Gordie Howe Bridge immortalized through art
He has done it again.
Peter Solly, owner of MacDonald’s Automotive Supercentre on Eugenie Street East, has added to his collection of sculptures with his latest creation, a replica of the Gordie Howe Bridge.
“A friend of mine from Assumption High School called me and said Pete, you got to build a Gordie Howe for the Gordie Howe Bridge,” Solly explained.
“I'm thinking, okay, sounds great, but how am I going to do this? How am I going to incorporate a bridge with Gordie Howe?”
After some thought, he created a unique blend of the hockey legend and the sleekly designed bridge. Considered folk art, the sculpture has a blend of muffler parts and metal and took hours to weld and paint. The bridge features tin-sized Gordie Howe holding two hockey sticks with the Canadian and American flags as butt ends. The bridge deck came from a nearby sign.
“There was a real crazy accident here [near the shop] about two months ago where a lady drove over and cut the median sign right in half,” Solly said.
“Me and my son went to scavenge the parts off the side of the road and brought them back and this is the decking of the bridge.”
To put the proverbial cherry on top, Solly installed mini cars on the deck.
“This one is definitely my favorite one,” said Solly’s son, Josh. “A lot of work goes into it, painting, welding and obviously a lot of imagination as well. He [his dad] has a lot of that so I'm proud of him and I'm sure a lot of people are going to like it a lot.”
Solly knew he wanted to display the Gordie Howe Bridge in a public place. Ward 3 city councilor, Renaldo Agostino, learned of the sculpture and suggested the Art Gallery of Windsor. Officials were more than happy to welcome Gordie to the building.
“When I found out about this amazing art piece, I thought no better place than the AWE (Art Windsor-Essex), give people a chance to come down here and see this great gallery and see this great piece of work, the great piece of art of a great man.” Agostino said.
The sculpture can be found on the second floor, well lit by natural light in the south side staircase.
Solly has immortalized legends like Prince, The Blues Brothers and Taylor Swift, but doesn’t know how he’ll top the Gordie Howe Bridge.
“It’s gonna take some time. It’s gonna take some thinking. Sky’s the limit right?” Solly said with a laugh.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc leader says ultimatum stands after Liberals vote against motion seeking boost to seniors' benefits
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says his ultimatum to the government stands, after the Liberals voted against a motion seeking money to boost seniors' benefits on Wednesday.
DEVELOPING Israel battles militants on two fronts and reports 8 combat deaths as fears of a wider war mount
Israel's ground incursion into Lebanon to battle Hezbollah militants left eight Israeli soldiers dead Wednesday, while the region braced for further escalation as Israel vowed to retaliate for Iran's ballistic missile attack a day earlier.
Trump 'resorted to crimes' after losing 2020 U.S. election, prosecutors say
Donald Trump 'resorted to crimes' after losing the 2020 election, federal prosecutors said in a court filing unsealed Wednesday.
Canada's October temperatures set to teeter-totter due to record-breaking U.S. heat
Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north
Northern Ont. trial begins with shocking details about murder scene
The jury at the trial of a second-degree murder suspect in Sudbury on Wednesday heard graphic details of the crime scene discovered in a Kathleen Street apartment on Boxing Day 2020.
Canadian figure skater suspended at least 6 years for 'sexual maltreatment'
Canadian figure skater Nikolaj Sorensen has been suspended for at least six years for 'sexual maltreatment,' the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner announced Wednesday.
U.S. airline safety board raises alarm over foreign carriers that may have Boeing 737 rudder issue
At least forty foreign air carriers could be flying Boeing 737 jets with a rudder control system that has the potential to jam, according to the Chair of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
Driver spotted going 234 km/h on Hwy. 174 in Ottawa's east end
A 27-year-old man is facing several charges after police observed a vehicle travelling 134 km/h over the speed limit on Highway 174 in Ottawa's east end.
Dozens of suspected White supremacist gang members arrested in L.A. area in domestic terrorism investigation
A total of 68 suspected gang members, with ties to White supremacy, were charged in the Los Angeles area Wednesday in a large-scale takedown, federal prosecutors said.