Gordie Howe

If you make it anywhere in life, you owe that success to the people along the way who stuck up for you, or made sacrifices for you, and gave you a push when you needed it. In my case, those people were my family. ”

People say I'm henpecked. Well, let them say it. ”

You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, and rest when you know that it was a one hundred percent effort that you gave - win or lose. ”

If I learned one thing by playing professional hockey for thirty-two years, it's that you have to love what you do. And that's not just true for sports. ”

I like to think that I'm a family man first and a professional athlete second. ”

It's not easy to retire. No one teaches you how. I found that out when I tried it the first time. I'm not a quitter. ”

I don't want to retire, because you stay retired for an awfully long time. ”

I helped put in a rink in Cadillac, Michigan, when my wife was very healthy. She helped them put it in and the rink is going full-bore the last time I was there. ”

The first time I met Wayne Gretzky... he never said anything back. ”