They came to say their last goodbyes to the man they known as Mr. Hockey but it was as much Gordie Howe the man as it was Gordie Howe the hockey player who drew some 15,000 to Joe Louis Arena for Tuesday’s public visitation for the Detroit Red Wings legend who died Friday at the age of 88.
“Unfortunately the world lost two iconic people in the last seven days,… Wayne Gretzky said. “Muhammad Ali and Gordie Howe. Two very different personalities, and yet both very similar. They were caring and loving and nurturing to everyone. And that’s what Gordie Howe was.
“Gordie Howe in a lot of ways made hockey popular in the United States. Up until the 40s and 50s it was Montreal and Toronto and to the West, British Columbia. Gordie Howe really changed the landscape of hockey itself in the United States. He was the first guy and then Bobby Orr came along obviously in Boston, but Gordie Howe was the first guy that paved that road.…
Long before he was the Great One, Gretzky was just one of countless millions of youngsters who idolized Howe and was awestruck when he first met him.
“I was really lucky,… Gretzky said. “Not everybody gets to meet their hero or their idol. Sometimes when you meet them it wasn’t as good as you thought it would be. I got so lucky that the guy I chose was so special.
“Over time, not only did he become a mentor to me but we became friends and our families became friends. I played hockey with his youngest son (Murray), spent a lot of time together traveling, we did charity events together.…
Gretzky marvelled at the ease in which Howe dealt with the price of fame, and the endless requests for his time.
“I don’t know if I ever met another person in life that was never not bothered by it,… Gretzky said. “I remember walking through the airport with him when I was 18 years and every single person I think in the airport knew and recognized him. He stood and took pictures and signed his name. He never thought that it was a burden. He thought it was part of his life.
“He was Gordie Howe and he understood it and probably understood who he was better than anyone.…
“He was really a unique man. It didn’t matter who you were or where you were from. He was comfortable talking to anyone and people were comfortable talking to Gordie.…
Whither Nine? There’s a groundswell movement in hockey urging the NHL to honor Howe’s memory by ordering all teams to retire the No. 9 and Gretzky is on board with the idea.
“I'm pretty biased. If I had my way, I would do it,… Gretzky said. “But that's for the league. I'm not involved with the league right now. But listen, whatever they choose to do is going to be very special because Gordie deserves something really special and unique.
“I don't think anybody helped promote, support the game, the sport or our country better than Gordie Howe. He was proud to be a Canadian, proud to be from Saskatchewan. And I don't think the NHL is going to overlook the fact of how important he was to the game, so I'm sure they are going to do something real special for him.…
Gretzky’s opinion of is the same as it was when he was a wide-eyed youngster growing up in Brantford, Ont.
“He was everything to me,… Gretzky said. “He was a second father. He was a mentor.
“I made no secret my childhood dream was to play for the Red Wings. Somehow in my mind I figured I could wear No. 9. Obviously that’s not possible. Nobody is ever going to wear his number.
“I even tried to go to get my hair cut and asked for a Gordie Howe haircut when I was nine years old. Everything I did was to be a Red Wing and be around Gordie Howe and be part of Gordie Howe’s world. That was all I dreamed about as youngster.
“I talk about this all the time still to this day, my favorite Christmas gift was getting a Red Wing No. 9 jersey when I was 5 years old. That’s still the best Christmas present I ever got.…
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