Before 99, the NHL had No. 9: ‘Mr. Hockey,’ Gordie Howe

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2012, file photo, hockey great Gordie Howe, part owner of the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants, looks on during a team news conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Gordie Howe, the hockey great who set scoring records that stood for decades, has died. He was 88. Son Murray Howe confirmed the death Friday, June 10, 2016, texting to The Associated Press: "Mr Hockey left peacefully, beautifully, and w no regrets." (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck, File)

By Associated Press June 11, 2016 4 min read

Before there was 99, there was only one No. 9.

With apologies to Maurice Richard, that player was “Mr. Hockey,” Gordie Howe, the exceptionally rugged, skilled and seemingly ageless farm boy from Floral, Saskatchewan, whose career spanned six decades and became an inspiration for many of the NHLers who followed.

“Players like that, they become legends. They become heroes,” said former Buffalo Sabres star Gilbert Perreault.

“We became hockey players from watching these guys: (Jean) Beliveau, Howe, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita. When I was a young age, I really had great admiration for these players,” Perreault added. “It’s a great loss for hockey.”

Howe’s death at the age of 88 on Friday led to an outpouring of gratitude from numerous current and former hockey stars for the impact he made on their careers.