Gordie Howe’s approach never fails to impress
The unwritten sportswriter code says we can’t be fans. I get that, because sportswriters get up-close and personal access to athletes so we can tell their story the best we can.
That, itself, is a privilege, and perhaps one shouldn’t abuse it by asking for autographs on a notepad used for scribbling down quotes.
But, sometimes, I find it impossible to hide my admiration and deep respect for great people who have done great things. There’s a certain magic being around sports idols who were not only great athletes but great people. It’s hard not to be a fan of that.
Such was the case last Friday. Gordie Howe was in Edmonton for several days last week as part of the Scotiabank ProAm for Alzheimer’s, a cause close to his heart. There have been reports suggesting Howe, 85, might not be as sharp as he once was, but I didn’t see any signs of that.
He was sitting on a chair in the corner of a banquet room at the River Cree Resort & Casino before a luncheon, getting his picture taken with fans. As soon as my son, Darren, and I entered the room, I suggested we get into the lineup to have a few words with Howe.
It was a wonderful moment for me. I first met Howe with my father in 1978 at a sports banquet in Lloydminster. He was polite, gracious and had a twinkle in his eye before delivering a sharp, funny line.
Howe hasn’t changed much. When I sat beside him, he looked at me and said: “I think you deserve one of these.” Then, right on cue, he gave me one of his signature elbows under my chin.
I know he has given hundreds of thousands of elbows to fans over the years. But he makes you feel like it’s the first one.
Then came the humour. I introduced Howe to Darren. He put his hand out to shake hands.
“Hear what he said?” Howe asked Darren, making solid eye contact. “He wanted me to meet his ‘Damn son,’ ” causing all three of us to chuckle.
We only had a minute, if that, with Howe. But like every time I’ve met him, it was special, just like the first time.
Veteran sports columnist Jim Taylor wrote about Howe numerous times in the Vancouver Province and Vancouver Sun and keenly remembers his quick wit.
“I’d just finished interviewing Gordie in the lobby of the Westin Bayshore when two little old ladies tentatively asked if they could please have his autograph,” Taylor said Wednesday from Shawinigan Lake, B.C. “‘Absolutely not,’ Howe said, turned his back, took two steps, then whirled, grinned, pointed a finger and said, ‘Gotcha!’
“Then he sat down and spent 10 minutes with them.”
Howe’s last goal was scored April 9, 1980, the same year he retired as a member of the Hartford Whalers, some 33 years ago.
“You’ve heard all the stories, probably from your parents. Chances are you never saw Howe play, even on TV, but the tales take you back to a different day and your imagination takes flight,” Taylor said. “Gordie and his kind are the stuff of dreams,”