Farewell, Mrs. Hockey

Photo: LIZ RAFFAELE/Special to the Free Press

Colleen Howe, wife of the legendary Gordie Howe, died yesterday in Detroit. From the Detroit Free Press:

Before Colleen Howe came along, women didn't negotiate contracts for professional athletes, or build post-playing career businesses for their husbands through autographs and appearances, or manage brands of America's most iconic sporting figures. In those days, wives of superstar athletes tended to stay in the shadows.

But not Gordie Howe's. By the time the Red Wings Hall of Famer finished playing, Colleen Howe had earned an iconic moniker of her own: Mrs. Hockey.
"Colleen was way ahead of her time," said former Wings coach Scotty Bowman. "She had a great business sense and was very instrumental in Gordie having a good post-hockey career."
Mrs. Hockey died Friday at her home in Bloomfield Hills. She was 76.
"Obviously a great wife, a wonderful mother, a great hockey mother," said Wings general manager Ken Holland. "Between her and Gordie, Mark and Marty, they were hockey's first family for a long, long time. A big loss."
Holland said there would be a moment of silence before today's game against Columbus to honor Howe. Doctors diagnosed a rare kind of dementia in Colleen Howe in 2002. The disease -- known as Pick's -- slowly chipped at her memory and her ability to take care of herself.

More at the Freep link above and at NHL.com.

RIP, Mrs. Hockey... you will be sorely missed.