'We've lost a real, genuine hero,' ex-NHLer says about Gordie Howe

Gordie Howe's elbow left an impression on many hockey playersbut it was his life lessons that impacted Winnipegger JordyDouglas, who was a teammate of Mr. Hockey.

The Saskatchewan-bornHowedied Fridayat the age of 88.

"GordieHowewas the epitomeof the classy professional athlete. Wherever he went, he garnered a crowd.People wanted to hear him talk, they wanted to hear about GordieHowe," said Douglas, 57, whoplayed professional hockey for 10years, first in the World Hockey Association then the NHL.

"He was truly a superstar."

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Douglas was a 20-year-old rookie in 1978, signingwith theWHA'sNew England Whalers (a team thatlater shifted to the NHL as the Hartford Whalers)when hefirstmetHowe, who was 51 and in the final years of his playing career.

Douglas was in the team's office when "in walks Mr.Howe, coming to introduce himself," he said.

Howepersonally welcomed Douglas to the team and the city and Douglas replied, "Thank you, Mr.Howe."

"And he goes, 'No, no, no,no. Not Mr.Howe. I'm Gordie, I'm your teammate now.'"

That was the real Howe a humble, personable, respectful man despite the fact he was known as a rugged player with a flying elbow. TheGordie Howe hat trick is a goal, an assistand a fight in the same game, Douglas pointed out.

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"He's an exceptional man. He played hockey until he was 52 years old andwas a professional athlete at the highest level," Douglas said, noting that Howetook him under his wing and taught him not only "the ways of being a professional athlete" but alsolifelessons that he continues to use.

Howemade it a point to remindDouglas to keep his ego in check and to remember "there's nobody in this world, nobody, that you can'tlearn something from. You're not any better than anybody else," Douglas said.

"The person that's looking for a coffee on the street can teach you something," Howewould tell him

"Gordie was always about the people. He never turned an autograph down. He was open to everybody. I try to pass that along to kids now nobody's an island unto themselves. You've got to reach out and learn and you've got to also share, you've got to teach."

A greater man I've never knownnot only on the ice [but]a wonderful man in the dressing room and a family man off the ice.We've lost a real, genuine hero.- JordyDouglas

Howealso taught Douglas to take pride inbeing a professional athlete and to rememberwho pays the salary.

"It wasn't the team that paid yourcheques, it was the fans," Douglas remembers being told. "I can't thank him enough for teaching me that."

When signing autographs, Howe always wrote his name clearly because"it's a privilege to be asked for an autograph," Douglas said, remembering one time when Howesaw Douglas's scrawled nameand asked "What's that?"

"'If you've been asked to give an autograph, write your name so that they know, 10 or 20 or 30 years from now, they know who signed that piece of material,'" Howe told him.

Douglas carried those lessons throughout hiscareer, which spanned51 games in the WHA and 268 in theNHL, for theHartford Whalers,Minnesota North StarsandWinnipeg Jets.

"A greater man I've never knownnot only on the ice [but]a wonderful man in the dressing room and a family man off the ice," Douglas said.

"We don't have those type of people anymore, I don't think, around.We've lost a real, genuine hero."

Joe Daley remembers Gordie Howe

8 years ago

Duration 1:14

Joe Daley, was a goalie who had to face Howe's blistering shot. He said he never saw any other player do what Howe could on the ice.

AnotherWinnipegger and former NHLer, Joe Daley, wasa goalie who had to face Howe's blistering shot. Hesaid he never saw any other player do what Howe could on the ice.

"Others had the fear of going in the corner and chasing the puck with him, because you didn't know whether you were going to get a stick or an elbow or a hello or a good-bye," Daley said.

"For me, the biggest fear was having to face Gordie one-on-one and what he was going to do with that puck."

Daley played professionally from 1963-79 for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings, and finished with the WHA's Winnipeg Jets.

Condolences for the Howe family also came from the current NHLJets, as well as another former NHLer with roots in the city,Butch Goring.

Goring, who was born in Winnipeg, tweeted about his memory of playing his first professionalgame which happened to be against Howe.

Goring, 66, went on to play 16 seasons league for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins, winning four Stanley Cups.