It was confirmed by multiple outlets on Friday that hockey legend Gordie Howe has passed away. He was 88.
"Mr. Hockey" suffered a stroke back in October 2014, which put the health of the former Red Wings great and Hockey Hall of Famer in grave doubt. His family took him to Mexico after the episode in order for him to have stem cell treatment that helped him make a miraculous recovery.
"We knew that if we didn't do anything he would be dead within a couple of weeks because he would not want to live the way he was living," his son Murray Howe said at the time, according to CBS Sports. "Just laying in a bed, that's just not him."
Howe celebrated his 88th birthday on March 31 at the Joe Louis Arena and was honored by the Red Wings at the game to much fanfare.
BREAKING: Hockey great Gordie Howe has died.
— Josh Elliott (@JoshElliott32) June 10, 2016
The hockey legend made his NHL debut in 1946 and played in his final season in 1980 with the Hartford Whalers. Through 1,767 career NHL games, Howe had 801 goals and 1,049 assists for 1,850 points. He also impacted the game with the infamous Gordie Howe hat trick which is accomplished when a player scores a goal, notches an assist and gets into a fight all in the same game.
Howe holds the record for most regular season NHL games played, most games played for a single team in the regular season (1,667), most NHL seasons played (26, tied with Chris Chelios), most consecutive NHL 20-goal seasons (22) and most NHL All-Star Game appearances (23), among other accolades.
He was also the oldest person to every play in the NHL as he suited up at 52 years, 11 days old.
Among his many accomplishments, Howe was a six-time Hart Trophy winner and four-time Stanley Cup champion.
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