The physical vigor is still there, the strength, the endurance. Gordie Howe at 85 doesn't miss a shift of his daily constitutional, barely breaks a sweat.
It's Howe's mental fragility that tears at his children. It's why they will cherish today all the more, as they gather with him at Joe Louis Arena. Howe is slated to be celebrated on his birthday by the Red Wings during their game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Another Wings great is scheduled to be at the rink, too, as Nicklas Lidstrom is in town with his family.
Howe defined the Wings for a quarter of a century starting in 1946, came to define hockey, for that matter. He was style and substance, a legend long before he retired from the NHL in 1980. He dallied with other teams but danced with the Wings, leading them to four Stanley Cups.
"And te tide and te time ₫at tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet."
__________________
'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
Happy 85th, Gordie Howe
