June 21, 2016
Just about the same time Gordie Howe died last week the National Hockey League solidified its decision to open a new market in Las Vegas – and the sport lost a little more of its Canadian soul.
Through the decades covering the NHL, and the sport in general, I had many opportunities to meet Gordie Howe. I knew him as a player, a legend and a father to Mark.
More than any player I have met in any sport – more than any person in any profession – Gordie Howe personified his industry. He was everything hockey was supposed to be, he was everything a legend was supposed to be and beyond.
Mind you, this is being written by an American who grew up striving for the day when U.S. hockey would be the equal to the Maple Leaf.
That day has come … and I now miss the overwhelming Canadian ethos of the sport.
This week, once again, an American will be the first player taken in the NHL Draft when the iconic franchise in Toronto will select Auston Matthews of Arizona with the first-overall pick in a first round again loaded with red white and blue, and worldwide prospects.
To the delight of all hockey fans, the sport has taken root in places you never expected. In addition to the natural breeding grounds of New England and Minnesota, the sport has blossomed in Southern California, Florida and in the Arizona desert. In Philadelphia, all you have to do is watch the excitement of Floridian Shayne Gostisbehere to realize how the sport has grown.
In the wake of Howe’s passing, what all hockey fans have to hope for at this point is that the athletes who compete in the sport at all levels do not lose the Canadian ethos that made the game so special. What we all have to hope for is that the humble, honest traits of Gordie Howe that were so wonderfully passed on to his Hall of Fame American son Mark, are not lost on the wide world of talent now excelling at the sport.
From generation to generation hockey players have upheld a tradition that they are the working class, down-to-earth citizens of professional sports. Despite the fattening wallets in the locker room there has remained some contact to the days when players arrived from Red Deer, Brandon and Val D’Or.
The models were Howe, Orr and Gretzky – bred in the land of Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Alberta. In Philadelphia a generation of children learned about Flin Flon, and in Boston a generation knew of a place called Parry Sound.
They also learned that not all athletes were driven by ego, and that players can blend into the local community. There was almost a demand by peers that a player respect the game, respect their city and respect the players who went before them in the ancestry of the league.
Over the years, Canada’s grip on the game has been lessened. Simply put, the sport and the league outgrew Canada several years ago, and it has been wonderful to watch it succeed in so many American outposts.
The latest sign post of expansion is now going to be Vegas. It is quite obvious that the NHL has to make a move to Las Vegas based on the number of greenbacks involved in the transaction.
However, I can’t help but think that $500 million dollars for a franchise fee is not the equal of the 500 million dreams of the people in Quebec City had of seeing the NHL return.
There is no turning back the clock, and there is no way to turn your back on that much money, but with the NHL Draft coming up let’s all hope that this incoming class does not appreciate only the talent of Gordie Howe, but also his personality and ethos.
