What a Gordie Howe bridge hat trick could look like and possible nickname for the span - Action News
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Windsor

What a Gordie Howe bridge hat trick could look like and possible nickname for the span

The youngest son of the late NHL legend Gordie Howe has the perfect nickname for the bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit that bears his father's name The Gordie.

The bridge really symbolizes how big he was, says late NHL legends youngest son

A photo of hockey great Gordie Howe was unveiled at the announcement that the Detroit River International Crossing will be named the Gordie Howe International Bridge, on the waterfront, in Windsor, Ontario, Thursday May 14, 2015. Federal officials have been on a months-long campaign to surreptitiously slip the name Gordie Howe into conversations with top-level American counterparts to promote the new border crossing that will bear the hockey player's name.
The new international crossing is expected to open around Sept. 2025. (Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press)

The youngest son of late NHL legend Gordie Howe has the perfect nickname for the bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit that bears his father's name The Gordie.

"I would just call it The Gordie. From the second I heard that it would be named after him, I just said we're going to go across The Gordie now," Murray Howe said on Windsor Morning.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is inching closer and closer to its expected fall 2025 completion date. Last week, Howe family members were among scores of guests and dignitaries on hand to mark another milestone in the construction the completion of the road deck connecting both sides.

"The bridge really symbolizes how big he was. I mean, he was just larger than life, and if he was in a room, you just immediately recognized his presence because he was just like a giant gorilla," Howe said.

"He just filled up the room in the same way that that bridge [does], you can't miss it when you're anywhere around Metro Detroit or southern Ontario, you're going to see that, you're going see The Gordie."

The Gordie Howe Bridge hat trick?

Howe also likes a CBC Windsor proposal of a Gordie Howe special hat trick for the bridge once it opens, saying he would "absolutely" do it.

The proposal includes loading your bike into your vehicle and driving across the bridge. You would then park the vehicle and ride the bike back to the other side, where you would leave the bike and walk back to pick up your car. All of this must be done in a single day.

MARCH 1965: Gordie Howe, 36, unleashes a lethal slapshot against the New York Rangers. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Gordie Howe unleashes a lethal slapshot against the New York Rangers in 1965. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

"Absolutely, I'm in, I'm in," Howe said, beaming from ear to ear.

Getting an assist, goal and dropping the gloves famously became known as a Gordie Howe hat trick, based on Howe's tough yet well-rounded style of play.

'Our mom and dad are smiling from above'

Meanwhile, Howe said "it was really fun" to be on the bridge with his brother Marty Howe last week.

"We don't get to see each other as much and it's kind of neat when things like this happen, they get you to bring your family together and allow you to reconnect, kind of like a wedding," he said.

"It's just really, really a thrill for me to be up there and it's certainly a huge honour. So, many people are so excited about it and that makes us as a family even more excited and we know that our mom and dad are smiling from above just watching this entire story unfold.

A group of people wearing safety gear.
Marty Howe and Murray Howe (centre) were in Windsor on July 24, 2024, for an event marking the completion of the bridge deck of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. (Mike Evans/CBC)

"It's so great for the nations of Canada and the United States and for the towns of Windsor and Detroit. It's just going to really help make those connections even stronger and I can't wait to ride my bike over to Windsor and have lunch just sounds like a super, super fun day," he added.

'So much more than a bridge'

Officials say 11,000 people have had a hand in getting the Gordie Howe International Bridge to this point, and more than 13 million work hours have been completed to date.

"This project is so much more than a bridge," said Sean Fraser, the federal minister of housing, infrastructure and communities, at last week's event. "To me, it represents the connection between Canada and the United States, our largest trading partner and our strongest ally."

Murray Howe
Murray Howe thinks "the Gordie is a suitable nickname for the bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit that bears his father's name. (CBC)

As with the other crossings between Detroit and Windsor, there will be a toll to cross the bridge; the amount hasn't been announced yet. Though, there was a hint of how it might stack up.

Charl van Niekerk, CEO of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, said it'll be reviewed in view of the economic impact and what's "reasonable" for the consumer.

"It will be less than other crossings in the area, and we'll make announcements in the new year," he said.

The bridge, which is being built through a public-private partnership, has been under construction since 2018. The current cost, $6.4 billion, is about $700 million more than expected. A fall completion in 2025 is later than planned, mostly due to pandemic pressures put on the supply chain.

Binoculars look at the bridge
A view of the bridge from Windsor's Malden Park hill. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

With files from Windsor Morning