It was a few years back now, and Gordie Howe was on hand at Joe Louis Arena as the Detroit Red Wings officially unveiled the Gordie Howe entrance to the rink.

We got to chatting while looking over the many photos of Howe posted just inside the entrance. One from his early days as a Red Wing caught our attention, and I asked Gordie what he remembered about his first NHL goal.

He got a faraway look in his eyes, and for the longest time, said nothing. Finally, he told me a story, one that had nothing to do with his first NHL goal.

A few weeks later, I ran into Gordie at another Wings game. During our conversation, the subject of his first goal once more came up, and the man they call Mr. Hockey relayed the tale in intimate detail, as if it had only happened the day before.

One of the perks of covering a team such as the Wings is that you get to interact with some of the legends of the game.

Ted Lindsay is a frequent visitor to the team’s dressing room. Bill Gadsby is occasionally there, as is Howe.

You reminisce with them about the old days and, in the case of Lindsay and Howe, I’ve worked on books with them.

To those of us who are old enough to remember them as players, it’s a treat to share those memories. But at the same time, we all have to accept that with each passing year, the memories grow further away and grainier in the mind’s eye.

A media report earlier this week painted Howe as a man steadily succumbing to the horrors of dementia. The Howe family patently denied this, and while admitting that it someday may be the case, currently, Gordie is suffering from occasional memory loss, usually later in the day. Like the day he couldn’t remember his first goal.

Quietly within the Wings’ community, it’s been known for a couple of years now that Gordie was struggling.

Though hardly an invalid, Howe has definitely been slowing down his hectic pace. He lives with his children now, unable to take care of himself on his own. During appearances, it’s advised to those seeking autographs that personalizing the signature will not be possible.

Certainly, the lengthy battle Colleen Howe underwent during her battle with Pick’s disease, the illness that ultimately claimed her life in 2009, took a toll on her husband. Gordie rarely left her side, serving as a 24/7 caregiver.

Gadsby would come by on weekends and drag Gordie to the golf course, just to get him out of the house, get his mind occupied by something else, albeit briefly. There is some thought that perhaps Gordie may have suffered a minor stroke during this stressful time in his life.

Regardless, the bottom line we all need to remember during this moment is not that Gordie Howe was a legendary NHL player, but that he is now 84 years of age. He hasn’t played a meaningful game since 1980, some 32 years ago.

Like it or not, old age catches up to everyone. It’s a clock that never stops ticking. The eyesight grows weaker, the hearing is not quite as sharp, and the memory begins to fade.

Everyone is affected differently. Lindsay and Johnny Bower, fellow hall of famers and both older than Howe, remain mentally sharp. Others aren’t so fortunate.

Whether it’s our own parents, or a famous hockey star we grew up idolizing, no one wants to see them suffer the horrible fate of losing grasp of their faculties. We’re all getting old. We all hope to age gracefully. Sadly, that fate is not left in our hands.

Windsor Star