Music: {allcanada} Howe to be honored with new Detroit River bridge

Thursday, May 14, 2015

{allcanada} Howe to be honored with new Detroit River bridge

A new bridge to span the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, and scheduled to open in 2020, will be named the after Hockey Hall of Fame member Gordie Howe.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge would pay tribute to the 87-year-old hockey icon who was born in Saskatchewan and spent 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings. Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper and Michigan governor Rick Snyder made the announcement in Windsor on Thursday.

"Mr. Hockey [Howe], one of the greatest players in the history of the game, is a proud Canadian who led the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cup victories, building extraordinary goodwill between our two countries," Harper said, according to the Windsor Star. "It is my sincere hope that this bridge, which bears his name, will continue this proud legacy by accelerating the flow of people, merchandise and services between our great nations for years to come."

The existing Ambassador Bridge was completed in 1929. According to the Star, the Windsor-Detroit trade corridor is the busiest commercial land border crossing in North America, handling 31 percent of the truck trade between Canada and the U.S.

Howe led the Red Wings to four Stanley Cup championships. He had 801 goals and 1,850 points in 1,767 regular-season games covering 26 NHL seasons, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

He suffered a severe stroke in October but saw significant recovery after stem cell treatments in Mexico in December.