Wayne Gretzky honored two of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history Sunday afternoon.
Yes, Gretzky was on hand as Alex Ovechkin broke his goal-scoring record of 894. But Gretzky also honored Mr. Hockey himself.
The Great One wore a No. 9 red pin over the left side of his chest, the number of Gordie Howe.
Gretzky held the NHL record for 31 years until Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal, a power-play goal, against the New York Islanders on a massive wrist shot at 12:34 of the second period in Elmont, New York.
Gretzky broke Howe’s NHL goals record of 801 on March 23, 1994, against the Vancouver Canucks.
Gretzky said to NHL.com this week he doesn’t remember exactly what Howe said to him other than, “I’m proud of you.”
Nice touch by Gretzky to wear Howe’s
No. 9 on @NHL_On_TNT, connecting No. 9 to No. 99 to No. 8. pic.twitter.com/ZJ18ih7ABB
The red pin was visible on TV as Gretzky spoke on the ice as the game paused to recognize history.
“Alex, I said I’d be the first guy to shake your hand when you broke the record. And I wore this pin to honor Gordie,” Gretzky said touching it then embracing Ovechkin.
“I said I’d be the first one to shake your hand when you broke the record.”
Gretzky kept his promise pic.twitter.com/Nqnl4EHtsL
Howe died in 2016 at 88 years old. His 801 goals remain third in NHL history.
Howe, known simply as Mr. Hockey, saw his career span five decades and 1,767 NHL games, plus another 419 games over six seasons in the rival World Hockey Association. He practically is synonymous with the Red Wings, playing for them from 1946-71. They won Stanley Cup championships in 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955. Howe’s career goal total of 975 in the NHL and WHA is still the professional hockey record.
A statue of Howe graces the concourse at Little Caesars Arena and the Gordie Howe International Bridge is set to be completed in 2025, connecting Detroit to Windsor, Canada, across the Detroit River.
Gretzky also mentioned Howe’s wife, Colleen, who he said gave his wife, Janet, “a beautiful gift and a wonderful note” when he scored goal No. 802.
“And we know how the legacy of hockey passes down,” Gretzky said. “But so it does with the families and the wives. So my wife has something very beautiful for his lovely wife that we want to pass on.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wayne Gretzky honors Gordie Howe as Alex Ovechkin breaks NHL goal record
Reporting by Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
