TORONTO -- The following are excerpts from Mark Howes touching induction speech at Mondays Hockey Hall of Fame:
On Lokomotiv crash victims and survivors:
I hope the families of these victims will receive full compensations for their losses which is not the case at this time. I find this morally upsetting. The families have suffered the loss of their loved ones. They should not have to suffer financially, as well. The hockey world should do all that it can to make things right.
On playing in the WHA:
I would like to thank the WHA for giving me my start in pro hockey. It gave me the opportunity to play along with such passionate players such as Rich Preston, Ron Graham, Dave Keon, and to play for one of the finest people I ever met in the game in coach Bill Dineen. It also gave me the opportunity to play six years alongside my brother and my father, a memory I will always cherish.
On the Flyers:
In 1982, Ed Snider, Keith Allen and Bob McCammon brought me to Philadelphia. From the beginning, it was if I was born to be a Flyer. And though I wanted to slash him a few times, I want to thank Mike Keenan for helping me to raise my bar.
NHL
There are many character players who contributed to this day. Brian Propp. Dave Poulin. Hexy, Tock and Ronny Sutter. Dave Brown and so many others. I want to give special thanks to my defense partners. Glen Cochrane, Kjell Samuelsson and my dear friend, Brad McCrimmon. They will part of me forever.
On his late mother, Colleen:
I wish she could have been here today. Somehow though, I think she knew this day would happen. You dedicated your life to your husband, your children and to enriching the lives of so many others. You taught me the difference between right and wrong. You drove countless miles to arenas. You built rinks in the yard. You taught me how to be the son of Gordie Howe. And how to set my own bar and expectations. You were always there for me and I will never, ever forget you.
On his dad, Gordie Howe:
I guess there is one person left to thank in this building. Im not going to thank you for elbowing a guy for taking a dirty shot at me. Im not going to thank you for being the greatest hockey player ever. I want to thank you for being the husband, the father, and the person that you are. You are the role model by which I tried to lead my life. Im so proud to call you my dad.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net