The hockey world has lost one of it's greatest characters as Mr. Hockey himself, Gordie Howe, passed away Friday morning at the age of 88.

Okotoks native Jim 'Bearcat' Murray took time to tell a couple of stories about Howe and the times they spent in hockey.

Murray says when describing the hall of famer, he was in a league of his own but treated everyone around him with the uttermost respect.

"Gordie was everybody's hero, to me he's Hockey Canada and always has been since way back," he says. "So it's really a sad day for me because he was a really good friend and I really enjoyed his company and he was very, very good to me."

Murray first met Howe when he was a trainer with the Calgary Centennials and played against Howe's WHA all-star team in a preparation series tuning up for a battle with the Soviet Union.

The juniors and WHA would play nine games all over the country and Murray tells the story of how he and Howe literally shared a seat together flying from Saskatoon when he was loaded onto a full airplane.

"He grabbed me around the waist, set me on his lap and put the seat belt around both of us and we took off. The flight attendant wasn't happy at all but there was nothing she could do about it because we were already taking off when he did the seat belt up. When he grabbed me, of course, he said 'Come here old fella. I'll look after ya' and he strapped me in to the seat. We had had a great time all our lives after that."

Howe's career spanned over six decades and he was the oldest player to play in an NHL game at the age of 52. He's ranked fourth on the NHL's all-time points list with 1,850 and second in goals (801) only behind the player who looked up to him: Wayne Gretzky.

Murray says Howe will always remembered as a humble player but he did show plenty of grit when he was on the ice.

"Gordie was a tough potlicker, I'll tell ya. Not only physically, but mentally. He was just a great, great guy and a very nice guy and he treated me like a million dollars and treated me like I was somebody."

Howe played in 1,767 professional games and is known for his infamous 'Gordie Howe Hat-Trick' scoring a goal, getting an assist, and getting in a fight in a single game.

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