Special council meeting set to rename Saskatoon arena after Gordie Howe

A tight timeline has meant Saskatoon city council will be holding a special meeting on Monday.

Council has been asked to rename Kinsmen Arena after legendary hockey player Gordie Howe. Howe spent his childhood in Saskatoon before leaving to become one of the biggest names in the NHL.

Howe is being honoured at a special fundraiser in February, that will also feature hockey great Wayne Gretzky. The fundraiser's organizing committee was hoping to have the name change in place before the event takes place.

"By having a meeting on the 26th of January, that didn't leave a lot of time for all the work that needs to be done to have this done before February 6th when Gordie comes to town," said councillor Eric Olauson. "That's why I asked if we could have a special meeting of council on Monday."

It's not clear whether signage can be put in place in time for the fundraiser. However, Olauson wanted to make sure council wasn't standing in the way of any preparations that have to be made.

"I think we should be recognizing Gordie Howe as a great citizen of Saskatoon and Saskatchewan," Olauson said. "He's done a lot of good work, and this is just a small token of our appreciation." 

The new arena would be named Kinsmen-Gordie Howe arena if council agrees to the name change.

Howe suffered a stroke in October, but has since made a recovery.