DETROIT -- About six months ago, Marty Howe received a letter from a hockey fan capturing exactly what Gordie Howe means to the hockey world. The fan had just spent two and a half hours in line to get an autograph from Mr. Hockey.

For the 21st time.

Every single time he met the Hall of Famer, the fan wrote, Howe made him feel like a million dollars. It was always worth the wait.

"I hear that stuff all the time," Mark Howe said this week in telling that story. "That, to me, is the important part in trying to protect that."

On Sunday, the lines will form again for another autograph signing with Howe when he is celebrated at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit for his birthday. Born on March 31, 1928, Mr. Hockey is turning 85.

The birthday celebration will begin fittingly with a Sunday matinee Original Six showdown between the Blackhawks and Red Wings and continue into the evening when 30 to 35 friends and family, including all four Howe children, will occupy a reserved room at a local seafood and steakhouse.

It should be a memorable day, and sadly, the reality is setting in that it may be one of the last of the great Howe public events. Age and dementia slow for nobody, even the toughest SOB to ever play the game. Physically, he's strong as an ox -- "I still wouldn't want to fight him," jokes Marty -- but any experiences outside interaction with close family are becoming more unpredictable.