Red Wings Legend Gordie Howe’s Visitation, Funeral Open to Public

Detroit, MI — The funeral Mass and visitation for Red Wings hockey legend Gordie Howe, who died Friday at age 88, will be open to the public.

Visitation will be be from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena, 9 Steve Yzerman Drive, where Howe closed out his illustrious career with the Red Wings.

The funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 9844 Woodward Ave., in Detroit. The celebrant will be Father J.J. Mech.

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Murray Howe, the son of the hockey great who was known simply as Mr. Hockey to generations of fans, announced the plans Saturday, told the Associated Press that his father’s brain will not be studied for possible concussion trauma.

During his career, Howe and the Red Wings hoisted the Stanley Cup four times. He set National Hockey League records with 801 goals and 1,850 points until they were broken by Wayne Gretzky.

Howe, who grew up poor in Saskatchewan during the Depression, fell in love with hockey when he discovered a pair of skates tucked in a stack of items a neighbor sold him when the family moved to Saskatoon.He perfected his stickhandling pushing frozen horse manure over potato fields on the Canadian prairie.

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He tried for a spot with the New York Rangers, but didn’t get it. The Rangers’ loss was the Red Wings’ gain. The 18-year-old made his professional debut with the Red Wings in 1946.

Howe earned the title of Mr. Hockey for his fierce competitiveness on the ice, but also his longevity. Howe played longer than any other hockey player in history in a career that spanned five decades.He finally hung up his skates at age 50.

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Below are some photos from his career.