Windsor resident Ralph Backstrom — the six-time Stanley Cup-winning center with the Montreal Canadiens who went on to coach the University of Denver and found the Colorado Eagles — played against Gordie Howe and the Detroit Red Wings in the 1966 Stanley Cup Final and alongside “Mr. Hockey” in the legendary 1974 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.
In the eight-game Summit Series — this one featuring World Hockey Association all-stars against the Russians — Backstrom was Howe’s right winger, with Gordie’s son Mark Howe on the left side.
“Gordie was the most professional hockey player to ever play the game,” Backstrom said Friday upon learning of Gordie Howe’s death at age 88.