Gordie Howe, Red Wings Icon And Hockey Legend, Dead At Age 88

The sports world lost another icon Friday.

Hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe has passed away at the age of 88, CBS News confirmed Friday morning. Howe died at 7:58 a.m. ET in Ohio, according to The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell.

“Mr. Hockey” leaves behind a legacy as one of the best hockey players of all time. The Canada native played an incredible 26 seasons in the NHL, all but one coming with the Detroit Red Wings. He played in an NHL-record 1,767 games and ranks second behind only Wayne Gretzky with 801 career goals.

Howe led the Red Wings to four Stanley Cups, was a 23-time NHL All-Star, won six Hart Trophies as the league’s most valuable player and earned six Art Ross Trophies as the NHL’s leading scorer.

Known for his incredible endurance and toughness, Howe was the inspiration for the “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” — a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game — and is the only player in NHL history to play in five different decades (the 1940s through the 1980s). He received the NHL’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Thumbnail photo via Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports Images