| Howe, of course, is the greatest of all Red Wings. That truth is as self-evident
as declaring the Louvre the best museum in Paris; no reasonable person could
disagree. A livelier debate would ensue if you proclaimed Howe the greatest of
all players. Bobby Orr has his righteous backers, and Wayne Gretzky's numbers
are persuasive. However, no one has ever combined scoring, toughness,
intimidation and longevity like Howe. He didn't change the game like the dashing
Orr or open a branch plant in the previously unexplored territory behind the net
like Gretzky. Howe was neither artist nor innovator. He just took hockey -- raw,
unadorned, old-fashioned hockey -- and played it better and harder and longer
than anyone
else.
--From "A Legacy That Endures", Sports Illustrated, June 24, 1998,
by Michael
Farber |
