He's dead, Jim.

[Dude Love]

Actually...I thought that was a good question. So many wrestle to beyond their ability....

Danny Hodge will be 82 next month. He's fairly old. But there's a reason that guys like Hodge, Dusty Rhodes (68), Harley Race (70), Nick Bockwinkel (79), and Bruno Sammartino (78) are still around while guys like Davey Boy Smith (dead at 38), Eddie Guerrero (dead at 38), Ultimate Warrior (dead at 54), and Randy Savage (dead at 58) aren't.

 

[The Rube]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

Danny Hodge will be 82 next month. He's fairly old. But there's a reason that guys like Hodge, Dusty Rhodes (68), Harley Race (70), Nick Bockwinkel (79), and Bruno Sammartino (78) are still around while guys like Davey Boy Smith (dead at 38), Eddie Guerrero (dead at 38), Ultimate Warrior (dead at 54), and Randy Savage (dead at 58) aren't.

True. And thanks for the info.

 

[FreshFish]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

who takes his place as the oldest living ex-wrestler?

given how many "comebacks" they promote, how can you tell if someone is an "ex-"wrestler or not?

 

[Bob Gray]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

Then you've got a guy like Terry Funk, who turns 70 in a few months and it still actively wrestling (at least here and there).

 

[rufus]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

Danny Hodge will be 82 next month. He's fairly old. But there's a reason that guys like Hodge, Dusty Rhodes (68), Harley Race (70), Nick Bockwinkel (79), and Bruno Sammartino (78) are still around while guys like Davey Boy Smith (dead at 38), Eddie Guerrero (dead at 38), Ultimate Warrior (dead at 54), and Randy Savage (dead at 58) aren't.

They lived longer?

 

[Dude Love]

They lived longer?

Because they didn't do truckloads of steroids and cocaine.

 

[SteveP]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

Mr. Hockey is not dead, Jim!

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/04/10/nhl-lawsuit-claims-gordie-howe-died-in-2009

A group of nine former players may need a fact checker.

The group served the NHL with a class-action lawsuit Thursday accusing the league of exploiting its players and not doing enough to minimize head trauma that results in long-term health problems.

However, under a list of high-profile incidents to players who suffered head trauma and concussions over the years, the suit claims NHL legend Gordie Howe passed away five years ago.

"In 2009, Howe died from the neurogenerative disease known as 'Pick's disease.'"

In fact, it was Howe's wife Colleen that passed away from the rare condition that causes loss of speech and dementia.

 

[Hammer]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

He's not dead, but he's not in good shape mentally.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

He's not dead, but he's not in good shape mentally.

He's a mess, in fact. However let's bear in mind that the man is 86 years old. You factor in natural aging with his years of fisticuffs, and while it's sad to see him fade away, it's not surprising. The game was played a lot dirtier and called much looser back then, and his reputation was no exception to that. Some of the things they got away with in the 50s and 60s would probably result in a stiff suspension today.

 

[Hammer]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

A friend of mine, who I met through Adrian hockey, knows him quite well. And, yeah, it's not good.

 

[SteveP]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

He's a mess, in fact. However let's bear in mind that the man is 86 years old. You factor in natural aging with his years of fisticuffs, and while it's sad to see him fade away, it's not surprising. The game was played a lot dirtier and called much looser back then, and his reputation was no exception to that. Some of the things they got away with in the 50s and 60s would probably result in a stiff suspension today.

Howe suffered a fractured skull during the 1950 playoffs against the Leafs and nearly died, but he was back the following season.

My dad turns 86 next week and thank God that despite 30 years as a cop he's still going strong physically and mentally.

 

[bigmrg74]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

He's a mess, in fact. However let's bear in mind that the man is 86 years old. You factor in natural aging with his years of fisticuffs, and while it's sad to see him fade away, it's not surprising. The game was played a lot dirtier and called much looser back then, and his reputation was no exception to that. Some of the things they got away with in the 50s and 60s would probably result in a stiff suspension today.

In a magazine I get, they had an story on Gordie and Mark Howe with their Rolfer. In it they talked about how Rolfing helped both of them out, mostly how Rolfing fixed Mark up and he was able to play a couple of years more after having rolfing done. And then Mark finally talked Gordie into trying Rolfing and they show some before and after shots of Mr. Hockey. The article is about two years old. http://www.abmp.com/textonlymags/article.php?article=567

and they also did a video as wellhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYIRBHu5W7Y

 

[bigmrg74]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

Shadowfax: Lord of all Horses

 

[burd]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

Howe suffered a fractured skull during the 1950 playoffs against the Leafs and nearly died, but he was back the following season.

My dad turns 86 next week and thank God that despite 30 years as a cop he's still going strong physically and mentally.

The players of Gordie's era have a special place in the minds of those of us who experienced the game through radio for many years. The power of imagination, I guess.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

The players of Gordie's era have a special place in the minds of those of us who experienced the game through radio for many years. The power of imagination, I guess.

Growing up in Chicago, we had tickets for the Black Hawks. And all of their road games were on WGN-TV. Six teams. That monstrous organ. No toilets. No water fountains. The hot dogs were colder than the beer. Man, Chicago Stadium was the place to be. Got to see all the greats: Gordie, the Big M, Rocket, all of 'em. But the greatest, most exciting thing I've ever seen was Bobby Hull scooping up the puck behind his own net, heading up ice at the speed of light, then triggering one of those awesome slappers from the blue line. You've never seen anything like it. Trust me.

 

[RaceBoarder]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

Growing up in Chicago, we had tickets for the Black Hawks. And all of their road games were on WGN-TV. Six teams. That monstrous organ. No toilets. No water fountains. The hot dogs were colder than the beer. Man, Chicago Stadium was the place to be. Got to see all the greats: Gordie, the Big M, Rocket, all of 'em. But the greatest, most exciting thing I've ever seen was Bobby Hull scooping up the puck behind his own net, heading up ice at the speed of light, then triggering one of those awesome slappers from the blue line. You've never seen anything like it. Trust me.

See, now I know you're crazy... Chicago didn't have hockey before the Blackhawks inaugural season in 2009

P.S. The Stadium was the coolest venue I have ever been in, any time, any place...

 

[SteveP]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

Growing up in Chicago, we had tickets for the Black Hawks. And all of their road games were on WGN-TV. Six teams. That monstrous organ. No toilets. No water fountains. The hot dogs were colder than the beer. Man, Chicago Stadium was the place to be. Got to see all the greats: Gordie, the Big M, Rocket, all of 'em. But the greatest, most exciting thing I've ever seen was Bobby Hull scooping up the puck behind his own net, heading up ice at the speed of light, then triggering one of those awesome slappers from the blue line. You've never seen anything like it. Trust me.

And Johnny Bower or Gump Worsley on the other end of those 100mph blasts (from a wood stick) with no mask!

 

[Old Pio]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

And Johnny Bower or Gump Worsley on the other end of those 100mph blasts (from a wood stick) with no mask!

Worsley once took a Hull slapper on the forehead. And he said the only reason he wasn't killed was that the puck had turned over and hit him flat. If it had hit him edge on, lights out, forever. Sport did an article called "Why Goalies Fear for Their Lives," asking a panel of the leading goalies of the day questions about facing Bobby. One described the time Hull took an unscreened slapper from the blue line and the guy brought his glove up to make the save--and it hit him in the back of the glove. Back before video tape replay, with old, drunken geezers as goal judges, the Hawks always maintained that Hull lost goals every season because they went in and came out so fast nobody saw them.

He had two attributes which in mere mortals tend to exclude one another: he was the fastest skater (certainly among the fastest ever) and had the heaviest shot (again, certainly among the heaviest ever). A brutal combination. Oh, and add in no regulations on the degree of curve in the blade. 100+ mph slappers that came off the blade like a knuckleball! The only thing that kept him from scoring 75-100 goals every year was the fact that he was double teamed every time he stepped on the ice.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

See, now I know you're crazy... Chicago didn't have hockey before the Blackhawks inaugural season in 2009

P.S. The Stadium was the coolest venue I have ever been in, any time, any place...

You are probably too young to remember Al Melgard playing the mighty Chicago Stadium Barton organ. He had the job for decades, into the 70's. And after every event, he played this haunting little tune (My Vision) that he had composed for Sonja Henie, as a recessional. I was there the last night he ever played it. She had passed away and with a spot light on center ice, he played it one last time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g208UyQftT8

 

[The Rube]

Re: He's dead, Jim.

And Johnny Bower or Gump Worsley on the other end of those 100mph blasts (from a wood stick) with no mask!

I love Gump. This pic says 1000 words for the goalies back in the day:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/c81b0e13db0155e165a82049b07084c7/tumblr_mvqzb6Ii7P1spx4u4o1_400.jpg