Gordie Howe: Saying Goodbye to a Legend (VIDEO)

How do you say goodbye to a legend? By remembering the legacy he left behind. So long, Gordie Howe, a Detroit Red Wings and sports legend.

The most famous baseball player of all-time, Babe Ruth, once famously said “heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” These are fitting words when remembering another all-time sports great, Gordie Howe.

You of course know by now that “Mr. Hockey” passed away last Friday. The greatest player to ever lace up the skates and glide across frozen water while trying to score a goal and decimate any opponent who got in his way has moved on.

Fans will get another chance to show their appreciation Tuesday with visitation from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm at Joe Louis Arena, and his funeral at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit on Wednesday.

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Understanding the level of love and respect Gordie had in Hockeytown and beyond that was still palpable 45 years after he last wore the famed winged wheel in a game, the Howe family graciously allowed fans to be a part of the final arrangements.

I never met Gordie, so I don’t have a cool story about getting a pretend elbow to the back of the head, but having grown up a sports fan in Detroit, you didn’t have to know Gordie to know Gordie. He was sports royalty, a name that transcended his sport, which has often been maligned as being the “fourth” professional sport nationally, but certainly not in the Motor City.

When I was young and first began learning about the sports histories of my favorite teams in the late 1980s, I was amazed that Gordie Howe had been a member of the Detroit Red Wings quite recently at that time. For me, perception was that he skated back in the fledgling era of the 1920s when a few select athletes were so iconic that they dominated their sports. Monikers such as Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Red Grange are names that bring the same level of awe as Gordie Howe.

Perhaps even more impressive, Gordie played and excelled during the golden era of the NHL among the world’s best athletes that made up just six rosters. He played among the likes of Bobby Hull, Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Bobby Orr, and others, and bested them all.

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The iconic career almost never materialized when in the 1950 playoffs he fractured his skull and was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery to relieve brain pressure. With the unique Howe toughness on full display, this didn’t even slow him down, and his best years were yet to come.

Some say Wayne Gretzky or Orr were better, but no one did it all exceptionally well like Gordie. Unlike today’s superstars that can score but shy away from the tougher aspects of the game, Gordie was equally comfortable scoring a goal as he was dropping the gloves. And he did both better than any one past or present.

There is nothing tragic about the death of an 88-year old man from natural causes, but it doesn’t make it any less somber. Gordie had a long life full of accomplishments and received well-deserved adulation. His health deteriorated after the death of his beloved soulmate, Colleen, in 2009, and suffered a serious of debilitating strokes in 2014.

This likely would be the last chapter for many, but Gordie once again showed his toughness by making a notable recovery following stem-cell treatments, and was even honored at the Joe on his 88th birthday in March.

This will likely be his enduring legacy, one in which he fought every battle until its conclusion–something that the people of Detroit and Michigan have always respected in their sports stars throughout the decades. Although he was born in Canada, Gordie became one of us.

The power of Gordie to dazzle, marvel, and entertain continues today, tomorrow, and forever.

After the tragic occurrences over the weekend in my new home of Orlando, I was able to escape some of the pain over seeing such a tragedy in my own backyard by embracing a diversion in the form of the iconic symbol of my hometown.

With the power of YouTube, I was able to witness some of his greatest moments years before my birth. The one that was most fascinating to me was the seemingly endless standing ovation when Gordie returned to Detroit for the 1980 All-Star Game.

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It’s an ovation that has never been duplicated. The love, the respect, and the joy of seeing a legend is as powerful now as it was 36 years ago. Give it a watch, and say one more thank you to #9.