Howe was a true icon

Gordie Howe’s life is the stuff of legend. A great Canadian legend at that, too.

The story of “Mr. Hockey”, his career and the great anecdotes by him and about him - told within these pages by Postmedia’s roster of sports writing talent - serve as an inspiration to young and old alike. The tales of his life and career are a must-read.

Born in Floral, Saskatchewan, in 1928 he had a hardscrabble upbringing. It wasn’t the sort of childhood most of today’s youth experience. Life came with its hard knocks back then even for the kids.

But Howe’s talents saw him rise up quickly, joining the NHL to play for the Detroit Red Wings at the age 18. The rest, as they say, is history, as Howe would go on to be known as one of the greatest who ever played the game.

“He was the No. 1 player in NHL history in my books, as straight a shooter as any man,” former Maples Leafs goalie Johnny Bower told the Sun’s Lance Hornby on Friday, not too long after the news broke that Howe had died at the age of 88.

There’s a lot to admire about Howe, a lot that makes him a classic Canadian hero and role model. The hard work. The persistency. The determination. The fierceness, yes, but one that was undercut by his general decency, that so many fellow players have attested to. His strong, long marriage to his wife Colleen.

In our sports icons, we’re inspired by their sheer willpower and determination, their seemingly boundless energy. Whatever sport you play, when you get out there in the action it doesn't matter how much money you or your parents make, it doesn’t matter where you come from - anyone can rise to greatness. Just like Howe. And just like Muhammad Ali, who was being put to rest in his funeral procession on the day Howe died.

As Postmedia’s Cam Cole writes in the opening line to his piece: “There was only one Gordie Howe, and there will never be another like him.”

Hockey is Canada’s game. And it’s only fitting that we can call some of its greatest players our own. Rest in peace, Mr. Hockey.
torontosun.com