Hockey legend Gordie Howe died last Friday at the age of 88.
The 21-time All-Star helped the Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup four times. He also won the NHL scoring title and MVP award six times each. He retired in 1971 and entered the Hockey Hall of Fame the following year. He was also inducted into the Order of Canada.
Because of his reputation of being a good hockey player as well as a fighter, fans quickly coined the term “Gordie Howe hat trick” to refer to scoring a goal. assisting a goal and getting into a fight, all in one game.
“Respect gave you more room, and if you get a little more room to maneuver, then you’re going to be a better hockey player,” Howe told The Canadian Press a few years ago about his playing style. “I played a little rough. I shaded the rules a little bit. I remember against the Russians somebody was bugging Wayne (Gretzky). ‘Just flush him down the right side and when you hear me get out of the way,’ I said. ‘I’m going over the top of him and teach him a lesson.’ And I did. That’s the way I played the game: not to get revenge but to get respect. It would make me very happy to be remembered with respect.”
