By Lasia Kretzel

Gordie Howe’s childhood home gets modern upgrades

Feb 7, 2015 | 11:29 AM

The stairs of Gordie Howe’s childhood home creak as its latest owner, Patton McLean, gives the grand tour. 

He points to the walls, windows and flooring he’s replaced in the 103-year-old home and the addition of an upstairs bathroom.

Downstairs, a large front window lets the winter sun shine into the gutted living room. McLean is awaiting the final stage of the home’s modernization to be completed.

McLean bought the Avenue L house two years ago and has put a lot of man hours into fixing it up. Tearing down the home wasn’t even an option for the Howe fan. 

“I think that would have been the easier and financially wiser choice to have made but there’s no way I could have knocked down the home of my childhood hero,” he said. 

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A Saskatoon native, McLean had spent a decade living abroad, primarily in Asia, before deciding to move back to his home city. He had been on the hunt for a house for a year when one day, while out on his bike, he saw an open house. 

He toured the house and later learned of its previous famous inhabitants.

“It was advertized as a selling feature of the house. That’s not the reason I bought the house, but it was among the constellation of reasons,” McLean said. 

He didn’t realize just how much work he would have to put into the house until he moved in. Since then, it’s been non-stop renovations to the home’s interior. McLean said he wants to preserve the home’s historic character as much as possible. 

Once renovations are done, he hopes to install a commemorative plaque to Gordie Howe outside and he said the hockey legend is always welcome to stop by for a visit. 
 
During the renovations, McLean said he discovered several hidden treasures tucked inside walls or cracks in the windowsill. He showed off a small collection of photos, a teardrop earring, advertisements, plastic army men, cowboys and natives, and old Wrigley’s gum wrappers. 
 
“I wonder some days if these are things that have passed through Gordie’s hands,” he said, adding one of the best treasures is a typewriter written dirty joke that was neatly folded and hidden.

McLean and his friends now fondly refer to the home as “Gordiehause.”

Since Howe’s school days, the neighbourhood has undergone dramatic changes. What was once one of the few houses on the block, the Howe home is now surrounded with post-WWII era homes. 

The house, however, is second to King George school and its hockey arena where Gordie spent just as much time. The two sit just kitty-corner to the home and Howe walked to school every day. 

As a child, McLean said he would replay famous games on the street or on the ice. 

“My number was 10 on my midget hockey team so I was Alex Delvecchio and that was Grodie Howe’s line mate in my mind so I would make the pass to Gordie on the street for the game winner in the Stanley Cup playoffs,” he said. 

Today, McLean said he enjoys watching the neighbourhood kids walk down the street with their skates hanging from their hockey sticks with shovels to remove the snow from the rink’s ice. 

“I love the neighbourhood, I love the history of the house, I love the iconic view of King George School,” he said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to be preserving the house and making sure it’s going to be around for a good long time.”

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