The statue of Gordie Howe--12 feet tall and weighing about 4,500 pounds--inspired some sparkling reminiscences from Terry Crisp and Pete Weber at Joe Louis Arena. Thanks to Pete and Terry for sharing them and to Dirk for passing them along to OtF readers.

A career that included record-setting performances spanning five decades in the NHL sprinkled vivid memories among a wide share of the hockey world, and in Nashville one of the most durable is Number Nine's visit in the mid-1970s.

Ken Murphy, the former Nashville Dixie Flyer who began the city's youth hockey program, invited Howe to address the youngsters at their annual banquet. Howe accepted and regaled the guests with a memorable monologue.

He had fun, too--so much so that he remained in Nashville for a full week!

From this distance, we can smile at the two boys in the photo and their obvious sense of awe at sharing the ice with Gordie Howe. But how would you react if you found yourself in the company of the man known as Mr. Everything, Mr. All-Star, The Most, The Great Gordie, The King of Hockey, The Legend, The Man--or simply Mister Hockey?