Gordie Howe, 88

Associated Press

DETROIT

Gordie Howe worked all his remarkable life to earn the respect and awe that came with being “Mr. Hockey.”

The Canadian farm boy who developed his brute strength and incredible stamina on the Saskatchewan prairie could put his team ahead with a timely goal or even the score with opponents with his elbows and fists. Away from the rink, Howe worked just as hard to become one of the most likable superstars in any sport.

If there is anything hockey reveres, it’s hard work. Few brought more of that to the game than Howe, whose boundless blend of talent and toughness made him the NHL’s quintessential star during a career that lasted into his 50s. He died Friday at the age of 88 surrounded by family members after a storied career that included four Stanley Cup championships.

“Mr Hockey left peacefully, beautifully, and w no regrets,” Murray Howe said in a text to The Associated Press, adding that his father died simply of “old age.”

The Detroit Red Wings, Howe’s longtime team, said Howe died in Sylvania, Ohio, at the home of Murray Howe. Funeral arrangements were pending.

Howe shattered records, dropped gloves and threw elbows while helping the Red Wings win those four championships. He became an idol for many and is credited with helping the sport attract American fans in a development key to the league’s growth.

“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.

With finesse and a heavy dose of grit, the Hockey Hall of Famer set NHL records with 801 goals and 1,850 points — mostly with the Red Wings — that held up until Gretzky came along. The Great One himself left no doubt about what he thought of Howe.

“Unfortunately we lost the greatest hockey player ever today, but more importantly the nicest man I have ever met,” Gretzky tweeted.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman lauded “the incomparable” Howe as a remarkable athlete with incredible longevity.

“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,” Bettman said.

Mr. Hockey was a giant of the game and no list of the NHL’s greatest players has him anywhere but near the top alongside players like Bobby Orr, Maurice Richard, Mario Lemieux, Guy Lafleur, Bobby Hull and Gretzky. Like few others, Howe’s impact on the game stretched over decades.

Howe also was so talented and tough that a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” became synonymous with the combination of having a goal, an assist and a fight in one game.

“The list of hockey players who suited up in six different decades, including returning to the ice after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, is a short one: it starts and ends with Gordie Howe,” President Barack Obama said in a statement. “But the list of kids who skated around the pond until dark, picturing themselves passing, scoring, and enforcing like Howe, dreaming of hoisting the Stanley Cup like him — that one comprises too many to count.”

In addition to the four Cups, the talented right winger won six Hart Trophies as NHL MVP and six Art Ross Trophies as the league’s top scorer. Howe began playing for the Red Wings in 1946, leading them to seven straight 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.

“No one in their right mind ever wanted to tangle with him,” Lindsay has said. “Gordie had a lethal pair of elbows, was strong as a moose and knew every angle.”

Howe handled his business with his elbows and fists almost as often as he did with wrist and slap shots. He ranked among the NHL leaders in penalty minutes three times, spending 100-plus minutes in the penalty box during those seasons.