Friday, March 31, 2006

Happy Birthday Mr. Hockey



Floral, Saskatchewan's pride and joy turns 78 today and somehow you get the feeling he'd probably still be able to dish out a mean elbow if he had to. Born on March 31, 1928 Howe began his love of hockey on the frozen ponds of the prairies.

Gordon Howe was a force to be reckoned with in the NHL, holding down the right wing position in Detroit for many of that franchise's glory years.

While his scoring statistics are legendary it was his personna on the ice that defined him as a player.

Long before the term power forward became the word of the day in the NHL, Howe was bulling his way through the opposition with only one destination in mind, the front of the net and the puck inside of it.

In addition to his amazing tenure in the NHL, Howe gave credence to a newly formed league the WHA when he joined the Houston Aeros and then Hartford Whalers, sharing a long held dream to suit up with his sons Mark and Marty.

To read up on the history of Howe is like a primer in what has made the NHL a successful league over the years, there are hundreds of websites dedicated to his career and achievements, including one created for him and his wife Colleen. On the mrandmrshockey website, you'll find all sorts of gems about his career and how he and his family continue to work with Colleen as she battles dementia, it's well worth your stop on the Gordie Howe memory parade!

One destination to visit is that of the Hockey Hall of Fame website which includes a look at his biography, stats packages and a collection of pictures of Mr. Hockey in action.

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