Mr. Hockey My Story (30 page)

One of the great things about our game is the people you meet and the tradition you become part of. Here I am at the Order of Hockey in Canada inaugural ceremony with the great Wayne Gretzky, the guy who broke so many of my records, Olympian Cassie Campbell, and Hall of Famer Frank Mahovlich. Below that I’m at Joe Carter’s charity golf tournament with Eddie Shack, Marty, and Johnny Bower. And the bottom photo shows me with some of the greatest Red Wings ever: my former linemate Ted Lindsay, former captain Steve Yzerman, and legendary coach Scotty Bowman, at Steve’s retirement.

As much as I love the game, life has been great in retirement. Here I am accepting an honorary degree from University of Saskatchewan. And below that is Mark at his Hall of Fame induction in 2011. I could not have been more proud. And the bottom photo was taken at Marty’s, where I still like to get out and do yard work.

Hockey is about tradition and teamwork, and I am very proud to have become part of both in Detroit. Here I am as the Stanley Cup was presented in 1955. From left to right, that’s Marguerite Norris, Vic Stasiuk, Clarence Campbell, Ted Lindsay, Marcel Bonin (with his hand on the Cup), Bill Dineen (directly behind Bonin), Jimmy Skinner, Glen Skov (behind Skinner), Alex Delvecchio (with his hand on Wilson’s shoulder), Johnny Wilson (directly behind me), me, and Terry Sawchuk. At the right is a photo of me signing a whole bunch of number 9 sweaters, and below that is a photo of the Wings all wearing my old number in 2013 to mark my 85th birthday.

I first met Bobby when he was a kid, and played against him in his first NHL game. Years later, we’re still friends. Here I am with him and Marty taking in a Panthers game.

As a kid growing up in Saskatchewan, I never dreamed I’d have a statue with my name on it. What an incredible honor.

I never did get to play in the Olympics, but I did get to carry the torch for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. It was special to be part of that.

I will always think of hockey as an outdoor sport, since that is the way I first played it. That’s just one more reason I enjoyed dropping the puck for Steve Yzerman and Darryl Sittler at the alumni game at the Winter Classic in 2014. But really, it doesn’t matter where the ice is—the game will never change.