Few athletes are as tightly linked to their sport as Gordie Howe. Carrying the nickname “Mr. Hockey” through five decades as a professional player, Howe rarely missed a game. But how could he play professionally for so long? He had one simple trick: never pick anything up from the floor, in order to spare his back.
Today’s professional athletes take extremely good care of themselves. They eat nutritious food, practice a lot, and make sure they get enough sleep.
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Gordie Howe carried cement bags
But back in the day, players didn’t really have that same mindset. They practiced, of course, but off the ice, it was not unusual to both smoke and drink. During the offseason, players often had regular, physical jobs. Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey himself, used to work at his father’s paving business. There, he carried cement bags that could weigh up to 80 pounds. Tough on the back, to say the least.
But Gordie Howe had one trick up his sleeve to spare his back and keep himself coming back to the NHL year after year after year. Appearing on the Ice Guardians Podcast, TV personality Billy Bush shared what Howe did.
”Everyone picked up his sh*t”
“I remember watching Gordie Howe when he was 50. Howe was asked about his longevity. He said, ‘Don’t drink or smoke. The other thing is, I never pick anything up.’ If there’s a sock on the floor of the bedroom, it stays there. He’s out there grinding, but it’s that one time when you pick up a sock and feel the pinch in your back. He said, ‘So I ask my wife or whoever is with me if they could grab that over there.’ Everyone picked up sh*t for Gordie Howe because he knew that was how he was going to hurt his back,” Bush said on the podcast.
You can watch the video below.
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