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The long-awaited opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge is finally upon us, with U.S. and Canadian officials signing off on an agreement that would open the mile-and-a-half long span connecting Detroit and Windsor on Monday, July 27.
Business and government leaders on both sides of the border have viewed the bridge as a vital economic connection. Once it's open, the Howe bridge will join the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel as a crossing on the Detroit River.
In 2015, then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the long-sought crossing would be named after Gordie Howe, the hockey icon venerated by communities on either side of the bridge.
Born in Floral, Saskatchewan, in 1928, Howe launched his pro hockey career with the Detroit Red Wings in 1946 and spent 25 seasons with the club, including leading the team through one of its best eras in the early- to mid-1950s.
Howe’s decades with the Red Wings made him a hero in both Detroit and his native Canada.
“It is my sincere hope that this bridge, which bears his name, will continue this proud legacy by accelerating the flow of people, merchandise and services between our great nations for years to come,” Harper said in 2015.
Howe was renowned for more than just prowess on the ice. He was kind to fans, reporters noted throughout his career. He was gracious to players who came after him. And he loved the sport so much (and perhaps hated the front office job the Red Wings gave him) that he cut short his retirement in the 1970s to play for the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association.
In fact, Howe’s career saw him play in the National Hockey League in five different decades. In the 1979-80 season, he returned to the NHL, suiting up for the Hartford Whalers, to play an NHL season at 52. Howe’s longevity allowed him to play professional hockey with two of his sons, Mark and Marty.
Howe played for the Detroit Red Wings from 1946 to 1971, leading the franchise to four Stanley Cup championships in 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955. The longest-tenured player in Red Wings history, a statue of Howe was put up at Joe Louis Arena and later moved to the team’s current home, Little Caesars Arena. His No. 9 was retired by the team in 1972, the same year Howe was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
His moniker was simple: Mr. Hockey. At the time he left the Red Wings, Howe’s 801 goals and 1,850 points were most all time in the NHL.
Howe’s skill was perhaps only matched by his toughness — in a 1950 playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he suffered a fractured skull when he collided with Leafs captain Ted Kennedy and careened into the boards during a game at the old Olympia barn in Detroit.
Howe had to have emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. Some feared the end of his playing career − or worse − but Howe recovered enough to celebrate the team’s win over Montreal in the Stanley Cup final, the first of four Cups during his career. He was back on the ice the following season.
No stranger to the grittier side of hockey, Howe retired with 1,685 penalty minutes. To this day, a “Gordie Howe hat trick” is celebrated when a player scores a goal, provides an assist and gets in a fight in a single game.
From 1947 to 1957, the Wings enjoyed eight regular season titles to go along with the four Cups and three other Cup Final appearances. And although Howe shared the ice with hockey legends such as Sid Abel, Alex Delvecchio, Ted Lindsay, Terry Sawchuk and others, Howe was regarded as the team’s best player.
Despite the decade-long glory run, Howe felt the franchise could have won even more.
He retired (from the Red Wings, at least) in 1971, and later recalled in a 2014 biography that he felt the franchise’s heyday had been cut short after team president Marguerite Norris was replaced by her brother Bruce Norris in 1955. Howe noted that summer, the Red Wings traded eight players, including Sawchuk, and never recaptured the same peaks during Howe’s career. Bruce Norris wasn't as adept as his sister at preventing general manager "Trader Jack" Adams from shipping away key players, Howe wrote.
The franchise wouldn’t win another Cup until 1997.
“I have a hard time thinking about what might have been,” Howe wrote in the 2014 autobiography “Mr. Hockey: My Story.”
Wayne Gretzky eventually broke Howe’s goal and scoring records. The "Great One," as Gretzky eventually was known as during his 21 seasons in the league, idolized Howe growing up, NHL.com noted in a tribute to the league’s 100 greatest players. Gretzky played for the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers.
Gretzky spoke at Howe’s June 2016 funeral service, recalling the chase of his hero’s tallies.
"I was enamored with him from a young age," Gretzky said. "So when I met him for the first time — a lot of times, when you meet your idol, you say it's OK, everybody has bad days, right? But when I met Gordie, oh, my gosh, he was bigger, better and nicer. He was everything and more that I imagined him to be. He has a way about him, whether he was talking to my father, one of the waitresses at the diner or the prime minister.
“He had a way with anybody and everybody, put everybody at ease. He was that nice. Just a really good person."
Gretzky retired with 894 goals, a record that stood until the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin passed it in the 2024-25 season. As Howe did, Gretzky honored Ovechkin’s overtaking of his record. When Gretzky greeted the Russian forward at a center ice ceremony in April 2025, he wore a pin with Howe’s No. 9 on his lapel.
Another connection between Detroit and Windsor had been sought for decades by the time a deal was struck for the Howe bridge construction in 2012.
The Detroit-Windsor connection is the busiest land border crossing in North America and is a vital part of trade between the United States and Canada. For generations, the privately owned Ambassador Bridge has been the only over-land crossing over the Detroit River.
The idea of naming the new crossing after Howe had been floated since the bridge’s conception. An official with the Ontario Trucking Association is credited with first suggesting the idea at a hearing in Lansing in the summer of 2010, according to 2015 Free Press reporting.
Naming the bridge after Howe, someone venerated on both sides of the river, was mostly met with celebration, although there were those critical of naming the crossing after a sports figure.
When its name was announced in 2015, many observers noted a bridge is a fitting tribute to Howe’s endurance and fortitude.
Howe was 87 at the time of the announcement. His son Murray attended the naming ceremony.
"That sounds pretty good to me," Murray recalled his father saying upon hearing of the new bridge named in his honor.
Howe died in June 2016 at the age of 88. He battled dementia in his later years and suffered a stroke in 2014, although stem cell treatments were credited with helping Howe regain vigor.
The hockey community mourned Howe and a moment of silence was held to honor his life during that year’s Stanley Cup Final.
At a funeral service at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, Howe’s son Murray delivered a 30-minute tribute to his dad.
"He was eternally positive,” Murray said. “He always had a smile on his face and a song on his lips. He once told me, 'Don't ever gripe about the cards that you've been dealt. Don't worry about anyone else’s cards. Just play the cards the best you can and be thankful that you get to play.' "
The service was attended by many notable to both hockey and Detroit, including Gretzky, longtime Wings captain (1986-2006) and later general manager (2019-2026) Steve Yzerman, Detroit Tigers legend Al Kaline (who played from 1953 to 1974 in Detroit) and others.
A day before the funeral, thousands visited Joe Louis Arena to pay respects to Howe's life and legacy during a public visitation.
In the mid-20th century, Howe was an icon to generations of hockey fans in Detroit and his native Canada. Now, almost 100 years after his birth, another landmark connecting the two neighbors bears his name.
Archival reporting by former Detroit Free Press writers Gene Myers, Bill McGraw, John Gallagher and Mark Snyder, and current staff writers Helene St. James and Paul Egan contributed to this report.
You can reach Arpan Lobo at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Who was Gordie Howe? New U.S.-Canada bridge named after hockey icon
Continue reading...
Business and government leaders on both sides of the border have viewed the bridge as a vital economic connection. Once it's open, the Howe bridge will join the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel as a crossing on the Detroit River.
In 2015, then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the long-sought crossing would be named after Gordie Howe, the hockey icon venerated by communities on either side of the bridge.
Born in Floral, Saskatchewan, in 1928, Howe launched his pro hockey career with the Detroit Red Wings in 1946 and spent 25 seasons with the club, including leading the team through one of its best eras in the early- to mid-1950s.
Howe’s decades with the Red Wings made him a hero in both Detroit and his native Canada.
“It is my sincere hope that this bridge, which bears his name, will continue this proud legacy by accelerating the flow of people, merchandise and services between our great nations for years to come,” Harper said in 2015.
Howe was renowned for more than just prowess on the ice. He was kind to fans, reporters noted throughout his career. He was gracious to players who came after him. And he loved the sport so much (and perhaps hated the front office job the Red Wings gave him) that he cut short his retirement in the 1970s to play for the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association.
In fact, Howe’s career saw him play in the National Hockey League in five different decades. In the 1979-80 season, he returned to the NHL, suiting up for the Hartford Whalers, to play an NHL season at 52. Howe’s longevity allowed him to play professional hockey with two of his sons, Mark and Marty.
Mr. Hockey led Red Wings to glory
Howe played for the Detroit Red Wings from 1946 to 1971, leading the franchise to four Stanley Cup championships in 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955. The longest-tenured player in Red Wings history, a statue of Howe was put up at Joe Louis Arena and later moved to the team’s current home, Little Caesars Arena. His No. 9 was retired by the team in 1972, the same year Howe was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
His moniker was simple: Mr. Hockey. At the time he left the Red Wings, Howe’s 801 goals and 1,850 points were most all time in the NHL.
Howe’s skill was perhaps only matched by his toughness — in a 1950 playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he suffered a fractured skull when he collided with Leafs captain Ted Kennedy and careened into the boards during a game at the old Olympia barn in Detroit.
Howe had to have emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. Some feared the end of his playing career − or worse − but Howe recovered enough to celebrate the team’s win over Montreal in the Stanley Cup final, the first of four Cups during his career. He was back on the ice the following season.
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No stranger to the grittier side of hockey, Howe retired with 1,685 penalty minutes. To this day, a “Gordie Howe hat trick” is celebrated when a player scores a goal, provides an assist and gets in a fight in a single game.
From 1947 to 1957, the Wings enjoyed eight regular season titles to go along with the four Cups and three other Cup Final appearances. And although Howe shared the ice with hockey legends such as Sid Abel, Alex Delvecchio, Ted Lindsay, Terry Sawchuk and others, Howe was regarded as the team’s best player.
Despite the decade-long glory run, Howe felt the franchise could have won even more.
He retired (from the Red Wings, at least) in 1971, and later recalled in a 2014 biography that he felt the franchise’s heyday had been cut short after team president Marguerite Norris was replaced by her brother Bruce Norris in 1955. Howe noted that summer, the Red Wings traded eight players, including Sawchuk, and never recaptured the same peaks during Howe’s career. Bruce Norris wasn't as adept as his sister at preventing general manager "Trader Jack" Adams from shipping away key players, Howe wrote.
The franchise wouldn’t win another Cup until 1997.
“I have a hard time thinking about what might have been,” Howe wrote in the 2014 autobiography “Mr. Hockey: My Story.”
‘The Great One’ looked up to Howe
Wayne Gretzky eventually broke Howe’s goal and scoring records. The "Great One," as Gretzky eventually was known as during his 21 seasons in the league, idolized Howe growing up, NHL.com noted in a tribute to the league’s 100 greatest players. Gretzky played for the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers.
Gretzky spoke at Howe’s June 2016 funeral service, recalling the chase of his hero’s tallies.
"I was enamored with him from a young age," Gretzky said. "So when I met him for the first time — a lot of times, when you meet your idol, you say it's OK, everybody has bad days, right? But when I met Gordie, oh, my gosh, he was bigger, better and nicer. He was everything and more that I imagined him to be. He has a way about him, whether he was talking to my father, one of the waitresses at the diner or the prime minister.
“He had a way with anybody and everybody, put everybody at ease. He was that nice. Just a really good person."
Gretzky retired with 894 goals, a record that stood until the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin passed it in the 2024-25 season. As Howe did, Gretzky honored Ovechkin’s overtaking of his record. When Gretzky greeted the Russian forward at a center ice ceremony in April 2025, he wore a pin with Howe’s No. 9 on his lapel.
You must be registered for see images attach
Bridge named after icon in 2015
Another connection between Detroit and Windsor had been sought for decades by the time a deal was struck for the Howe bridge construction in 2012.
The Detroit-Windsor connection is the busiest land border crossing in North America and is a vital part of trade between the United States and Canada. For generations, the privately owned Ambassador Bridge has been the only over-land crossing over the Detroit River.
The idea of naming the new crossing after Howe had been floated since the bridge’s conception. An official with the Ontario Trucking Association is credited with first suggesting the idea at a hearing in Lansing in the summer of 2010, according to 2015 Free Press reporting.
You must be registered for see images attach
Naming the bridge after Howe, someone venerated on both sides of the river, was mostly met with celebration, although there were those critical of naming the crossing after a sports figure.
When its name was announced in 2015, many observers noted a bridge is a fitting tribute to Howe’s endurance and fortitude.
Howe was 87 at the time of the announcement. His son Murray attended the naming ceremony.
"That sounds pretty good to me," Murray recalled his father saying upon hearing of the new bridge named in his honor.
You must be registered for see images attach
Thousands paid tribute to Howe after 2016 passing
Howe died in June 2016 at the age of 88. He battled dementia in his later years and suffered a stroke in 2014, although stem cell treatments were credited with helping Howe regain vigor.
The hockey community mourned Howe and a moment of silence was held to honor his life during that year’s Stanley Cup Final.
At a funeral service at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, Howe’s son Murray delivered a 30-minute tribute to his dad.
"He was eternally positive,” Murray said. “He always had a smile on his face and a song on his lips. He once told me, 'Don't ever gripe about the cards that you've been dealt. Don't worry about anyone else’s cards. Just play the cards the best you can and be thankful that you get to play.' "
The service was attended by many notable to both hockey and Detroit, including Gretzky, longtime Wings captain (1986-2006) and later general manager (2019-2026) Steve Yzerman, Detroit Tigers legend Al Kaline (who played from 1953 to 1974 in Detroit) and others.
You must be registered for see images attach
A day before the funeral, thousands visited Joe Louis Arena to pay respects to Howe's life and legacy during a public visitation.
In the mid-20th century, Howe was an icon to generations of hockey fans in Detroit and his native Canada. Now, almost 100 years after his birth, another landmark connecting the two neighbors bears his name.
Archival reporting by former Detroit Free Press writers Gene Myers, Bill McGraw, John Gallagher and Mark Snyder, and current staff writers Helene St. James and Paul Egan contributed to this report.
You can reach Arpan Lobo at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Who was Gordie Howe? New U.S.-Canada bridge named after hockey icon
Continue reading...
