Canada’s hockey icon, 88-year-old Gordie Howe passed away after a lengthy illness, his family confirmed.

Howe, nicknamed “Mr. Hockey”, is considered as one of the greatest ice hockey players and ironman, both on and off ice.

Howe was born in 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan and played in 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and played 6 times in the World Hockey Association (WHA).

He played the first 25 seasons with NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and 33 seasons over six decades after he broke into the pro ranks in 1945.

The NHL All-Star held many of Hockey’s scoring records until the 1990s, when they were broken by Wayne Gretzy.

Howe holds the NHL records for most games and seasons played. He retired in 1971 and was introduced to the Hall of Fame in Toronto a year later.

He also received the NHL Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.