Longevity in sports is rare, with a few outliers breaking the mold every now and then: Athletes like Olympian rower Oscar Rompani or surfer Kelly Slater, who somehow keep performing at an elite level way past their prime years. Then there is Gordie Howe, who redefines longevity in sport.
Howe’s hockey career is the stuff of legends, and his final appearance on the ice at age 69 added to his myth. In 1997, Howe signed a one-day contract with the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League. This wasn’t just a publicity stunt, though.
On October 3, 1997, during the Vipers’ season opener, Howe took a single shift, skating for just 46 seconds. But that brief outing on ice was enough to add a new chapter to his legacy.
It was a historic moment that made him the only professional hockey player to compete in six different decades. UFC commentator Joe Rogan couldn’t hide his shock as he discovered this feat.
“That’s insane,” Rogan said, completely floored.
Though he stayed in the game for just under a minute, the fans gave him a standing ovation that lasted three minutes. They, of course, had to honor the man whose career began in 1946 and spanned into the late 1990s.
Much like most people who don’t follow the NHL that closely, Rogan found out about Howe while searching for information on athletes who have had long careers in their respective sports.
When he made the chance discovery, Rogan, of course, couldn’t hide his excitement. “Who is that? Hockey? He was 69? That’s insane,” he exclaimed.
This feat reminded the UFC commentator of boxer Bernard Hopkins. “Wasn’t Bernard Hopkins’ world championship fight when he was in his 50s?” he asked.
Hopkins, one of the all-time boxing greats
“That’s f****** crazy,” Rogan exclaimed, noting, “So he [Hopkins] wins two titles — a title at age 48 and a title at age 49 —incredible.”
But it wasn’t just the wins that impressed Rogan, it was how Hopkins did it. Praising his excellent defensive technique, Rogan asserted that even at an older age, opponents couldn’t land clean shots on him.
Hopkins is known to have had an almost mathematical understanding of pugilism, which he banked on liberally to win the IBF middleweight title in 1995. He was 30 at the time.
Hopkins defended it 20 times, eventually unifying the division in 2001. He held the undisputed middleweight title from 2001 to 2005.
Hopkins also won the lineal light heavyweight title in 2011 and held it for a year. He then won the IBF light heavyweight title in 2014, when he was 48. He defended that title twice.
The last victory of his career came when he won the WBA Super light heavyweight and IBA light heavyweight titles in 2014, as a 49-year-old. According to Rogan, it all came down to discipline.
“His footwork was always on point… never drank, never smoked, always took care of his body, ate only organic food, worked out every day, never got out of shape,” the UFC commentator noted in admiration.
