They call him "Mr. Hockey." And with good reason. Gordie Howe was as talented as he was durable, playing a record 1,767 NHL games and becoming the only league player ever to compete in five different decades (1940s to 1980s). This lot is a tribute to the ambidextrous Hall of Fame legend. First, the skates were directly obtained in 1947 by a consignor who had them all this time (a letter accompanies the skates detailing how they were obtained). He was friendly with the team and staff as he played Juniors and spent many evenings with Lindsey, Howe and others. The Early ccm skates show heavy use and are a far cry from the precision instruments used today. There are black bottoms with leather uppers, and a weathered number 9 is on the inside of each skate. The stick is a Northland pro and is correctly stamped Howe on the side. The stick is also stamped Olympic Sporting Goods Co. Detroit, Michigan, is taped and shows heavy use. There is a small, one-inch section of the blade that was broken off during play. Howe blasted onto the professional hockey scene playing right wing for the 1946 Detroit Red Wings at the age of 18. The rest, as they say, is history, as the Canadian superstar was named to 23 All-Star teams and was an essential cog in four Stanley Cup Championship teams in Detroit. At the time of his retirement in 1980, Howe's professional totals, including playoffs, for the NHL and WHA combined, were first. He finished with 2,421 games played, 1,071 goals, 1,518 assists, and 2,589 points.