Detroit Red Wings
Bridge Just Latest Unique Gordie Howe Namesake
Gordie Howe International Bridge officially connected
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is officially connected, which is big news for what will become the third international crossing between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
As big a story as that is for the area economy, the simple fact that what figures to become the number one international crossing for commercial good between the USA and Canada is named after the Detroit Red Wings legend is a story in itself.
It’s yet another unique symbol of the gravitas that the legacy of Mr. Hockey continues to carry in the area and in pop culture in general.
Quick, name another international border crossing that’s named after a hockey player. One second thought, take your time to come up with an answer.
We’ll wait.
The largest bridge ever built between Canada & United States connecting Windsor to Detroit is finally connected! 🇨🇦🇺🇸
The Gordie Howe bridge 🌉pic.twitter.com/CJ8aU7HuHT
— Made In Canada (@MadelnCanada) June 15, 2024
The fact of the matter is that you can’t. That’s because there’s Gordie Howe and then there’s all other NHLers. No other player in the history of the game can hold a candle to his legacy.
Howe played in the NHL as a teenager, and he’s the only one to skate in the league into his 50s. During his farewell NHL season in 1979-80, Howe celebrated his 52nd birthday. He also played all 80 regular-season games for the Hartford Whalers.
Howe scored 15 goals that season – more than double his seven-goal output as an 18-year-old rookie with the Red Wings in 1946-47.
Bridge Latest Unique Gordie Howe Tribute
Howe’s name on such a vital international symbol will assure that his legacy in the area will continues for decades.
“Mr. Hockey, one of the greatest players in the history of the game, is a proud Canadian who led the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cup victories, building extraordinary goodwill between our two countries,” then-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper during the official announcement of the naming of the bridge in 2015. “It is my sincere hope that this bridge, which bears his name, will continue this proud legacy.”
Gordie Howe, pictured in the 1949-50 season on the left and during the 1968-69 season on the right, finished in the Top 5 in scoring these years and in every year between. pic.twitter.com/UxGVGhQWIF
— The Hockey Samurai 侍 (@hockey_samurai) February 10, 2024
Interestingly, it’s not even the only bridge bearing the name of the Red Wings icon. In the town of Saskatoon, where Howe grew up as a youngster, there’s also a Gordie Howe Bridge. Spanning the South Saskatchewan River, it opened in 2013.
There’s also the Gordon Howe Sports Complex in the Saskatchewan city. Saskatoon’s football stadium is named the Gordie Howe Bowl. And, or course, there’s a Gordie Howe Arena in the town.