Celebrity
‘Mr. Hockey’ Gordie Howe has died at the age of 88
Gordie Howe
Legendary hockey player and Detroit Red Wings’ Gordie Howe waves to the crowd during an 80th birthday celebration at Joe Louis Arena before the NHL hockey game against Nashville Predators on Sunday, March, 30, 2008 in Detroit. Howe died Friday at the age of 88.
Hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe has died at the age of 88.
CBS News has confirmed that Howe passed away Friday morning in Ohio.
Howe, known as ‘Mr. Hockey,’ spent 25 seasons from 1946 to 1971 playing for the Detroit Red Wings, winning four Stanley Cups and becoming one of the biggest names in the history of the sport.
Howe won the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player six times and the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer on six occasions.
His scoring records have been eclipsed by Wayne Gretzky, but Howe for many years was the NHL’s leader in goals, assists and points. He now ranks second in goals (801), ninth in assists (1,049) and third in points (1,853).
Hockey legend Gordie Howe signs autographs at the Syracuse Crunch’s first-ever home opener on Sept 30, 1994 at the Onondaga County War memorial.
Howe ranks first on the Red Wings’ career list for goals (786) and points (1,809) and second to Steve Yzerman in assists (1,023).
He later emerged from retirement to play in the World Hockey Association and eventually the NHL’s Hartford Whalers. In all, Howe played hockey in parts of five different decades.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said all hockey fans will grieve the loss of “the incomparable,” Gordie Howe.
“A remarkable athlete whose mastery of our sport was reflected by the longevity of his career and by his nickname, ‘Mr. Hockey,'” Bettman said. “Gordie’s commitment to winning was matched only by his commitment to his teammates, to his friends, to the Red Wings, to the city of Detroit and – above all – to his family.”
“Gordie’s toughness as a competitor on the ice was equaled only by his humor and humility away from it. No sport could have hoped for a greater, more-beloved ambassador,” Bettman said.
Recent years were challenging for Howe. Memory loss from the early stages of dementia became a problem even before his wife, Colleen, died in 2009 after battling Pick’s disease, a rare form of dementia similar to Alzheimer’s. Howe suffered two disabling strokes in October 2014. His family said his health had improved after he underwent a stem-cell treatment as part of a clinical trial in Mexico.
