Top 35 Quotes & Sayings by Gordie Howe

Explore popular quotes and sayings by a Canadian athlete Gordie Howe.

Last updated on December 21, 2024.

Gordon Howe was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seasons were spent with the Detroit Red Wings. Nicknamed "Mr. Hockey", Howe is often considered the most complete player to ever play the game and one of the greatest of all time. At his retirement, his 801 goals, 1049 assists, and 1850 total points were all NHL records that stood until they were broken by Wayne Gretzky, who himself has been a major champion of Howe's legacy. A 23-time NHL All-Star, he still holds the NHL record for seasons played, and his all-time NHL games played record of 1,767 was only surpassed in 2021 by Patrick Marleau. In 2017, Howe was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players".

Canadian - Athlete | March 31, 1928 - June 10, 2016

Source: Wikipedia

Growing up during the Depression, we didn't have much, but we had each other, we had our friends, and that was pretty much all we needed. I was aware that some people had more, but those who did, shared.

Gordie Howe

My philosophy is never start talking about 'if,' 'and,' 'but' or the past, because 90 percent of what follows will be negative.

Gordie Howe

All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.

Gordie Howe

My mother and dad played the fiddle and the guitar.

Gordie Howe

You should hold the top hand on the stick like you would hold a hammer when you're driving a nail. You have the most leverage, and you won't get your wrist broken.

Gordie Howe

If you make it anywhere in life, you owe that success to the people along the way who stuck up for you, or made sacrifices for you, and gave you a push when you needed it. In my case, those people were my family.

Gordie Howe

I might have some quibbles with the way the game is played today, but at its core, I know that hockey will always be hockey no matter what year the calendar reads.

Gordie Howe

I like to think that I'm a family man first and a professional athlete second.

Gordie Howe

There's always something in the game you wish you would have done different. That's why players improve, because they learn from what they did before. They might have been guessing before, but now they know.

Gordie Howe

You've got to love what you're doing. If you love it, you can overcome any handicap or the soreness or all the aches and pains, and continue to play for a long, long time.

Gordie Howe

If I learned one thing by playing professional hockey for thirty-two years, it's that you have to love what you do. And that's not just true for sports.

Gordie Howe

I would say it is important to have a good education, as hockey is a career that does not last many years, and you need to be prepared for this.

Gordie Howe

People say I'm henpecked. Well, let them say it.

Gordie Howe

It's not easy to retire. No one teaches you how. I found that out when I tried it the first time. I'm not a quitter.

Gordie Howe

It doesn't matter whether I'm in an NHL arena, at a local rink, or on a sheet of ice in the middle of a baseball stadium: when I'm around the game, I feel at home.

Gordie Howe

American professional athletes are bilingual; they speak English and profanity.

Gordie Howe

I wish I had more opportunities to play for Canada when I was younger, but pros just never had the chance in those days. It was just set up that way.

Gordie Howe

You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, and rest when you know that it was a one hundred percent effort that you gave - win or lose.

Gordie Howe

Growing up, I probably raised a bit more hell than I should have.

Gordie Howe

I'm aware that not everyone approved of how I played, but I don't think any apologies are in order. Early in my career, I decided that it was worth it to do whatever was necessary to earn the extra split second it takes to make a pass or shoot the puck.

Gordie Howe

It's been said that, while growing up, I ate meals with my skates on. It's true.

Gordie Howe

That was Dad. Don't take any dirt from anybody.

Gordie Howe

The first time I met Wayne Gretzky... he never said anything back.

Gordie Howe

I still believe it is important that children have a chance to play other sports because they all offer learning experiences. Soccer is a growing sport and would be a good complement to hockey.

Gordie Howe

If Colleen Howe had been a hockey player, she would have been a centremen. I can see her as a centreman because you can do what you want and go wherever you want to go.

Gordie Howe

I don't want to retire, because you stay retired for an awfully long time.

Gordie Howe

I helped put in a rink in Cadillac, Michigan, when my wife was very healthy. She helped them put it in and the rink is going full-bore the last time I was there.

Gordie Howe

Rocket had that mean look on, every game we played. He was 100 percent hockey. He could hate with the best of them.

Gordie Howe

Everybody whose anybody in hockey has played in Hershey.

Gordie Howe

Overall I can fairly safely say Bobby Orr impressed me more than anybody with his tremendous talents. In Bobby's first N.H.L. game he layed the lumber to Gordie's head. Later Howe retalliated and wanted to let the kid know he wasn't washed up yet.

Gordie Howe

I always tell kids, you have two eyes and one mouth. Keep two open and one closed. You never learn anything if you're the one talking.

Gordie Howe

The kid looks good in his first game.

Gordie Howe

You've got to love what you're doing. If you love it, you can overcome any handicap, or the soreness, or all the aches and pains and continue to play for a long, long time.

Gordie Howe

To me, hockey was always tremendous fun. That's what kept me going for so long. I simply love to play hockey.

Gordie Howe

You can always get someone to do your thinking for you.

Gordie Howe