Gordie Howe, “Mr. Hockey,” Dies At 88

By Chris Peters/CBSSports.com

Gordie Howe, one of the greatest hockey players ever to lace up skates, has died at 88 years old. The Detroit Red Wings, with whom Howe had spent 25 years of his lengthy playing career, confirmed the news Friday morning.

Howe was truly one of the giants in the game. Affectionately known around the world as “Mr. Hockey,” Howe was one of the game’s most prolific scorers and toughest competitors, embodying both the grace and brutality of the sport he helped popularize in the United States. Even in his post-playing career, which did not end until he was 51 years old, Mr. Hockey was one of the sport’s greatest ambassadors.

With a record 1,767 games played in the NHL, mostly with Detroit, but also with the Hartford Whalers, and an additional 419 in the short-lived World Hockey Association, Howe’s passion and perseverance was unrivaled. He won four Stanley Cups with the Red Wings and two WHA titles while playing alongside his sons, Mark and Marty, for the Houston Aeros.

He is second all-time in the NHL with 801 career goals and fourth all-time with 1,850 points. He won both the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP and the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion six times. He appeared in the NHL All-Star game 23 times, including in his final season in 1980 as a 51-year-old man. Howe was also voted as a first- or second-team All-Star 21 times in the NHL and twice in the WHA.

Howe suffered a serious stroke in October 2014 that had left him largely incapacitated. However, in true Mr. Hockey fashion, Howe kept fighting. Later that year, he underwent a stem-cell treatment that his family said helped vastly improved his condition.

By February 2015, he was able to make his first public appearance in his native Saskatchewan. And just this past March, Howe attended a Red Wings game ahead of his 88th birthday.

Howe is survived by his four children, fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Mark, Marty, Murray and Cathy, and numerous grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Colleen.