Just found out from my Dad that the great Gordie Howe passed away this morning at age 88. Anything I tried to say here would just come up short, so instead I'll stick to what I know...cards. Seems like as good a time as any to feature what is the single greatest card in my Hartford Whalers collection:
What an incredible career and an incredible life this man had. I think the thing that impresses me more than any other statistic is the fact that he played in the NHL until the age of 52. That's a man who truly loved the game of hockey.
For me, this card is extra special since it was held and signed by both Gordie and his HOF son Mark. Why does that matter to me? Because one of the earliest collecting/sports memories I have is of meeting Gordie Howe with my Dad at a card show way back in the early '90s. I got to shake Gordie's hand, and in fact I still have the Red Wings puck that he signed for me that day. I think back to that any time I look at this particular card; to me the memory and the card all tie together nicely under the theme of father and son bonding over sport.
So long, Mr. Hockey...
4 comments:
What a beautiful card!
As a kid that was born in Saskatchewan, my dad would always point out all the players that were born there. And Mr. Hockey was a Saskatchewan kid.
RIP Gordie.
Fantastic card and story to accompany it.
It's been a tough week for sports. That is a fantastic card, though. My family is big into genealogy so I tend to favor family related cards as well.
Knew he was ill but still a sad day. Two greats in one week. Oy.
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