Thoughts and prayers to the Howe family as Gordie Howe passes away at the age of 88. #9RIP
Hockey legend Gordie Howe has died at the age of 88, ESPN reports.
“Mr. Hockey” leaves behind an incredible sports legacy, holding the NHL record for most games. But he also leaves behind a personal legacy; his large family consists of four children, Mark, Marty, Murray and Cathy, as well as nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Here’s what you need to know about the Howe family.
1. He Met His Wife at a Bowling Alley at Age 17
Gordie and his wife Colleen Howe carry the Olympic Flame during the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Torch Relay in Warren, Michigan. (Getty)
Howe’s wife was Colleen Howe, who Gordie met at a bowling alley in Detroit at the age of 17. At the time, Howe was playing for the Detroit Red Wings.
Collen was originally born in Sandusky, Michigan, but she moved with her mom and stepdad to Detroit during high school. She and Howe immediately fell in love, and they were married four years later in 1953.
Colleen and Gordie were married for 56 years until her death in 2009. Collen made a successful career for herself as a sports agent, founding Power Play International and Power Play Publications. She also founded the first Junior A hockey team in the U.S., the Detroit Junior Red Wings. She was given the nickname “Mrs. Hockey.”
2. His Son Mark is a Retired Hockey Player
Mark Howe is inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame. (Getty)
Gordie’s son Mark Howe followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a hockey player and building an impressive career of his own.
Mark Steven Howe, born in 1955, got his start in the sport by playing for the Detroit Jr. Red Wings, the team founded by his mother, Colleen. When he was just 16-years-old, he competed in the 1972 Olympics and lead the Red Wings to win the US Junior Championship. This made him the youngest hockey player to ever win an Olympic medal.
Howe later played left wing for the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers. He made the transition from the WHA to the NHL in 1980, and soon suffered an injury that nearly ended his career. In a December 1980 match, he slid into the net and his leg was impaled, and it was so severe that the NHL permanently changed the way they design their nets. As a result of this injury, he was moved from the New England Whalers to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Mark signed on with the Detroit Red Wings in 1992, and he retired following the 1995 season.
3. His Son Marty is Also a Retired Hockey Player
Gordie Howe with his son Marty at the NHL Fan Fair.
Mark wasn’t the only one of Gordie’s son to have an impressive hockey career. So did Marty Howe, born in 1954, and he credits his parents with helping inspire many of his accomplishments.
“Gordie loves kids and he’d always be throwing us in the air or playing baseball with us when he was around, but Mom was the rock behind the whole scene, keeping everything together,” he said.
Mark got his start playing for the Toronto Marlboros, and he later followed Gordie and Mark by playing for the Houston Aeros. The following year, he was drafted by the Canadiens, and he would become a member of the National Hockey League in 1979.
Mark, Marty and Gordie were all inducted into the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame in 2010.
4. His Son Murray Is a Doctor
Gordie Howe’s son Murray loves biking, @TourdeTroit & proposal for allowing bikes on new bridge. #bikeDET #GFA16
While Mark and Marty followed in their father’s footsteps, Gordie’s third son, Murray, took a different path. He did start off in hockey, especially with his two brothers, and he even played as a teenager on a team with Wayne Gretzky. But ultimately Murray did not see a future for himself in the sport. During his freshman year at the University of Michigan, he was cut from the school’s hockey team.
“I think my dad said something along the lines of, ‘Thank God I don’t have to worry about that anymore!’” he said. “My mom said something like, ‘Good, now I don’t have to worry about you getting hurt.’”
Ultimately, he decided to pursue medicine, and he now works at the ProMedica Toledo Hospital.
5. He Is Survived By Nine Grandchildren
Gordie Howe appears at the 2007 NHL All-Star Trading Card and Memorabilia Show. (Getty)
Gordie Howe leaves behind quite the large family. In addition to his four children, Howe also is survived by nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
“The most important thing in the lives of my Mom and Dad were their children,” Mark Howie said in a 2015 interview. “I’m really proud with the job my brothers and sister have done since the death of our mother and then after the stroke Dad had; it was a difficult time.