By Jim Hagarty
Gordie Howe’s aging parents, farmers from Floral, Saskatchewan, were proud of their famous son’s amazing successes.
But through all the years of his ascent from farm boy, to teenage star in Cambridge, Ontario, to NHL superstar with the Detroit Red Wings, they had never seen their son play a professional game of hockey. In those days, there were no NHL hockey teams in Western Canada, Gordie was not making a lot of money, though he was a star, and in that day and age, to get on a plane and fly somewhere to a hockey game was not a simple thing.
To mark a milestone, the Detroit Red Wings decided to honour Gordie Howe before a game one night in Detroit. He skated out onto the ice to wild applause. At centre ice was a big lump of a package, all wrapped up with ribbons, bows and paper. Gordie skated towards the object, not knowing what it was.
Suddenly, the passenger doors of the brand new car the Red Wings had bought their star opened up and out stepped his Mom and Dad.
Gordie Howe was a classy human being.
He inspired others to be classy too.
