![]() ![]() But so anyway, so I laughed, and I'm like this'll be interesting. MIKE: Not that first year … He became a better skater, don't get me wrong. PATRICK: Did you say he wasn't a great skater? He was a lanky guy, right, you know he was young. And I remember a conversation along the lines of, 'Hey, don't blame the goalie.' Gord is like, 'Next year I'm gonna be the goalie.' And I laughed and I laughed. ![]() The goalie let them down, right? And they had this team and they'd had a great season and they lost the final game. ![]() Gord was a defenceman. So anyway they lost the game, and Gord … he's pissed off. Gord was in his first year of minor hockey … and we were coming home at the end of a season - last game. Gord's team was in the finals. TOM: Can you give me a story about childhood Gord? Patrick Downie and Mike Downie share some of their fondest memories of their brother, their plans to carry on his legacy, and what it's been like to witness an outpouring of grief from Canadians. The Athletic is a subscription-based site and might be behind a paywall, but if you can get a trial, it’s a piece of journalism that will warm and break your heart at the same time.Gord Downie's brothers sat down with the q's Tom Power for an intimate interview following the Tragically Hip singer's passing earlier this week. It’s a tremendous piece of writing and well worth a read. Louis Blues, the team that beat the Sharks in the Western Conference Finals the prior season. Now it makes a little more sense why Thornton’s former team, the San Jose Sharks, skated out to two Hip songs in January 2017 for a rematch against the St. But just now are we learning that “Safe is Dead” was inspired by something Thornton said to Gord. We knew that “You, Me and the B’s” off 2017’s Introduce Yerself was written in thanks to Patrick for caring for Gord as his health deteriorated but also to share, one more time, their love of the Boston team. “A coincidence, sure, but an opportunity to bond all the same,” Kloke writes. It was also during that time that Gord began wearing a scruffy beard and that Thornton began growing the beard that has made him instantly recognizable. Kloke paints a beautiful, loving portrait of two men who have obvious fondness, respect and a deep love for each other - you can get a sense that there were many heartfelt hugs when the two men would walk around Gord’s Toronto neighbourhood in late 2016 - and draws some parallels between the two men.įor example, he notes that it was Thornton’s Bruins jersey Gord wore to his treatments. They stayed close over the years and, when Gord’s health started to fail, Thornton was one of the few people for whom the door to the Downie house remained open. Thornton didn’t meet Gord Downie right away but they quickly became close, with Thonrton wanting to talk music and Gord wanting to talk hockey. Thornton proudly proclaimed that it was the Hip and, when the interview was over, the reporter pointed out Patrick Downie standing nearby. The relationship between Thornton and the Downie brothers started in 1997, when Thornton was drafted first overall by the Downies’ beloved Bruins and a reporter asked Thornton, as an ice breaker, about his favourite music. On Wednesday, hockey fans and Hip fans alike were given a gift from The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke: an interview with Leafs left winger Joe Thornton and Patrick Downie about the very close friendship Thornton had with Gord. Harder still to believe there are new stories being told about theTragically Hip frontman and his lifelong love of hockey. Hard to believe it’s been nearly five years since we found out about Gord Downie’s cancer diagnosis. ![]()
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