his nickname of “Elbows.” Esposito found that out the hard way the first time he faced Mr. Howe.

• From Craig Custance of ESPN:

Gordie Howe never took anything for granted. Not his place in hockey history. Not his place on the Detroit Red Wings’ roster.

For 25 seasons, he was the face of the Red Wings, and former teammate Ted Lindsay doesn’t remember a training camp in which Howe wasn’t fighting for his job.

“He was always worried about making the team,” Lindsay said. “It was a tough job for the guy playing on the wing in training camp. This guy was fighting for his position.”

Howe was humble. On the ice, he could be mean. And when he finished his career, Lindsay said Mr. Hockey’s place was at the top.

“He’s the greatest hockey player who ever played,” Lindsay said. “That includes all of them.”

• From USA Today’s FTW: “The story behind the Gordie Howe jersey Cameron wears in ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.'”

• From Getty Images: Remembering two legends we lost this week.

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• Commissioner Bettman issues a statement on the passing of Gordie Howe:

“All hockey fans grieve the loss of the incomparable Gordie Howe.

“A remarkable athlete whose mastery of our sport was reflected by the longevity of his career and by his nickname, ‘Mr. Hockey,’ Gordie’s commitment to winning was matched only by his commitment to his teammates, to his friends, to the Red Wings, to the city of Detroit and – above all – to his family. His devotion to Colleen through her illness and the fact that he extended his playing days into a fifth decade so he could play with his sons are only two examples of that true priority in his life. 

“Gordie’s greatness travels far beyond mere statistics; it echoes in the words of veneration spoken by countless players who joined him in the Hockey Hall of Fame and considered him their hero.

“Gordie’s toughness as a competitor on the ice was equaled only by his humor and humility away from it. No sport could have hoped for a greater, more-beloved ambassador.

“On behalf of the generations who were thrilled by his play and those who only know of his legend, and on behalf of all the young people and teammates he inspired, we send heartfelt wishes of condolence, comfort and strength to the Howe family and to all who mourn the passing of this treasured icon of our game.”