12/21/24
June 10, 2016
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posted by tommybiden at 10:01 AM on June 10, 2016
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posted by yerfatma at 10:18 AM on June 10, 2016
I heard one person say that his records were just because of longevity, but I don't think people realize that he had 20 consecutive seasons where he finished among the NHL's top five in scoring.
Twenty consecutive seasons!
posted by grum@work at 11:35 AM on June 10, 2016
An unbelievable player. And I think its great he came out of retirement just to team up with his kids!
posted by billsaysthis at 11:43 AM on June 10, 2016
billsaysthis, as a little boy growing up in east Hartford, Connecticut, I was one of the beneficiaries of that un-retirement. My dad, brother, and I used to love going to watch the Howe family play for the Whalers, watching Mr. Hockey skate with his extremely talented (Mark) and less-talented (Marty) sons. Unfortunately, I was the baby brother and my older sibling got the honor of claiming number 9 when we started playing mite hockey in Bolton. The Howes would regularly make appearances at youth hockey schools, and I had the honor of sharing the ice with Mr. Hockey when I was about 6.
Rest in peace to one of the most iconic athletes ever to grace the rink. As Gretzky himself put it, not just the greatest hockey player ever, but the nicest person he ever met.
posted by tahoemoj at 03:02 PM on June 10, 2016
I saw him play in person just once at a game vs Rangers in Madison Square Garden. It was sometime in 1967, probably late in the season. I don't remember a thing about the game, but I certainly remember marveling at his many accomplishments. My brother-in-law, Bob, was once at some sort of business gathering where Howe was the guest speaker. Bob told of how he rose from his seat to do one thing or another and bumped into Howe as he was walking past. Bob said he thought he had collided with a concrete wall. There was nothing soft about Gordie Howe.
RIP Number 9.
posted by Howard_T at 06:08 PM on June 10, 2016
The dude played 80 freakin' games and scored 41 points in the NHL at the age of 51/52! At 50, I can barely make it up four flights of stairs at work.
posted by NoMich at 06:25 PM on June 10, 2016
=(