Update: Gordie Howe Fans Will Pay Tribute for 12 Hours Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena

Gordie Howe's visitation and funeral next week are open to the public.
Fans of the incomparable Hockey Hall of Famer can pay respects Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings., the team announces Saturday. Wednesday's 11 a.m. funeral, also open to the public until pews fill, is at  the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. 9844 Woodward Ave. in Detroit's North End.
Howe's body will be cremated, son Murray Howe says in a text message to the Associated Press, WXYZ reports.

Detroit Red Wings photo from Gordie Howe's 88th birthday celebration at Joe Louis Arena in March.

► Online salutes: A Gordie Howe Tributes page is set up by the Wings on Facebook.
► Suggested charities: Rather than sending flowers, Howe's family lists three worthy donation recipients:

• Gordie Howe Traumatic Brain Initiative. Donate online or by check to ProMedica Foundations, 5217 Monroe St., Suite A-1, Toledo, OH 43623.
• The Howe Foundation, 3128 Walton Blvd., Suite 255, Rochester Hills, MI 48309.
• Gordie Howe Fund for Alzheimer's Research: Saskatoon Community Foundation, 101-308 Fourth Ave., Saskatoon, SK | Canada | S7K 2L7. 

Original article, Friday:

Gordie Howe, nicknamed "Mr Hockey," who was considered one of the greatest players in NHL history, has died at age 88, CBS Detroit reports.
Howe, who was a 23-time All Star, played his first 25 year in the NHL with the Red Wing. He retired in 1971 from the Wings, but he returned to the ice to play with his sons, Marty and Mark, with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association.
Two years ago, he had a significant stroke. He ended up traveling to Mexico, where he had a stem cell treatment that family members said had given him a miraculous recovery, CBS Detroit recounts. 
In March, he celebrated his 88th birthday at Joe Louis Arena.
Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch posted this on Facebook:

“The Red Wings organization and the National Hockey League would not be what they are today without Gordie Howe. There is no nickname more fitting for him than “Mr. Hockey.” He embodied on and off the ice what it meant to be both a Red Wing and a Detroiter. He was tough, skilled, and consistently earned success at the highest level. His achievements are numerous and his accomplishments immeasurable. It is truly a blessing to have had him both in our organization and our city for so many years. He will be deeply missed.”

Statement from the Howe family on Facebook:

Hockey Legend Gordie Howe, age 88, passed away peacefully this morning with his family by his side. The Howe family would like to thank friends and fans for their love and support. Gordie had a special connection with Red Wings fans and was always touched by their commitment. We are celebrating the life of a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and a friend to all. Arrangements will be announced once they are finalized.

Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard in article on Red Wing site:

“We were used to seeing Mr. Howe around the room, so not being able to see him every once in a while is going to be strange, it’s going to be different. He was such a great man and touched a lot of people in this hockey world. He’s going to be missed dearly.”

Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg (on Red Wing site):

“The first year I was here he came down into the locker room and introduced himself. It was pretty cool because I had never met him before, so to actually meet him in person, shake his hand and to finally meet Mr. Hockey was an unbelievable feeling.”
“He was always close to a joke. So for me as a young guy then, not knowing that he was joking was funny. He always told me to shoot more often; if you don’t shoot you don’t score. Both he and Ted spent a lot of time here and that’s one of the things that makes it so special here. Those guys spend a lot of time in the locker room and unfortunately we hadn’t seen Gordie in quite awhile now, but Ted is still around.”

Bob Wojnowski column:

Before sports became glamorized and specialized, before the biggest stars did the flashiest work, Gordie Howe did it all. He did it with magical hands and pointed elbows, with incomparable toughness and irresistible kindness.
There’s a reason Mr. Hockey stood alone, and stood longer than anyone, spanning 32 seasons across two leagues and multiple generations. He endured longer than anyone could have imagined, past a normal retirement date, past an ordinary mortality date, all the way to Friday, when he passed away at the age of 88

Mitch Albom colum:

"Superman just bid us farewell. It’s hard to believe, Gordie Howe dying, because for so many years, he seemed immune to all of life’s blows."

Lou Mleczko, a former reporter for the Macomb Daily and Detroit News, on Facebook:

"I had the great experience of covering the Red Wings during the 1968-69 season for the Macomb Daily and Red Wings Magazine. Even as a lowly cub reporter, Howe was always accessible for post game interviews even when the Wings lost badly. He could dominate a game like no other player whether it was on the power play, penalty killing, or on his regular shift. Some of his plays were so spectacular that even crusty veteran reporters in the press box would leap to their feet in astonishment after seeing Howe do his magic on the ice. I will always cherish these wonderful memories of Gordie."

Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning vice president & general manager, and former Detroit Red Wing:

"It was very saddening to hear the news of Gordie's passing this morning. He has been an icon not only in Detroit, but throughout the entire hockey world for as long as I can remember. As one of the greatest players to ever play in the NHL, the majority of his career being in Detroit, it was an honor to wear the same uniform, spend time with, laugh, joke and seek advice from him. Gordie's humility and kindness left a permanent impression on me, greatly influencing how I tried to conduct myself throughout my career.
“His impact on the Red Wings organization is still evident today."
"I travel the world and constantly hear stories from people who love the Wings and share memories of the glory days when Gordie and his teammates ruled the NHL. For all players fortunate enough to play for the Wings, we should take time to thank and honor Gordie, for he is a significant reason why Detroit is such a special place to play."

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Longtime heavyweight champ Klitschko takes on Philly's Jennings

NEW YORK - All Wladimir Klitschko needs to do is survey the landscape to get beyond his age's being anything more than a number, not that it has been much of a problem at all.

One week after the 39-year-old heavyweight champion puts his many title belts on the line against Philadelphian Bryant Jennings on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, Manny Pacquiao, 37, and Floyd Mayweather, 38, recognized as the No. 2 and No. 1 pound-for-pound fighters in the world, will fight for the biggest purse in the sport's history.

Philadelphian Bernard Hopkins, 50, lost his multiple light-heavyweight titles to Sergey Kovalev last year but is still rated No. 2 by Ring magazine.

So when Klitschko (63-3, 54 knockouts), fighting in the United States for the first time in seven years, bemoans the fact that his sparring partners are much younger than he is, the fact remains that the 6-foot-6, 245-pounder continues to be the dominant heavyweight on the planet.

"They are just so much younger than I am," Klitschko said. "I remember when I was the young, hungry guy. I see a lot of them in me. I see a lot of Bryant Jennings in me. He's young and he's hungry."

If the script plays out the way it has since Klitschko knocked out Chris Byrd in the seventh round on April 22, 2006, to become heavyweight champ for a second time, the outcome will be of little surprise. Despite his age, he takes into the ring with him a significant power advantage and a stiff jab that most suspect will be problematic for Jennings (19-0, 10 KOs).

The fight will be Klitschko's 18th title defense, third most in heavyweight history behind only Larry Holmes (20) and Joe Louis (25, the all-time record for any weight class).

On Tuesday at the final news conference here, Klitschko appeared genuinely excited to be fighting again on American soil.

Despite being the heavy favorite, Klitschko said he is not taking the North Philly native lightly, which would be understandable. He's not talking about retiring anytime soon, and there is the potential for a very enticing fight in the not-so-distant future against newly crowned WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder.

"There is a certain reflection of the region where the fighter is coming from, of the trainers that he was working with," Klitschko said. "I think that I'm going to expect a Philly fighter. A fighter from Philadelphia that is similar to [Joe] Frazier and [Tim] Witherspoon and many other fighters from the region. I think it's going to be challenge."

A big question for Jennings, 30, is how he will try to fight Klitschko, who is a better puncher on the outside and has one of the highest knockout percentages in boxing.

The older, grizzled champion sounds prepared for whatever Jennings throws at him.

"I understand that we're all limited in our capabilities," Klitschko said. "Bryant Jennings can fight as Bryant Jennings. He cannot fight like Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali or somebody else."

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Joe Louis American boxer

Joe Louis, byname of Joseph Louis Barrow, also called the Brown Bomber (born May 13, 1914, Lafayette, Alabama, U.S.—died April 12, 1981, Las Vegas, Nevada), American boxer who was world heavyweight champion from June 22, 1937, when he knocked out James J. Braddock in eight rounds in Chicago, until March 1, 1949, when he briefly retired. During his reign, the longest in the history of any weight division, he successfully defended his title 25 times, more than any other champion in any division, scoring 21 knockouts (his service in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 no doubt prevented him from defending his title many more times). He was known as an extremely accurate and economical knockout puncher.


Louis’s father, a sharecropper, was committed to a state mental hospital when Louis was about two years old. After his mother remarried, the family, which included eight children, moved to Detroit, Michigan, where Louis took up amateur boxing. He won the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union 175-pound championship in 1934 and also was a Golden Gloves titleholder; of 54 amateur fights, Louis won 50 and lost 4. His first professional fight took place on July 4, 1934, and within 12 months he had knocked out Primo Carnera, the first of six previous or subsequent heavyweight champions who would become his victims; the others were Max Baer, Jack Sharkey, Braddock, the German champion Max Schmeling, and Jersey Joe Walcott. Louis sustained his first professional loss in 1936 at the hands of Schmeling. In 1938, after having beaten Braddock and taken the title, Louis met Schmeling in a rematch that the American media portrayed as a battle between Nazism and democracy (though Schmeling himself was not a Nazi). Louis’s dramatic knockout victory in the first round made him a national hero. He was perhaps the first black American to be widely admired by whites, a fact attributable not only to his extraordinary pugilistic skills but also to his sportsmanlike behaviour in the ring (he did not gloat over his white opponents), his perceived humility and soft-spoken demeanour, and his discretion in his private life.

Louis was at his peak in the period 1939–42. From December 1940 through June 1941 he defended the championship seven times. After enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1942, he served in a segregated unit with Jackie Robinson, who later became the first African American to play major league baseball. Louis did not see combat but fought in 96 exhibition matches before some two million troops; he also donated more than $100,000 to Army and Navy relief funds. After the war he was less active, and in 1949 he retired as the undefeated champion long enough to allow Ezzard Charles to earn recognition as his successor.


Although Louis earned nearly $5 million as a fighter, he spent or gave away nearly all of it. When the Internal Revenue Service demanded more than $1 million in back taxes and penalties, he was forced to return to the ring to pay off his debts. He fought Charles for the championship on September 27, 1950, but lost a 15-round decision. In his last fight of consequence, against future champion Rocky Marciano on October 26, 1951, he was knocked out in eight rounds. From 1934 to 1951, Louis had 71 bouts, winning 68, 54 by knockouts. A Hollywood movie about his life, The Joe Louis Story, was made in 1953.

After his second retirement Louis continued to be plagued by money problems, and he was briefly forced to work as a professional wrestler. Later he became a greeter for Caesar’s Palace, a resort and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Upon his death in 1981 he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery; one of the pallbearers at his funeral was Schmeling. Louis was inducted to the Ring Magazine Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1982.

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