Detroit - A proposed new bridge connecting the United States with Canada will bear the name of National Hockey League great Gordie Howe, officials said Thursday.
Michigan governor Rick Snyder and Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper met in Windsor, Ontario, to reveal the news that the crossing over the Detroit River linking Detroit and Windsor will be called the "Gordie Howe International Bridge."
Howe, 87, was born in Saskatchewan, but became an icon playing in Detroit.
He spent the first 25 seasons of his legendary five-decade playing career with the Red Wings, departing the game as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer.
Howe, who suffers from dementia, suffered a serious stroke last October and was hospitalized in December.
However, his family said in December he had made remarkable strides after receiving stem cell treatment from a Mexico-based medical firm.
Howe's son, Murray, among family members who attended Thursday's ceremony, said "Mr. Hockey" said the idea of having a bridge named after him "sounds pretty good".
The Detroit River, which separates the United States from Canada, is already traversed by the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, both of which were completed in the early 20th century.
AFP
