New Detroit-Windsor bridge to be named ‘Gordie Howe International Bridge’
By @StefanKubus –
One of the game’s most prolific legends is set to be honored in a monumental way, pun intended.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced Thursday that the new Detroit-Windsor bridge will be named the ‘Gordie Howe International Bridge’ after Mr. Hockey.
“Many people are legends, many people are heroes in their own time, but very few people are living legends, and it’s great we’re able to honor this living legend,” Harper told reporters.
As a player from Floral, Saskatchewan in Canada who made his away across the border to spend the majority of his Hall-of-Fame career in a Detroit Red Wings uniform, it’s quite the fitting choice.
“Two countries, two jurisdictions, two communities in what is a very strong and important relationship, and I don’t think we could think of a better person who symbolizes that relationship than Gordie Howe,” Harper said. “Somebody who is obviously a legend in Canada, a national hero in Canada, but also has been an idol for generations of people in Detroit and in Michigan more broadly.”
BREAKING: Canadian PM Stephen Harper & Gov. Rick Snyder announce new Detroit-Windsor bridge to be named – ‘Gordie Howe International Bridge’
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) May 14, 2015
The Michigan governor added that there’s simply no better location for such a critically important international segue.
“What an inspiring name, because Gordie Howe does represent great things for both the country of Canada and the state of Michigan,” Snyder said. “He’s a legend in both places. And what a wonderful thing to have a Canadian spend so much of his career setting records, bringing hockey to new levels right in Detroit.”
Howe had recently been in the news for his ailing health, but has since been faring much better according to his son, Dr. Murray Howe. Howe played an astounding 1,767 NHL games, is second only to Wayne Gretzky in career goals, third in career points to Gretzky and Mark Messier, and became the only player in history to play a professional game in six different decades when he suited up for the Detroit Vipers in one game of the 1997-98 IHL campaign.
The younger Howe said he asked his father what he thought of being chosen as the bridge’s namesake, and Mr. Hockey replied with his usual sense of humor: “It sounds pretty good to me.”
The bridge is projected to be completed by 2020.
“It’s very great to have his name associated with this,” Snyder said. “It does bring the attributes that we want: excellence, in terms of a world-class crossing; longevity, in terms of an enduring bridge that will be here for decades and decades; community spirit, in terms of bringing our nations together, our state with this wonderful country.”