Sad news to pass on as Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe has taken a turn for the worse, suffering another major stroke on Monday. This is his third stroke in as many months.
Previously, his family said they were making him “comfortable” as he began what was expected to be a long recovery from two previous strokes. […]
“He’s unable to walk and his speech is very minimal,” Mark Howe said at the time, of his 86-year-old father. “After his first stroke, within a week, he was up to walking 40 to 50 feet. [Detroit CBS]
Howe has been out of the public eye for much of the last five years after losing his wife Colleen in 2009. There have been reports of dementia, but nothing confirmed from his family.
Howe is widely regarded as one of the best hockey players (if not the best) of all-time. His list of accomplishments seems almost unbelievable.
23-time NHL All-Star
4-time Stanley Cup champion (1950, 1952, 1954, 1955)
6-time Art Ross Trophy winner (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1963)
6-time Hart Memorial Trophy – 1952, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1963
And perhaps his most amazing stat: Gordie Howe was top five in NHL scoring for 20 consecutive seasons. Just think about that for a second. Think about how hard it is to pull that off while at the same time avoiding major injury for two decades.
Again, unbelievable.