Originally published in The Big Book of Sports Lists
Gordie Howe was English Canada’s elder statesman of hockey, a face and name that represents all the sepia-toned memories of the Original Six era. Over 26 seasons he played 1,767 NHL games, more than anyone in history, and his 1,850 points rank third.
Of Course, Howe didn’t only play in the NHL – he came out of retirement in 1973 to join the World Hockey Association’s Houston Aeros and played six WHA seasons (scoring 508 more points in 419 more games) before returning to the NHL for one final campaign in 1979. He turned 51 that season and tallied 15 goals and 40 points.
Howe told his stories – from his fierce rivalry with Maurice Richard to Detroit’s epic battles with the Toronto Maple Leafs – to anyone who asks. And, like a grandfather, he gave life to days long gone. He shared some of his favourite memories with us:
1. “Meeting my future bride, Colleen, for the first time.”
2. “The birth of our four children (I count this as one big highlight).”
3. “Stepping on the ice with my sons the first time as teammates with the Houston Aeros.”
4. “Winning the Avco Cup [WHA championship] with my sons.”
5. “Playing in a charity game in Saskatoon at the age of 14 alongside a dozen NHLers on leave from the Air Force. One of my heroes, Harry Watson, asked me how old I was. Then Mr. Watson said, ‘Well, I guess we’ll see you in the NHL!”
6. “When my parents stepped out of the car at centre ice on Gordie Howe Night at Olympia Stadium [March 3, 1959].”
7. “My first game as a Red Wing.”
8. “My first goal as a Red Wing. That was the same night I also lost my teeth.”
9. “Being embraced on the street by Russian people during the Team Canada series in 1974.”
10. “When Michael Bublé and the rest of the stadium sang “Happy Birthday” to me at the Palace in Detroit a few years back, and again in Vancouver this year!”
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