Family, Friends and Fans Pay Respects to Hockey Icon Gordie Howe

Family members, sport celebrities and devoted fans gathered in Detroit Wednesday to pay their respects to Gordon “Gordie” Howe, one of ice hockey’s biggest stars, who passed away on Friday at age 88.

Many in the congregation at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament wore Detroit Red Wings jerseys — the team that Howe was a part of for 25 seasons — according to The Detroit News.

“Gordie’s gone home,” said Reverend J.J. Mech who presided over the mass.

Over the years, the Detroit News says, the beloved pro NHL player earned a number of nicknames, most notably “Mr. Hockey.” Howe was awarded MVP six times over, played in a record 23 All-Star Games, won the Stanley Cup with Detroit four times, and was ranked in the NHL’s top five in scoring for 20 seasons straight. Many of his NHL records still stand.

“I still pinch myself at the realization that he was my father,” Murray Howe said at the service, fighting back tears.

[Detroit News]