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

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

The Saskatchewan-born Howe died Friday at the age of 88.

"Gordie Howe was the epitome of the classy professional athlete. Wherever he went, he garnered a crowd.People wanted to hear him talk, they wanted to hear about Gordie Howe," said Douglas, 57, who played professional hockey for 10 years, 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, signing with the WHA's New England Whalers (a team that later shifted to the NHL as the Hartford Whalers) when he first met Howe, 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.

Howe personally 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. The Gordie Howe hat trick is a goal, an assist and 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 and was a professional athlete at the highest level," Douglas said, noting that Howe took him under his wing and taught him not only "the ways of being a professional athlete" but also life lessons that he continues to use.

Howe made it a point to remind Douglas to keep his ego in check and to remember "there's nobody in this world, nobody, that you can't learn 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," Howe would 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 known — not 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.- Jordy Douglas

Howe also taught Douglas to take pride in being a professional athlete and to remember who pays the salary.

"It wasn't the team that paid your cheques, 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 Howe saw Douglas's scrawled name and 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 his career, which spanned 51 games in the WHA and 268 in the NHL, for the Hartford Whalers, Minnesota North Stars and Winnipeg Jets.

"A greater man I've never known — not 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.

Another Winnipegger and former NHLer, 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.

"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 NHL Jets, 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 professional game — 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.