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R I P Gordie Howe

Kermit the Prog

Kermit the Prog

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Feb 10, 2010
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For those who never met the man, I wrote a little something I shared with my friends. I'd like to share it with my hockey community, too, if it is not too much trouble:


Gordie Howe died today.

For those of you who are not sports fans – or a fan of hockey in particular – this is a significant loss. Nicknamed “Mr. Hockey,†Howe played a mind-boggling 26 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Detroit Redwings, and included a stint in the World Hockey Association (WHA), which directly competed with the NHL in the 1970s. His playing career spanned five decades from 1946 – 1980 and he set many records, some of which have since been broken by Wayne Gretzky, who idolized Howe as a youngster. A rough and tumble player with a nasty streak on the ice and seemingly limitless ability and stamina, Howe was able to realize an athlete’s ultimate dream when he suited up in the 1970s for first the Houston Aeros of the WHA and later the Hartford Whalers with his sons Marty and Mark, who was himself inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Philadelphia Flyer in 2011. Known for his quick wrists and fists, a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick†has come to mean when a player scores a goal, assists on another goal and has a fight in the same game and is a badge worn with honor for those who achieve it.

You can do your own reading up on this great man’s extensive and celebrated career, but I want to add a personal note. In the late 1990s, I had the opportunity to meet Gordie Howe. There was an event at the Spectrum in Philadelphia with sports celebrities dotting the concourse and suites like poppy seeds on a bagel. If you already knew Gordie Howe was in the building, it would have taken you less than a second to guess where he was stationed because the line snaked and slithered through the arena. When I finally had a chance to meet him, he had his autobiography, “And…Howe!†for sale in a neat pile by the suite entrance, written with his wife, Colleen.

When it was my turn to meet hockey royalty, I approached with an apprehension usually reserved for a squinty-eyed cynic attending a sideshow. Was this really Gordie Howe? How do I know it’s not someone who looks like him the event is capitalizing upon to rip a few more sheckels from my pocket? But, it was him. His handshake was firm and steely, yet warm and soft, as if his hand was telling me, “I could crush you right now and grind your bones to dust, but I’d rather greet you as a friend.†He could not have been a nicer man. He wasn’t there simply to sign autographs – at least from my experience – he was there to engage the fans. We sat and talked hockey for a few minutes, and trust me when I say how long a few minutes is when there is a conga line of fans who have been waiting hours shifting the weight on their feet to keep from collapsing. He asked me my name and when I told him, he said, “Kevin! My, how wonderful it is for young folks like you to have such interesting names!†Mind you, I was in my 30s. He was about my size, which led me to thinking about how much I should have pursued a career in hockey, but that fantasy drained when I thought almost instantaneously how he could still drop me like a cheerleader’s skirt at Homecoming with a well-placed elbow to the sternum.

He signed his name “Gordon Howe,†which he always did, according to the autobiography, and we posed for a Polaroid snapshot which I still have somewhere and need to dig up. If anyone has an autograph that says, “Gordie Howe,†you have a fake and should probably destroy the person who sold it to you. He signed the Polaroid, too. I have looked at that photo many times. An international legend on the right and a former professional hockey player on the left. I’m kidding, of course, but I am not kidding when I tell you meeting Gordie Howe was the most rewarding encounter I have ever had with an athlete as an adult. Such a nice and gracious man, such a legend in a sport I revere and such a lasting memory of knowing what is important – not your accomplishments, not your legacy, not your fame, but to be a decent human being above all. I felt less of being in the presence of greatness and more in the presence of comfort and appreciation – his appreciation of me, as a fan, taking the time to come see him. It was a humbling experience for me to see humility up close and personal in a man who could be excused for perhaps knowing how great he was but preferred to just be a decent man. That is what I will remember most about the man.

Gordie Howe died today and he took one of my fondest memories with him, but perhaps by reigniting that memory, he has reminded me that being a good, decent person is the greatest achievement I can aspire to being. It helps when you have a legend for a guide to remind you every now and again. It only took five minutes of his time, but it has had a lifelong impact on me, either consciously or subconsciously, since then.

Rest in peace, Gordon Howe. You were an incredible hockey player, but you were an even better man.
 
Rebels57

Rebels57

Former Flyers fan
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Sep 28, 2014
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Kermit the Prog said:
For those who never met the man, I wrote a little something I shared with my friends. I'd like to share it with my hockey community, too, if it is not too much trouble:


Gordie Howe died today.

For those of you who are not sports fans – or a fan of hockey in particular – this is a significant loss. Nicknamed “Mr. Hockey,†Howe played a mind-boggling 26 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Detroit Redwings, and included a stint in the World Hockey Association (WHA), which directly competed with the NHL in the 1970s. His playing career spanned five decades from 1946 – 1980 and he set many records, some of which have since been broken by Wayne Gretzky, who idolized Howe as a youngster. A rough and tumble player with a nasty streak on the ice and seemingly limitless ability and stamina, Howe was able to realize an athlete’s ultimate dream when he suited up in the 1970s for first the Houston Aeros of the WHA and later the Hartford Whalers with his sons Marty and Mark, who was himself inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Philadelphia Flyer in 2011. Known for his quick wrists and fists, a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick†has come to mean when a player scores a goal, assists on another goal and has a fight in the same game and is a badge worn with honor for those who achieve it.

You can do your own reading up on this great man’s extensive and celebrated career, but I want to add a personal note. In the late 1990s, I had the opportunity to meet Gordie Howe. There was an event at the Spectrum in Philadelphia with sports celebrities dotting the concourse and suites like poppy seeds on a bagel. If you already knew Gordie Howe was in the building, it would have taken you less than a second to guess where he was stationed because the line snaked and slithered through the arena. When I finally had a chance to meet him, he had his autobiography, “And…Howe!†for sale in a neat pile by the suite entrance, written with his wife, Colleen.

When it was my turn to meet hockey royalty, I approached with an apprehension usually reserved for a squinty-eyed cynic attending a sideshow. Was this really Gordie Howe? How do I know it’s not someone who looks like him the event is capitalizing upon to rip a few more sheckels from my pocket? But, it was him. His handshake was firm and steely, yet warm and soft, as if his hand was telling me, “I could crush you right now and grind your bones to dust, but I’d rather greet you as a friend.†He could not have been a nicer man. He wasn’t there simply to sign autographs – at least from my experience – he was there to engage the fans. We sat and talked hockey for a few minutes, and trust me when I say how long a few minutes is when there is a conga line of fans who have been waiting hours shifting the weight on their feet to keep from collapsing. He asked me my name and when I told him, he said, “Kevin! My, how wonderful it is for young folks like you to have such interesting names!†Mind you, I was in my 30s. He was about my size, which led me to thinking about how much I should have pursued a career in hockey, but that fantasy drained when I thought almost instantaneously how he could still drop me like a cheerleader’s skirt at Homecoming with a well-placed elbow to the sternum.

He signed his name “Gordon Howe,†which he always did, according to the autobiography, and we posed for a Polaroid snapshot which I still have somewhere and need to dig up. If anyone has an autograph that says, “Gordie Howe,†you have a fake and should probably destroy the person who sold it to you. He signed the Polaroid, too. I have looked at that photo many times. An international legend on the right and a former professional hockey player on the left. I’m kidding, of course, but I am not kidding when I tell you meeting Gordie Howe was the most rewarding encounter I have ever had with an athlete as an adult. Such a nice and gracious man, such a legend in a sport I revere and such a lasting memory of knowing what is important – not your accomplishments, not your legacy, not your fame, but to be a decent human being above all. I felt less of being in the presence of greatness and more in the presence of comfort and appreciation – his appreciation of me, as a fan, taking the time to come see him. It was a humbling experience for me to see humility up close and personal in a man who could be excused for perhaps knowing how great he was but preferred to just be a decent man. That is what I will remember most about the man.

Gordie Howe died today and he took one of my fondest memories with him, but perhaps by reigniting that memory, he has reminded me that being a good, decent person is the greatest achievement I can aspire to being. It helps when you have a legend for a guide to remind you every now and again. It only took five minutes of his time, but it has had a lifelong impact on me, either consciously or subconsciously, since then.

Rest in peace, Gordon Howe. You were an incredible hockey player, but you were an even better man.
Click to expand...

Thank you for sharing!
 
daynus

daynus

Registered User
Nov 25, 2002
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Good Ole Saskatchewan
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Rest in peace Gordie, thoughts and prayers to family.
The whole province of Saskatchewan, loved Gordie and his family as well as anyone who met him or had the privledge to watch him play. Better person than hockey player.
I had this older buddy of mine from Sutherland a suburb of Saskatoon, and Gordie was from Floral, about 6 miles out of Saskatoon. My late buddy from sutherland went to the 1959 red wings camp as a goalie, but did not make the team, my buddy ken gave me his jersey from the training camp, I was shocked and dumbfounded, but that jersey is gonna stay in my closet and get handed down to my family.
I also have an autographed photo of Gordie Howe, that too will get passed down.
 
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