Redslinger Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 Gordie Howe passed away today at the age of 88. I'm not sure the cause but he suffered a serious stroke a couple years ago. He played in the NHL for 26 seasons, before Gretzky owned the record for assists, points and still hold the record for the most games (1767) and seasons played. His career spanned 5 decades (!) from the 40's to the 80's and played professional hockey until he was 52 years old. Gordie is often included in the top 5 players of all time (including Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr) and was a true legend. I was fortunate enough to see him play when I was a kid and, even though he was well past his prime, the guy had an incredible presence and you could see how much other players and officials respected him. It feels like the end of an era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carty Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarkRaving Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 I actually got to meet the man once. He was doing a book signing at a mall in Calgary during the early 90's. The line-up to meet him was very long, and the man in front of me was quite elderly. When the elderly man reach the front of the line, Mr. Howe spoke to him *forever* while I fidgeted behind him. When my turn came, Mr. Howe explained to me that he'd sat next to the old fellow in the dressing room when he attended his first NHL training camp with the New York Rangers at age 14 (!). He said he'd never used most of the equipment, so he'd watched this veteran dress in order to know how to put everything on. As an aside, I've always been a fan of any player who can score a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjgallow Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 If there's a hockey heaven.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_People1 Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 R.I.P. As an aside, I've always been a fan of any player who can score a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. I recall hearing on radio about 10 years ago that a statistician went back in the record books to see how many Gordie Howe Hat Tricks Mr. Hockey himself scored. To his and many's surprise, he may have never recorded a single one. And the stat guy finished by saying there may have been 1 unofficial one but didn't cite the reason it was unofficial. Still, the Gordie Howe Hat Trick is a term used to describe a total package gamer and it takes its origins from one of the best the game has ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofnature Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 RIP Gordie Howe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyerfan52 Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 Amen. I was glad to see the Flames have a tribute to him on the main page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTech780 Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 First Muhammad Ali and now Gordie Howe, we have lost two legends of sport and just all around extraordinary people who transcended sport in the span of a week. I wish I could go back in time watch Mr. Howe in heyday, from everything I have ever seen or read about him, he was the blueprint for a hockey player is on and off the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarkRaving Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 R.I.P. I recall hearing on radio about 10 years ago that a statistician went back in the record books to see how many Gordie Howe Hat Tricks Mr. Hockey himself scored. To his and many's surprise, he may have never recorded a single one. And the stat guy finished by saying there may have been 1 unofficial one but didn't cite the reason it was unofficial. Still, the Gordie Howe Hat Trick is a term used to describe a total package gamer and it takes its origins from one of the best the game has ever seen. I'm surprised by this, but you're almost right. I would've thought he'd had a boatload of them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordie_Howe_hat_trick I got to see Howe play live once vs the Calgary Cowboys when I was quite young. All I remember about the game was they had their grey-haired codger (Howe) and we had ours (Harry Howell). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carty Posted June 12, 2016 Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 Mr. Hockey enjoying a day out fishing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carty Posted June 12, 2016 Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 R.I.P. I recall hearing on radio about 10 years ago that a statistician went back in the record books to see how many Gordie Howe Hat Tricks Mr. Hockey himself scored. To his and many's surprise, he may have never recorded a single one. And the stat guy finished by saying there may have been 1 unofficial one but didn't cite the reason it was unofficial. Still, the Gordie Howe Hat Trick is a term used to describe a total package gamer and it takes its origins from one of the best the game has ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyDeeds Posted June 12, 2016 Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 I had the good fortune to meet him at a Bantam AA preseason practice. I remember his very firm handshake and he seemed like a normal person to me at that time. I think one thing that stood out for me was his ability to play right or left handed. That was the days of straight sticks, so players were also better backhanded shots but to be able to reverse which side you shot from was a nice advantage for him. RIP Mr Hockey even Gretzky said you were the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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