Moving this out of RIP so as to keep the topic clear.Was he? I was too young but I thought Gordie was a pretty hard nosed, borderline dirty player. Not in a Jordan Tootoo kind of way, but a guy more than willing to push the limits and hurt people. I'm sure he was beloved after retirement, but I'd imagine he had plenty of people who hated him during his playing days.Is it safe to say that Howe might be one of the few (only?) superstar players in hockey - any sport, really - that is almost universally liked by fans?
I don't think the manner in which Howe played was that far removed from the way the majority of hockey players went about playing the game in the 40s and 50s. The difference was he could also score 30-40 goals a year while doing it. The reason the term 'Gordie Howe hat trick' exists is not because he combined fighting and physical play with talent, it's that he combined talent with fighting and physical play.
Does that make any sense at all?
