Mr. Hockey in town Friday
Gordie Howe may have turned 85 on Mar. 31st, but the birthday party continues in Calgary on Friday with some of his best friends and former adversaries in town to bestow best wishes.
“Him and Bobby Hull were my idols growing up,” admitted Mark Napier, the former NHL player who is now executive director of the alumni association. “It really is amazing what he’s done for hockey. I’ve gotten to know him and he’s such a great person. It’s not easy to believe he’s 85, but he still is doing a lot of good things out there, so God bless him.”
NHL legends will gather at the Westin hotel for a star-studded luncheon in honour of the birthday boy, Mr. Hockey himself, in conjunction with the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories. The luncheon is the first official event for the 2013 Pro-Am Face Off for Alzheimer’s Tournament.
Some of the players expected are Napier, Alex Delvecchio, Guy Lafleur, Frank Mahovlich and Garry Unger. Napier played against Howe first in the WHA, when the latter was with Houston and Hartford, and then in the NHL after the Whalers joined the big league. It was, for any youngster, a daunting experience.
“He’d slowed down a little bit, but was still pretty effective,” Napier explained. “I knew his son Mark a little bit when he was with the Marlies. He basically just said when his dad gets on the ice he’s mean. He’s the greatest father in the world, great with the kids and everything off the ice, but when he gets on the ice he’s just a mean person.
“Obviously, he’s renowned for his elbows and using them very effectively. I think that’s probably the biggest thing I remember about him, so I definitely gave him a wide berth when I was out there.”
Howe’s relationship with this particular charity is of a profoundly personal nature. His wife Colleen passed away from a neurological disease in 2009 and it was hoped that his association would lead to a greater awareness.
“We had discussed it for a while, we were looking for a high-profile guy,” Napier said. “We asked him and the family asked for a little bit of time to mull it over. It was awful because then Colleen had passed away. We didn’t say anything to the family for a while then all of a sudden the head of the tournament got a call and said they’d love to put their name to it. So it’s a really nice legacy for Gordie, how much he loved his wife Colleen and what a big part of his life she was.”
This will be the third year the ProAm Faceoff will be held in Calgary. It is also being run in Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver. The event gives local amateur players the chance to rub shoulders and play with NHL greats while raising funds for Alzheimer’s research and care. The top fundraising team gets first pick in the draft.
“I like to say it’s the best hockey tournament out there,” suggested Napier. “Here in Calgary, we bring Calgary Flames guys. It’s kind of funny Marty McSorley comes in and he was the first pick overall I think the year before. A dreaded Edmonton Oiler was the first pick. He can tell a few stories about the games he played in from a different perspective than, say, they had drafted Lanny McDonald.”