A biography for Gordie Howehasn’t been written yet.
“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.”
“That was Dad. Don't take any dirt from anybody.”
“People say I'm henpecked. Well, let them say it.”
“Growing up, I probably raised a bit more hell than I should have.”
“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.”
“The first time I met Wayne Gretzky... he never said anything back.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“My mother and dad played the fiddle and the guitar.”
“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.”
“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.”
“I don't want to retire, because you stay retired for an awfully long time.”
“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.”
“It's been said that, while growing up, I ate meals with my skates on. It's true.”
“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.”
“I like to think that I'm a family man first and a professional athlete second.”
“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.”
“All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.”
“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.”