Two singular athletes died in the past few days: Muhammad Ali and Gordie Howe.

Justifiably renowned, Ali and Howe dominated their sports. Ali ruled the ring with his skill as a fighter and the ring of life with his personality. Ali was a generous and kind man outside the boxing ring and his domination of the world of boxing was a result not only of his talent but of his bravado, braggadocio and flamboyant personality.

It is easy, as it is for me, to be ambivalent about Ali. I admired his athletic prowess but thought less of his political opinions.

Gordie Howe is one of my favorite athletes of all time.

I went to my first hockey game in Chicago on my birthday in 1962. It was in the old Chicago Stadium, arguably the best sports venue ever for fans. From that first game, I went to every home Blackhawk game I could for the next two years that I lived in the Windy City. Of course, it was much easier then with tickets in the second balcony that cost $2.25 or the first balcony at $2.75. Because the stadium was always sold out I had to stand regardless of which ticket was available.

My favorite Hawk was Reggie Fleming, who I thought was the toughest guy I ever saw. Until I saw Gordie Howe. Raised on a farm in Canada, Howe didn’t have the bulging muscles like Fleming or the Hawks’ star Bobby Hull. Howe had the kind of ropy muscles that are deceptively stout.

Reggie Fleming had some epic fights, in the days before the sport’s purification, particularly with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ enforcer, Bobby Baun. Those matches were a draw most times.

Reggie was the toughest, I thought, until he made the mistake one preseason game when he picked a fight with Howe, apparently to establish his toughness. It was short fight. Off the ice, Howe was reputed to be the nicest guy; on the ice he was a very tough, almost ruthless battler.

One night in New York’s Madison Square Garden, New York Ranger tough guy Lou Fontinato, who had been pictured in a national magazine showing off his muscles, barged into a fight between Red Wing Red Kelly and Ranger Eddie “The Clown” Shack. Howe was there on behalf of his teammate Kelly when Fontinato rushed him. Howe saw him coming, however, and broke Fontinato’s nose with one punch, continuing the battle by grabbing Fontinato’s jersey with his left hand to immobilize the right-handed Fontinato’s punching hand and pounded him with his own right hand.

Many of Howe’s fights and much of his retribution came out of sight of the referee (there was only one in those days) and few of his opponents took the opportunity to take a second helping of Howe.

When Howe retired from the National Hockey League and signed on with the Hartford Whalers of the new World Hockey League, he did so to join his two sons on the team. The players in that league soon learned that picking on one of the Howe sons meant tangling with Howe the father.

There is a very good reason that the term “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” – a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game – is still used in the game today.

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Rick Deines resides in Marshalltown.