Cheers turn to sadness Friday Night.
Gordie Howe, the Detroit Red Wing legend known as Mr. Hockey, has passed away.
The hockey star known for his physicality, brutality and scoring ability died Friday at 88-years-old.
Mr. Hockey is widely considered the best hockey player of all time.
He set the NHL mark with 801 goals, and 1,850 points.
He was only surpassed by Wayne Gretzky who idolized Howe growing up.
He was known for roughing up opponents and his relentless onslaught of scoring.
Mr. Hockey and the Red Wings spent 10 years in Sault Ste. Marie for training camp.
9 & 10’s Blayke Roznowski and photojournalist Erin Malone spoke to those who hold Gordie Howe near and dear to their hearts.
"Pullar Stadium is where friendships and memories are made for a lifetime and that includes Gordie Howe, number 9," Sault Ste. Marie city commissioner Bill Lynn said. "I can tell you right now, there’s a lot of moist eyes in this town."
A sad day for Detroit Red Wings fans everywhere as they mourn the loss of Gordie Howe.
Mr. Hockey holds a special place in the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s heart.
Former mayor, Bill Lynn, met Howe as a kid and later in life and always looked up to him.
"Off the ice, you couldn’t find a nicer person, a true gentleman," Lynn said. "On the ice, he had some pretty good elbows and stick. It was a different situation. He was an excellent hockey player."
Gordie Howe used to spend a lot of time in Sault Ste. Marie when the Red Wings would come here and play at the Pullar for their training camp.
The city says he left his stamp on the town forever.
"We always looked forward to when the Red Wings came to town," Lynn said.
"One thing that Gordie Howe always said was that this was the best ice to skate on, the Pullar Stadium, of any ice that he had ever played on," Downtowner Tanner owner Walter Kempfert said.
Howe and the other players would hangout all over town, leaving special memories for everyone.
"In the early 50s this was an establishment that you can bet they came into occasionally to quench their thirst," Kempfert said. "There is a lot of history in this town that’s both with the community and the Red Wings."
Although it is a sad day, to the people who knew him, Mr. Hockey’s memory lives on forever.
"Today we lost, we lost our hero," Lynn said. "We’ll never forget you, number 9, God bless you."
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