It's been two weeks (so, sorry for the lateness on this), but the passing of Gordie Howe is something not even this little corner of the hockey blogosphere can ignore.
When you try to picture the ideal hockey player, "Mr. Hockey" was who you'd likely picture. A tough-as-nail-take-no-crap from anyone on the ice player who also put up points at will. The amazing thing about him was that he was able to maintain the hard-nose style and point totals for so long. Over 26 seasons in the NHL, Gordie managed to score 801 goal and 1049 assists for 1850 points. It's even more impressive that in 6 WHA season (when he was well into his forties), he put up a 174-334-508 stat line. His accolades include 4 Stanley Cups, 6 Hart and 6 Art Ross trophies, and named to the first- or second-all star team 20 times.
The stats and awards are impressive enough, but there is so much more that adds to the lore of Gordie Howe. His nickname changed from "Mr. Elbows" to "Mr. Hockey", getting his own hockey term (Gordie How Hat Trick) and doing the ultimate family thing by playing with his sons Mark and Marty in a top professional league. This is on top of the fact there are hundreds (probably thousands) of stories of what he's done to opponents on the ice.
While he had a mean-streak on the ice, off the ice was a different story. While I've never had the chance to meet the legend, there are thousands who have. All the ones I've seen/heard about are nothing but how kind and how much of a class act he was.
Rest In Peace Gordie Howe, there will never be another one like you.
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