Pro Sports

Hockey Hall of Fame unveils Gordie Howe statue

Posted March 10, 2017 6:00 am

The Associated Press

A statue of Gordie Howe is unveiled at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Friday, March 10, 2017. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) - Gordie Howe is watching over the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame unveiled a nearly 8-foot statue of the late Detroit Red Wings star Friday. Howe's sons, Mark and Marty, participated in the ceremony.

"When I was young I'd see all these kids come up to Gordie Howe and he looked like this mountain of a man," said Mark Howe, a Hall of Fame inductee in 2011. "Now people from of all walks of life are going to come here and see he was truly a mountain of a man.

"For Dad to be honored this way, he would never say it but, yeah, he deserved it. I think the Hall has done a wonderful thing and Marty and I are glad to be here and try to continue the legacy of Gordie Howe."

Howe died in June at 88.

The Hall of Fame also opened the NHL Centennial Exhibition, which pays tribute to the league's top players and moments from 1917 to 2017. Some featured items include Jacques Plante's first goalie mask, Howe's 1960 Hart Trophy plaque, Bobby Orr's knee brace, the stick and equipment Wayne Gretzky wore when he scored his 802nd career goal and the 1917 minute book that defined the birth of the NHL.

Mark Howe, left, and Marty Howe pose for a picture during the unveiling of a statue of their father, Gordie Howe, at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Friday, March 10, 2017. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press

Mark Howe, left to right, Marty Howe, and Hockey Hall of Fame Chairman Lanny McDonald watch the unveiling of a statue of Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Friday, March 10, 2017. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press

Marty Howe signs a fans jersey during the unveiling a statue of his father, Gordie Howe, at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Friday, March 10, 2017. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press

Mark, left, and Marty Howe speak at the Hockey Hall of Fame for the unveiling of their Centennial Exhibit and a statue of their father, Gordie Howe, in Toronto on Friday, March 10, 2017. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press

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