Former NHL goalie-now TV analyst Corey Hirsch tweeted on Friday that he went to his first game, Whalers vs. Kings in Los Angeles, at the age of seven and was confused by something he saw on the ice just before the game began: why everyone was crowding around that player. It was Howe, warmup skate
On the night of that game Corey Hirsch attended, Howe was two days shy of his 52nd birthday. The biblical-worthy longevity of his career gets much attention now, but between it, and playing alongside his sons, and the fan accessibility, some of the greatness gets understated.