We had Gordie Howe as an in-store autograph guest this past Saturday (December 6).  I have known Gordie since the mid-1990’s and am privileged to call him a friend.  In fact, when we opened our Steeles location in 2000, Gordie and wife Colleen came as invited unpaid guests to show their support.  On that day, I referred to them as my surrogate grandparents.

 

Fans can’t help but be in awe when in the presence of Mr. Howe.  He is to hockey what Mantle and DiMaggio were to baseball.  He defined the game; he was a superstar, an ambassador, and took it to places it had never been previously.  Gordie’s sustained greatness for such an extended period of time will never be matched, in any sport.

 

My closeness with the Howe’s obviously gave me an intimate knowledge of those with whom they surrounded themselves.  To that extent, it was extremely disturbing when I learned that Howe’s business managers were being sued for, amongst other things, allegedly taking financial documents, stealing funds, and defaming Gordie by claiming his company was in financial trouble.  This suit was filed in November of 2007.

 

I am pleased to report that early last month, the lawsuit was settled.  The details of the settlement were not disclosed, and the business managers – Del Reddy and Aaron Howard, were never charged criminally.

 

These two gentlemen in whom Gordie fully entrusted his good name and business interests, allegedly did not fulfill the obligations that matched their job descriptions.  Reddy was Howe’s agent/manager and basically guided his career alone after Colleen Howe’s illness took her out of the day-to-day operations of Power Play International Inc. in 2002.  Reddy allowed me into the Howe’s inner circle and provided me unobstructed access to Gordie for both social and business reasons, something that I was always appreciative of.

 

Reddy would not let Gordie do a regular autograph session, instead booking him for public appearances where only books, bobbleheads, or Christmas ornaments would be signed.  This infuriated Gordie’s fans.  Reddy was also insistent that the ® be used after Gordie’s printed name and also that the term “Mr. Hockey®” always be used.  He even refused collector requests to have Gordie sign his name without the “Mr. Hockey” notation, further alienating him from his devoted supporters.  He was fiercely loyal to Colleen Howe, the woman that hired him and gave him a chance in the corporate sporting world.

 

But Reddy could also be difficult to deal with.  I put an ad in the Hockey News in 2003 wishing Gordie a “Happy 75^th Birthday from his friends at Frozen Pond” and asking where we would be without him.  That was responded to by a furious Reddy, who hollered and lectured me for not making mention of Colleen.  Even though Colleen had nothing to do with Gordie’s 75^th birthday, I was berated by Reddy for not including her in my tribute. 

 

Mark Howe, Gordie’s son and an NHL star in his own right, never liked Reddy.  I remember the story of Reddy sitting in Mark Howe’s parking lot after driving Gordie over for dinner.  He was not welcome in the house and reclined in the car for several hours until Gordie was ready to leave.  Their relationship got much worse in early-2006, a time when rumors started circulating that Reddy was about to be fired.  I heard the rumblings from several different sources.  Reddy heard the rumors too.  Eventually he quit the company, explaining to me that it was too difficult to work in that kind of environment.

 

Howard was offered Reddy’s job in addition to his own, at a substantial pay increase.  Instead, he quit as well, leaving Gordie without a chaperone for an appearance the next day.  Although Reddy was extremely well compensated, the man who often called Gordie “family” was apparently not happy with his current position.  A number of fraudulent activities were alleged in the litigation to have taken place from 2004-06, several of which involved a book about Gordie that had been published by Immortal Investments, LLC, a company owned by Mike Reddy, Del’s father. 

 

It surprised many that Howard was allegedly included in such conduct.  He was a young guy with a bright future who Gordie deeply cared about.  He was his constant traveling companion and the individual (outside of Colleen) that Gordie spent the majority of his time with.  It was heartbreaking to the living legend when he learned of Howard’s involvement.

 

The week before the trial was to take place, I received notice from Howe’s lawyer that a settlement had been reached.  I had been subpoenaed to testify on Howe’s behalf and they were letting me know that my trip to Detroit was no longer necessary.  Among other things, I was asked to testify about checks Reddy had asked me to make out to the “Colleen J. Howe Foundation”; a charitable venture that the Howe Family apparently never even knew existed. 

 

In a bulk email from Marty Howe, Gordie’s other hockey-playing son, I was informed that “the lawsuit has been settled favorably on behalf of Power Play International Inc., Gordie, Colleen and the entire Howe Family.”  He then thanked everyone who offered assistance and was willing to support Gordie.

 

While the settlement will remain private, I learned that several thousand Howe autographed items were returned to a family friend several weeks ago.  I am also pleased that this unfortunate part of Gordie’s life is now behind him and did not have to play out in an open setting.

 

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Now I know that Pete Vuckovich was a quality pitcher and he appeared in the film Major League and everything, but don’t you think these prices are a little excessive for an autograph session?  $139 for an autographed photo – of Pete Vuckovich?  I would imagine that he’s a tough signer, but who in their right mind would pay this kind of money for an autograph of a pitcher with a lifetime record of 93-69 in eleven big league seasons?  Ouch!!!  

 

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It was interesting to witness Alexander Ovechkin’s big-brotherly treatment of Nicklas Backstrom this past weekend.  While signing autographs, “Ovy” kept yelling over to “Nika” to see if everything was alright and if he needed anything.  Backstrom told me that Ovy has always looked out for him.  They are currently rooming together on the road, as both Backstrom’s (Mike Green) and Ovy’s (Alexander Semin) regular roommates are injured.

 

Several of Ovechkin’s close friends call him “Sasha”.  Apparently in Russia, “Sasha” is to “Alexander” what “Bill” is “William” on this side of the ocean.

 

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On the heels of Alan Muir getting laid off as Editor of Beckett Hockey magazine comes word that Mark Weber has been let go by McFarlane Toys.  These are two gentlemen that loved their jobs and were passionate about the hobby.  I wish them both only the best of luck.

 

If anyone thinks the current economic climate is not affecting anyone they knew, I suggest you think again.  Both of these guys have young families and were an asset to their organizations.

 

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I remember questioning why Chicago would trade Radim Vrbata for someone as inconsequential as Kevyn Adams in the summer of 2007.  Vrbata proved me right by scoring 27 goals and 56 points during his one season in the desert.

 

Now – after signing as a free agent with Tampa Bay in the off-season, Vrbata is out of the NHL.  Apparently lacking confidence, Vrbata asked for permission to head home to the Czech Republic.  The second and third years of his $9 million contract are apparently still binding (if he wishes to return), but he will not be paid the rest of this season.  Could the rumors of Tampa’s monetary problems only be a coincidence?

 

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Did Toronto really give up a third-round draft pick for Jamal Mayers?  Not the brightest move I have ever heard of for a rebuilding team.  Maybe Cliff was looking for some leadership or grit?  Does anyone have any idea if they’ve been receiving any?  A fifth-rounder for Ryan Hollweg?  Ugh.

 

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Believe it or not, we received 19 visits to our website last month from people that typed “frpzen pond” into their search engine.  We also had 11 visits from people that typed frozenpond.xom into their URL.  Ha.

 

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Upper Deck’s 2008-09 Champ’s Hockey set contains a special sub-set featuring Ice Age cards.  Yes – you can get an actual hockey card featuring Fossils, Bones, Mastedon Teeth, or part of a Dinosaur.  No word on whether Chris Chelios’ birth certificate is part of the set.

Tags: Howe, Leafs, Ovechkin

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