where the streets have no name

DETROIT A gifted warrior on the ice and a soft spoken, gentle man off it, Gordie Howe was remembered Wednesday as a hockey legend who treated all around him with warmth, respect and kindness.

was irresistible, said son Murray. he was the size of a gorilla, little kids and little old ladies alike flocked to him the moment he disarmed them with his playful grin and his huge open arms. And Dad fed off their love and their positive energy and it brought him to life no matter how tired or sore he was.

made everyone feel as if they were the most special person on the planet. died Friday at age 88. wholesale jerseys His funeral came a day after thousands of people famous and relatively anonymous paid respects to Howe during a visitation at Joe Louis Arena.

The adoration for the man many say is the best to ever play the game was on display as dozens of fans waited in light rain to land a seat inside the packed Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Two large buses with signs displaying Gordie Howe also dropped off mourners.

Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Guy Lafleur and Yvan Cournoyer along with top executives Gary Bettman, Brian Burke and Glen Sather also attended. A few fans wore red and white No. 9 Howe jerseys at the service, which was open to the public.

wasn a great student, Gretzky said. only time I think I ever got an A on a book report is because I did a book report on a Gordie Howe book. delivered a heartfelt eulogy at his father funeral, sharing numerous amusing and touching stories about his dad with some 900 mourners.

was never late for anything, he said. him it was courtesy. He made it a point to show up early and to chat with whomever he happened to meet and ask if he could help them.

was not surprising to find him helping the servers to set up tables at events where he was the featured speaker. added there are superlatives that come to mind when describing my dad, calling Mr. Hockey beloved, fearless, loyal, tough, graceful, playful, handsome and thoughtful, among other adjectives.

Howe, a native of Floral, Sask., made his debut with the Red Wings in 1946 and spent most of his long career in Detroit. He was an offensive force on the ice and played with a ruthless, physical edge that instilled fear in his opponents.

don know of any other human being that can go and knock out teeth, give people cuts, bumps and bruises, punch them in the nose or elbow them in the nose, and they revered the man, said Howe son, Mark.

Murray recalled that he once asked his father, who suffered a stroke in 2014, what he wanted him to say in his eulogy.

said this: Finally, the end of the third period. Then he added hope there a good hockey team in heaven, Murray recalled. all I can say is, once you join the team, they won just be good, they will be great. always said it not fun, it time to do something else. So we filled his final days surrounding him with friends and family and he knew he was loved.

Hockey left the world with no regrets and although he did not lead the league in church attendance, his life has been the epitome of a faithful servant. a doctor, spoke on behalf of the family at the service. Howe also left behind son Marty, his daughter Cathy and nine grandchildren. His wife Colleen died in 2009 from Pick disease.

hoping and praying he and Mom are just having a wonderful time together right now, Mark said.

Former Red Wings coaches Scotty Bowman and Mike Babcock as well as current and former Red Wings players were also among the mourners at the church, which once hosted Pope John Paul II and is about 10 kilometres from Joe Louis Arena.