Did you know Mr Hockey? One of my childhood heroes, tho I did have the excitement of playing hockey against Fernie Flamen of the Boston Bruins. About 20 kids ~ ages 6 to 8 on one side, and he on the other. He won.
Sadly, I did not, this was a public visitation they had yesterday. He was one of the few celebrities I had always wanted to meet, but it never ended up happening until it was too late. They had a wonderful memorial for him, lying in state at center ice of the Joe with his family there greeting the public and his memorabilia on display. I ended up speaking to his son Mark briefly, and thanking the family for the awareness they have raised towards the possibilities of stem cells.
Having lived in the area for most of his life, there were plenty of local people who had the opportunity to meet and get to know him, and I cannot remember another celebrity who has passed that so many people had so many fond PERSONAL memories of the man. It is tossed around a lot, but he was truly a wonderful human, possibly even more than he was a great hockey player.