NHL Legend Gordie Howe, ‘Mr. Hockey,’ Dies At 88

Gordie Howe, the legendary Detroit Red Wings forward who embodied Canadian hockey, died Friday morning, the team stated. He was 88.

NHL Legend Gordie Howe, ‘Mr. Hockey,’ Dies At 88

His son Murray Howe confirmed his death, texting to The Associated Press: “Mr Hockey left peacefully, beautifully, and w no regrets.”

Howe, who was commonly known as ‘Mr. Hockey,’ played in the NHL for more than 25 years. He retired from the Hartford Whalers in 1980 at the age of 52, and remains among the game’s all-time scoring leaders with 801 goals and 1,850 points in 1,767 games, mostly with the Red Wings.

He also became an idol to Wayne Gretzky and several other notable Canadian players, while also helping the sport attract American fans. Howe even had a hat trick named after him. A “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” is accomplished when a player has one goal, one assist and one fight in a game.

“On behalf of the generations who were thrilled by his play and those who only know of his legend, and on behalf of all the young people and teammates he inspired, we send heartfelt wishes of condolence, comfort and strength to the Howe family and to all who mourn the passing of this treasured icon of our game,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

Howe suffered a stroke in late October 2014 while at his daughter’s home in Lubbock, Texas, and lost some function on the right side of his body. He had another stroke shortly afterward and family members said chronic back pain, advanced stages of dementia and high blood pressure were taking a toll. Although Howe’s body remained relatively strong, memory loss became a problem that family members noticed before the death of their mother, Colleen, in 2009.

The legendary Canadian right winger helped lead the Red Wings to four Stanley Cups, and won six Hart Trophies as NHL MVP and six Ross Trophies as the league’s top scorer. Howe started playing for Detroit in 1946 at the age of 18, leading the team to seven consecutive first-place finishes in the regular season. He was a part of what was known as “The Production Line” with fellow future Hall of Famers Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel during his 25-year run with the franchise.

“When Gordie came into the NHL, hockey was a Canadian game. He converted it into a North American game,” former NHL President Clarence Campbell said when Howe retired the first time in 1971 because he was playing with arthritis in his left wrist and for a last-place team.

Howe’s wife Colleen helped him get back on the ice two years later, and he began playing professionally alongside his two sons, Mark and Marty– his lifelong dream– in the World Hockey Association. At the age of 45, Howe still had it. He scored 31 goals and had 69 assists, was named MVP of the NHL’s rival league and led the Aeros to the 1973 WHA title– a run that became the subject of a movie: “Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story.”

Howe ended his 26th and final season in the NHL with the Whalers with 41 points.

With a single shift with the Detroit Vipers in the International Hockey League in 1997, he played professionally in a sixth decade at the age of 69.

“You’ve got to love what you’re doing,” Howe once said. “If you love it, you can overcome any handicap or the soreness or all the aches and pains, and continue to play for a long, long time.”

Mark Howe said his father was “the toughest, meanest guy I’ve ever seen on a pair of skates,” and that’s why he was able to play for decades.

Gordon Howe was born March 31, 1928, in a barn in tiny Floral, Saskatchewan, and raised in nearby on the Canadian prairie in Saskatoon. His father was a laborer and Howe pitched in early, growing strong with the work.

“Greatest player in hockey history,” former ESPN host Keith Olbermann said in a tribute two years ago. “As an all-round athlete in any sport, probably exceeded by Babe Ruth; maybe one or two others.”

In addition to Mark, Marty and Murray, Howe is survived by his daughter Cathy and nine grandchildren.

PHOTO: DALLAS – JANUARY 21: Former NHL hockey player Gordie Howe appears at the 2007 NHL All-Star Trading Card and Memorabilia Show January 21, 2007 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)