The word “hockey” is pretty much synonymous with the name Gordie Howe.
So, when Howe, Mr. Hockey himself, passed away Friday at the age of 88, it sent shockwaves throughout the sports community.
Now, before Sunday’s Stanley Cup Final Game 6, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks will take a moment to honor Howe, who wore the number nine.
At SAP Center, the Sharks created a teal “9” with tonight’s t-shirt arrangement. And both the Penguins and the Sharks will skate during warmups with No. 9 decals on their helmets to honor Howe.
Tonight during warmup, the #Pens and Sharks will wear these “9” decals to honor the memory of Gordie Howe. pic.twitter.com/NzmZ5qJPmV
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 12, 2016
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby remembered meeting Howe in Detroit when Crosby was in his first or second season in the NHL; he said he was in awe.
“You don’t even know what to say,” Crosby told reporters after Saturday’s practice. “When you think of hockey, that’s what you think of. You think of Gordie Howe — the way he played, the way he conducted himself. He was a role model for a lot of people, including myself.”
#9RIP pic.twitter.com/hqUan7vsK2
— #TurnUpTheTank (@SanJoseSharks) June 12, 2016
Pittsburgh defenseman Ian Cole grew up near Detroit and was familiar with Howe’s legend from very early on.
“You kind of hear stories about him and you’re like, ‘OK, that’s how a hockey player acts off the ice,’” Cole said. “Growing up and being a young, impressionable mind, you try to take that to heart and act the way he did.”
Jim Rutherford, the Penguins’ general manager, actually played with Howe in Detroit and said Howe was better than any power forward the NHL has ever seen. Rutherford remembered walking into the Red Wings’ locker room in 1970 — only to see Mr. Hockey sitting there.
“Of course, your first year in the league is exciting enough. But when you enter that room with such a great player like him, it was special,” Rutherford said. “He was a guy that, in some ways, he was hard to describe. He just had a special way about him. … His character and leadership were second to none.”
Perhaps the best way for the Sharks and Penguins to honor Howe would be for one of their players to record a “Gordie Howe hat trick”: a goal, an assist and a fight — all in one game.
