Sure, he had the records, and the legend, and the reputation—after all, they named a combination of a goal, an assist, and a fight after this multitalented athlete. But the things that earned Gordie Howe the mantle of “Mr. Hockey” go beyond his exploits on the ice. His gentlemanly humility, his fierce loyalty to his friends and ailing wife, and his tremendous kindnesses—a sharp contrast to his sharp-elbowed play in five decades’ worth of rinks—made him transcendent.

As Canada and “Hockeytown” Detroit mourn the loss of Howe, who died on Friday at the age of 88, here are nine must-reads from Maclean’s, our archives, and beyond—in honour of the number he wore on his back, and the man inside the jersey.

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‘I lost my big brother.’

How a man who can’t skate became best friends with Gordie Howe

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“I think about how strong he was.”

Gordie Roberts remembers a man who inspired his name—and later, his teammate

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“There is, in fact, very little about Gordie Howe that isn’t admirable.”

From one legend to another: Peter Gzowski’s 1963 Maclean’s profile of Gordie Howe

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“I’m thinking, ‘Oh, please, Gordie, get your 1,000th with somebody else.'”

Goaltender John Garrett’s moment on the wrong side of Gordie Howe scoring history

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“The year the Saskatchewan farm boy grew up.”

Charlie Gillis on why the 1968-69 season was the year that made Gordie Howe

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“I hope you don’t mind if I shed a tear or two.”

From Maclean’s in 1966: Howe returns to his native Saskatchewan for Gordie Howe Day

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“Dad always had a certain mystique.”

The many ways we’ll remember Gordie Howe

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“Gordie Howe’s hockey story became the hockey story.”

Stephen Brunt on the intergenerational appeal of Gordie Howe

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“Howe was from a different era, for both hockey and for the city.”

Searching for traces of Mr. Hockey in “Hockeytown” Detroit