Red Wings Fans Hold Their Breath As ‘Mr. Hockey’ Gordie Howe Suffers Stroke [Video]

Detroit is known as "Hockeytown" for many reasons, and the main reason started with the Stanley Cup winning teams of the Red Wings of the '50s, led by the "Production Line", headed by one of the most prolific scorers in the game, Gordie Howe.

Howe's family says he suffered a severe stroke over the weekend. So, our prayers are with him as he recovers in Texas.

The 86-year-old hockey icon is reportedly alert and has his mental faculties, although he's experiencing some significant physical issues.

His son, Murray Howe, who is a doctor in Ohio, says his father is unable to stand and is very weak on the right side of his body. He is, however, able to speak a little and is confined to a bed.

"Mr. Hockey," as he is known, played in parts of five decades -- mostly with the Detroit Red Wings -- before retiring at the age of 52, an amazing feat in a violent game.

He achieved a feat that most likely will never be duplicated: he played alongside two of his sons in a professional hockey game.

I can remember seeing him play like it was yesterday.

To a five year old, the Olympia Arena in Detroit was a dark, stinky barn with seats that seemed to go straight up into the air. Unlike the family friendly confines of Tiger Stadium and Cobo Hall, the Olympia was intimidating and reeked of adulthood: drinking, swearing and smoking.

It made me feel like I was a part of a club when my Dad took me to see Gordie play back in the day. Gordie wasn't known as a tough guy, but he had a subtle way of doling out punishment with a hip check that was efficient and brutal. The Gordie Howe hat trick, as it was known, involved getting a goal, an assist and into a fight in the same game.

Later, when I met the man at a sports store in Muskegon, he surprised me with his gentle soul and soft spoken kindness.

I wish him the best as he recovers. My memories of him will never die.