BLOOMFIELD HILLS (AP) -- Colleen Howe, the wife of hockey great Gordie Howe and one of the first female sports agents, died Friday. She was 76.
The former Traverse City resident died at her home in suburban of Bloomfield Hills after battling Pick's disease, a rare form of dementia similar to Alzheimer's, the Detroit Red Wings said. She was 70 when stricken with Pick's, which alters personality and character and whose progression cannot be slowed.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called her a "formidable woman, the wife and partner of our iconic player, the matriarch of a remarkable hockey family."
Known as "Mrs. Hockey," Colleen Howe promoted the sport in her own right and stood outside her husband's shadow through her charitable work and success as a businesswoman and author.
"Colleen was a pioneer hockey wife and hockey mom and devoted her entire life to the betterment of the game," Red Wings owners Mike and Marian Ilitch said.
"Mrs. Hockey" and "Mr. Hockey" -- nicknames the Howes trademarked for themselves -- were inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000 along with sons Mark and Marty.
Gordie Howe, also a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, was one of the game's greatest players during a 32-year professional career. He led Detroit to four Stanley Cups and won seven Most Valuable Player awards in the NHL and World Hockey Association.
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