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What If?

by Fernando Redondo

My mind -- the unsteady one that mostly my friends know -- has been pondering lately some events in the NHL. Martin Brodeur passing Patrick Roy for the most career wins... Nicklas Lidstrom making his way to the 1000-point mark for his career. However, the key thing that has got me wondering “What if?” is the death of a major influence in the sport of hockey... none other than Mrs. Hockey herself, Mrs. Colleen Howe.

Why does she have me wondering, you may ask? Well, let me elaborate a little bit more about what she has done. Apart from being a wonderful, caring wife and mother to the Howe family -- which, including her, consists of her famous hockey-playing husband, Gordie Howe; sons Mark, Marty and Murray (the first two played alongside their dad in the WHA and NHL); daughter Cathy; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild -- she is also the reason that Mr. Hockey came out of retirement at the tender age of 45. She was also one of the first female sports agents in effect, negotiating for her husband later in his career and nabbing his first endorsement contract. Colleen was key in getting Gordie to play with sons Mark and Marty first with the Houston Aeros of the WHA and later the Whalers of both the WHA and NHL.

Her famous motto?

“WHY NOT?”

However, it is her groundbreaking work for the greater hockey community for which she is most well-acclaimed. She brought the first Junior A hockey team to the United States. Colleen was also an instrumental figure in getting Gordie Howe Hockeyland, the first indoor rink for public use in Michigan, built.

Howe won Detroit Sportswoman of the Year in 1972, and Michigan Sportswoman of the year in 1973. She has a middle school named after her and her husband. She also wrote various books. However, her various charities are what makes her who she is. She helped create the Howe Foundation, winning the Hartford Chamber of Commerce award for outstanding community achievement in 1979.

But why does Mrs. Hockey pop the question “What if?”

Is it not obvious yet?

In 1993 the worst decision possible was made by a bunch of owners who were blinded by greed. The NHL commissioner position was open, and they found a “marketing mastermind” to elevate to the post. Sixteen years later -- with one lockout year in there -- Gary Bettman still continues to ruin the NHL with an intense fury and is managing to destroy everything we hold dear to our Hockey hearts.

However... what if?

What if, back in 1993, the owners sat around and started consulting with each other. What if they had analyzed people who are truly fit for the job? This is when Mrs. Hockey herself fits into the story perfectly.

If she would have been named rather than Bettman, now there would be a commissioner that cares for the fans and the rich history of the sport. There would be a commissioner with more stable and reasonable decisions -- not “shady” decisions, like moving the All-Star Game to the middle of the week, or making Versus the only network that can broadcast NHL games...

We can only wonder how much brilliance could have grown from a Mrs. Hockey reign as NHL commissioner. Her charity work is well-known, and every true fan of the sport knows and loves who Colleen Howe was. It is unlikely that all the NHL’s problems would have been solved; however, we would have been more at ease. She was a woman who was not afraid to adventure a little bit out of the box, but who also loved the sport more than most anybody else... after all, she was Mrs. Hockey.

In her passing, the only thing we can do anymore is question the irresponsibility of these owners, their impatience for not trusting a woman and instead going for a “Marketing Mastermind” suggested by David Stern -- an opposing commissioner. What did we lose? We lost this beautiful and shinning beacon of light that was refused because of insecurities, and now the only thing we can truly ask from all of this is...

WHAT IF?

Submitted 3/20/2009

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