As Hockey Hall of Fame icon Gordie Howe recuperates from health issues that include a stroke, ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann looks back fondly at a 1996 ad he made with the Red Wings icon – as well as his meeting as a boy with "Mr. Hockey".
All hockey fans have been thinking of Gordie Howe in recent weeks as the NHL icon attempts to recover following a number of strokes – and that group of fans includes ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann, who had his first adult encounter with the Red Wings legend when the two filmed this commercial for the American sports network in 1996:
Olbermann recently remembered his time on set with Howe, as well as a childhood meeting with the Hockey-Hall-of-Famer, and what an utter gentleman he was all along:
I suspect tens of thousands of people have similar stories of meeting "Mr. Hockey" over the years. This is what made him such an incredible ambassador for the sport.
Get well, Gordie.