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Gordie Howe, AKA ‘Mr. Hockey,’ Dies At 88

By Christina St Jean
Published on: 02:21 PST, Jun 10, 2016

Another legend has passed in what has proven to be an unfortunate year for legends in so many industries. Gordie Howe, the indomitable hockey player respected and idolized by so many, has died. He was 88.

Gordie Howe suffered a stroke two years ago but seemed to have been making a recovery. The legendary Red Wing had gone to Mexico, according to CBS News, for a stem cell treatment that family members said contributed to Howe’s “miraculous” recovery.

“We knew that if we didn’t do anything he would be dead within a couple of weeks because he would not want to live the way he was living,” his son Murray Howe said. “Just laying in a bed, that’s just not him.”

Gordie Howe celebrated his 88th birthday back in March, where he was serenaded by a cheering crowd with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

According to Sportsnet, the hockey superstar died just before 8 a.m. in Ohio at his son Murray’s home.

Global News reports that Gordie Howe joined the NHL Hall of Fame in 1972 at the age of 44. He made a distinctive impression on the hockey world and was certainly one of the winningest players ever: Gordie Howe won the Stanley Cup as a Red Wing four times, won six Hart Trophies as league MVP, and took home six Art Ross Trophies as the leading scorer.

According to CTV News, Gordie Howe was also known for his incredible resilience on the ice. After retiring in 1971, he signed with the Hartford Whalers and played during the 1979-1980 season, becoming the oldest player and beating Chris Chelios’ record by four years.

He also set several other records. In addition to his trophy haul, Gordie Howe also picked up accolades by playing the most NHL regular season games (1,767), having the most regular season points by a right-winger (1,850), having the most consecutive 20-plus goal seasons at 22, and having the most All-Star Game appearances at 23 games. Small wonder he came to be known as Mr. Hockey.

Gordie Howe was hit with perhaps the greatest tragedy he’d known just a few short years ago: the death of his beloved wife, Colleen, in 2009. His family, not one to leave their beloved patriarch languishing, took turns having him come stay at their homes, all the while acknowledging how difficult the loss of his wife was for their dad.

“He’s been devastated,” his daughter Cathy told reporters during her brother Mark’s introduction into the Hall of Fame, Sportsnet reported. “It’s been a long road for him.”

The hockey legend did try to live on his own after his beloved wife died, but there were too many memories, and so his children stepped up, just as Gordie Howe did when Colleen was diagnosed with Pick’s disease, a condition similar to Alzheimer’s disease.

“It’s the loss of the love of your life,” his son Murray explained at the time. “I wouldn’t call it a depression per se, it’s just grieving, pure grieving. If you don’t have somebody there to help you through that grieving process, you just fall off the cliff.”

But in 2013, when he was watching his son Mark get inducted into the Hall of Fame, signs were evident that Gordie Howe was in the early stages of dementia, but he was still quite lucid during his appearance. The stroke in late 2014 was devastating, and many were questioning whether or not the legendary Gordie Howe had finally met his match. Today, it would seem that a final player got past Gordie Howe’s incredible stick handling.

During an evening walk, according to Sportsnet, Gordie Howe was asked by his son Murray what he would like him to say in his eulogy if he was to die before he did. The response was classic Mr. Hockey.

“Finally,” Gordie Howe replied, “the third period is finally over. I hope they have a good hockey team in heaven.”

[Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images]

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