| | | After I came out of retirement at 45 to play for the World Hockey Association's Houston Aeros in 1973, there were a few days at training camp when I pondered the possibility that I had made the biggest mistake of my career.
|  | | The Howe family -- (from left) Mark, Colleen, Marty and Gordie -- talks hockey during a break in a 1974 workout for the Houston Aeros. |
My sons Mark and Marty -- also on the team -- kept telling their mother that they were worried, because during skating drills I was turning shades of purple they had never seen before.
Trust me when I tell you that what Mario Lemieux will need most when he comes back to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins is an ample supply of patience.
Although Lemieux has been working out, he will quickly discover there is no substitute for game action. My "retirement" lasted 29 months before I came back; Mario has been out of the game for 44 months. In his first week of practice, he might feel like he is trying to skate through mud. I couldn't catch my breath. Generally, I felt awful.
I remember Aeros coach Bill Dineen announcing we were going to have two-a-day practices, and I thought that they would either kill me or cure me. Well, as soon as we started hitting the ice twice a day, I felt like I had never been away.
The change was so noticeable that Mark said to me one day after practice, "You must be feeling better."
I said, "How did you know?"
He said, "Your color is back, and I'm not chasing your passes all over the ice."
That's why I say Mario just needs patience. When he goes through that rough period, he just needs to remind himself that it will pass. His timing will be off a half-second. Some passes won't be quite on the tape, but then suddenly it will all come together. He's only 35, and in this day and age, that's middle age for a hockey player. There are 51 players in the NHL today older than Mario, including such top performers as Mark Messier and Steve Yzerman, among others.
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Mario just needs patience. When he goes through that rough period, he just needs to remind himself that it will pass. His timing will be off a half-second. Some passes won't be quite on the tape, but then suddenly it will all come together. He's only 35, and in this day and age, that's middle age for a hockey player. |
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He shouldn't have any difficulty coming back, because his most dangerous weapon was always what he had above his shoulders. This is a player who always seemed to have a sixth sense about knowing where everyone was on the ice.
Secondly, Mario already has made three comebacks from extended absences -- including one from Hodgkin's disease. I'm thrilled that he is healthy enough to play again.
Finally, I think Mario will succeed because he has a renewed love for the game. That's what happened to me in 1973. I had played enough for the Detroit Red Wings and had no thought of a comeback until my wife, Colleen, began reviewing the draft rules and discovered that there was nothing preventing a WHA team from drafting Mark and Marty, who were only 18 and 19.
We chuckle at the memory of NHL president Clarence Campbell calling us immediately after the Aeros drafted our sons. The NHL made players wait until they were 20 to be drafted. Campbell wanted us to dissuade our sons from signing with Houston because he knew it would force the NHL to embrace a draft of 18-year-olds.
What he didn't know, of course, was that it had been Colleen's idea for the Aeros to draft our sons in the first place. It was Dineen who added another layer to Colleen's master plan. He said, "Hey, Gordie, you wouldn't consider coming out and playing again?"
Just the thought of playing with my boys got my competitive juices raging like a river, and shortly thereafter we all signed together. I was so excited about playing with my sons that we asked for an eight-year contract. They would only give me seven years.
That's why Mario's talk of a renewed passion for the game stirred up memories in me. He's coming back for the right reasons. It's not about the money. It's about missing the game, and coincidentally, about his children. In particular, his 4-year-old son Austin. He wants his son to remember seeing his dad in all his splendor.
Really, that's not all that different than why I chose to return. I wanted to share my hockey experiences with my sons, who just happened to be older and ready to play professionally. It was always my dream to play with my sons.
I don't see why Mario can't return to being one of the NHL's top scorers. If I were an NHL goaltender, I would be very worried if I had to face Mario on the power play.
If Mario feels as good as he looks, he's going to be dominant again. He probably doesn't need any pep talks, but I can testify that you don't ever lose your hands.
After I came back in 1973, I was fortunate enough to earn the WHA Most Valuable Player award in my "rookie" season. I led the league in playoff assists with 14. I reached 100 points twice, and scored 96 and 99 in two other seasons. In '74-75, I totaled 20 points in 13 playoff games. Also, we won the Avco Cup league championship in our first two years in the WHA. It was a dream come true to share this with Mark and Marty.
I even ended up playing back in the NHL and scored my last goal at 52. To me, Lemieux's only concern should be how many more years he wants to play.
If he's thinking like I did, he's still probably got 17 more seasons in him. If he hangs in there long enough, maybe he could even play with Austin. Never say never.
Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey, played 26 NHL seasons over five decades. Two years after retiring as the NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer and point-getter -- and after being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972 -- Howe came out of retirement to lead the Houston Aeros in scoring for three of his six WHA seasons. Howe notched 15 goals and 26 assists and helped lead the Hartford Whalers into the playoffs in 1979-80, his final NHL season. Howe's website, www.mrhockey.com will be relaunched Jan. 1.
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Mario Lemieux sits down with ESPN's Al Morganti for a Sunday Conversation.
Mario Lemieux talks about his first day back to practice.