They say Gord Downie’s net worth is somewhere close to $11 million.
You can multiply that figure by a hundred to get the number of people he touched in an amazing 53 years on this planet. His legacy is hardly about how much money he’s leaving behind for family and likely charity.
The Tragically Hip frontman was known for kindness and a true love of people and Canada. He treated his roadies like he did his high school buddies who became band mates.
Dion Phaneuf of the Ottawa Senators told the media he always noticed how Downie always made everybody around him feel important, that they mattered. You don’t see all human beings act that way.
I have head phones on and am listening to Hip ditties as I pen this piece. I wish I had met the pride of Kingston, where he was known to show up unannounced at the Horseshoe Tavern and swap stories with bartenders, servers and patrons.
I missed his show at the Vernon Multiplex back in the day, but will never forget the jumbotron live feed of his final concert last August at the Vernon Curling Club. Thanks to T.J. Perepolkin for putting that benefit show together.
That final concert, in Kingston on Aug. 20, was carried live by the CBC, with the broadcast aired in pubs, parks and drive-in movie theatres across the country. Because his illness and brain surgeries had affected his memory, Downie relied on teleprompters to remind him of words that those in attendance had no trouble at all recalling. I certainly didn’t notice him checking any teleprompters, but rather mesmerized by every move he made and taking in every breath he took.
As a journalist of 42 years, I have been fortunate to meet some wonderful people and spend more than a few minutes hearing their story: Ken Dryden, Ken Holland, Barry Pederson, Brent Gilchrist, Eric Godard, Jeff Finley, Jerred Smithson, Mark Ferner, Doug Bodger, Butch Goring, Russ Courtnall, Harold Snepsts, Jack McIlhargey, Ralph Backstrom, Jackie Parker, Don Matthews, Kevin Konar, Sandra Post, Craig Stadler, Elizabeth Manley, Katarina Witt, Tracy Wilson, Trevor Berbick, Jimmy Young, Gordie Racette, Barry Broadfoot, Ra Maguire, Tom Cochrane, Bob Lenarduzzi, Ernie Whitt, Ken Shields, Joe Clark, Lawrie Skolrood and Kevin Alexander, just to name a few.
These people are or were celebrities but also extraordinary citizens who put the work in to create the spark. They also made an impact on everyone around them like Downie certainly did. Wish I had shared a coffee or beer with him.
Downie and The Hip loved every hidden corner and every aspect of this country that he celebrated his whole life.
They put a small Ontario town named Bobcaygeon on the map, and with a song much more rugged, Fifty-Mission Cap, a buried piece of hockey lore was anthemically conveyed:
“Bill Barilko disappeared that summer / He was on a fishing trip The last goal he ever scored / Won the Leafs the cup.” Fabulous lyrics. It’s no wonder the Canadian players who control the music dials on every NHL team play Hip songs in the dressing room all the time. For the record, Downie’s godfather was former Boston Bruin GM Harry Sinden, a real estate business partner of his father’s.
“Heartbroken today. Few Canadians touched this country like Gord Downie. Thank you for everything you gave us. My deepest condolences.” wrote former Maple Leafs star Doug Gilmour on the day Downie died from brain cancer.
Thank you Gord. May God and the singing angels bless you always.
