Detroit — The fans started shuffling in at 9 a.m. sharp, just like the elbows of the hockey legend they came to honor. And though the doors to Joe Louis Arena were scheduled to close at 9 p.m. — a numerical tribute mirrored by all the No. 9 jerseys dotting the red carpet inside Joe Louis Arena — Gordie Howe’s family, aware that well-wishers had waited hours to pay their respects, said they’d stay until the last person was left.
So would No. 99, Wayne Gretzky — the “Great One” — who stood off to the side from morning until night in this makeshift cathedral and spoke eloquently about the gentle giant he called a “second father.