In this Nov. 14, 2011, photo, Gordie Howe poses with the Stanley Cup after receiving his ring at the Hall in Toronto.
CANADIAN PRESS
The Detroit Red Wings surround the Stanley Cup in this 1955 file photo after beating the Montreal Canadiens finals. The Red Wings' Gordie Howe is seen at right.
DETROIT NEWS
The Detroit Red Wings team are shown seen in this 1955 file photo, with Gordie Howe in the back row on the right. Front row: (left to right) Bob Goldham, Len Kelly, head coach James Skinner, Terry Sawchuck, Ted Lindsay, and Marty Pavelich. Second row: (left to right) trainer Carl Mattson, Earl Reibel, Tony Leswick, Marcel Bonin, John Wilson, Bill Dineen, and assistant trainer Lefty Wilson. Back row: (left to right) Vic Stasiuk, Marcel Pronovost, Jim Hay, Benny Woit, Glen Skov, Alex Delvecchio, and Gordie Howe.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
This is a 1956 file photo showing Detroit Red Wings hockey player Gordie Howe.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this Oct. 27, 1963, photo, Detroit Red Wings star forward Gordie Howe is surrounded by teammates as he kneels after scoring his 544th goal to tie the NHL all-time record in Detroit. From left are Larry Jeffrey, Bill Gadsby, Howe, and Terry Sawchuck. Behind Howe is Alex Faulkner.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this Nov. 10, 1963, photo, Gordie Howe, behind the net and the right winger for the Detroit Red Wings, lifts his stick high in the air after scoring the 545th goal of his NHL career in the second period against the Montreal Canadiens in Detroit's Olympia Stadium, Mich. Canadiens players include goalie Charlie Hodges, Jacques Laperriere, Jean Beliveau, and Dave Balon.
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In this Oct. 26, 1967, photo, California Seals goalie Charlie Hodge, left, knocks the puck away as Detroit Red Wings star Gordie Howe tries a shot on goal as the Seals' Bob Baun comes in at right during the second period.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this Dec. 5, 1968, photo, Detroit Red Wings hockey player Gordie Howe displays a hockey puck with the number 700 on it, signifying the scoring of his 700th career goal, in Pittsburgh.
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In this June 5, 1973, photo, Gordie Howe, left, checks out the new look for his sons, Marty, center, and Mark after they signed to play with the World Hockey Association team in Houston.
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In an Aug. 3, 1973 photo, former Detroit Red Wings great Gordie Howe, center, is flanked by sons Marty, left, and Mark as they try their new Houston Aeros uniforms in St. Clair Shores, Mich.
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In this Jan. 25, 1986, photo, former Detroit Red Wings star Gordie Howe, left, puts his arm around fellow hockey legend Bobby Hull at a reception honoring the Legends of Hockey in Chicago.
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Los Angeles Kings center Wayne Gretzky shakes hands with Gordie Howe, right, during a ceremony celebrating breaking Howe's record of 1,850 career points on Oct. 15, 1989. Next to Howe are Gretzky's wife, Janet, and his father Walter.
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In this Feb. 12, 1991, photo, San Jose Sharks co-owner and chairman George Gund III, right, shares a laugh with hockey legend Gordie Howe after unveiling the teams colors and logo at a news conference in Cupertino, Calif.
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Hockey legend Gordie Howe skates before an International Hockey League game between the Detroit Vipers and the Kansas City Blades in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Friday, Oct. 3, 1997. Howe was the first professional hockey player to have played in six different decades.
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Gordie Howe, playing for the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League, checks Iain Fraser of the Kansas City Blades on Friday, Oct. 3, 1997, in Auburn Hills, Mich. Howe, 69, played one shift in the game and is the second player to play six decades in professional sports. The other player is Minnie Minoso who played for the Chicago White Sox.
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Minnie Minoso gives Gordie Howe a hug on Friday, Oct. 3, 1997, in Auburn Hills, Mich., after Howe tied Minoso's record for playing in professional sports in six decades. Minoso played for the Chicago White Sox.
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Former Detroit Red Wings Gordie Howe, left, and Ted Lindsay hold the Stanley Cup with team members, from left, Nicklas Lidstrom, Steve Yzerman, and Brendan Shanahan during pregame a ceremony in Detroit on Oct. 8, 1997, when the Red Wings Stanley Cup banner was raised.
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Hockey greats Detroit Red Wings Gordie Howe, second left, and Chicago Blackhawks Bobby Hull are all smiles as the pose for pictures with members of the Heroes of Hockey Team in Vancouver on Jan. 16, 1998. At left is former Montreal Canadiens Guy Lapointe and right is former Boston Bruins Fred Stanfield.
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Hockey legend Gordie Howe, left, shares a light moment with New York Rangers center Wayne Gretzky during practice for the NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 23, 1999, in Tampa.
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In this Nov. 1, 2000, photo, hockey legend Gordie Howe speaks to the media before the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame's 27th Annual Enshrinement Dinner in St. Paul, Minn.
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Gordie and Colleen Howe are shown in Detroit on May 9, 2002. Colleen Howe, the first female sports agent, was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame for her work in youth hockey.
DETROIT NEWS
Former Detroit Red Wings Gordie Howe stands in front of the bronze sculpture of his likeness during an unveiling ceremony at Joe Louis Arena on April 10, 2007.
REUTERS
In this April 10, 2007, photo, hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe stands next to a statue of himself at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
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Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, center left, joins former players Ted Lindsay, left, Gordie Howe and coach Scotty Bowman for a photo after Yzerman announced his retirement on July 3, 2006.
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In this June 12, 2008, photo, hockey great Gordie Howe poses with his lifetime achievement award at the NHL awards ceremony in Toronto.
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In this Dec. 23, 2009, photo, torchbearer and Hall of Fame hockey great Gordie Howe carries the Olympic flame in LaSalle, Ontario, during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics torch relay.
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In this Feb. 2, 2012, photo, hockey great Gordie Howe, part owner of the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants, looks on during a team news conference in Vancouver.
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From left, Russ Ebeid, Gordie Howe, Randy Oostra, and Dr. Murray Howe at a ProMedica event on Oct. 16, 2012.
Vicki Schmucker
Detroit Red Wings hockey great Gordie Howe promotes a made-for-TV movie, 'Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story,' which focuses on the season the Hall-of-Famer teamed up with his sons in Houston.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this May 14, 2015, file photo, a photograph of Gordie Howe is displayed on the riverfront after a news conference in Windsor, Ontario, announcing that a planned bridge connecting Detroit, rear, and Windsor, will be named after the hockey Hall of Famer.
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Matt Adamowski lays flowers at a statue of Gordie Howe at the Sasktel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Friday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS