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ROLFING A LEGEND Played in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers. Professional Hockey Player: 32 years Position: Defense, center, and right wing Total Games Played: 2,421 1,071 29 Total Goals: Stanley Cups: 4 Even after Mark completed the fi rst 14 Rolfi ng sessions and was playing without pain, he knew he needed to keep Toporek as part of his therapeutic team. "It became very evident to me that I needed to come to Robert in order for me to play." While he played in Philadelphia, Mark's name showed up frequently on Toporek's appointment book, and as he fi nished out his career in Detroit, Mark would fl y Toporek in for Rolfi ng sessions every 4–6 weeks. "The more work we did, the longer the All-Star Games: Retired: 1980 at the age of 52 effect would last. Maybe it's not for everybody, but it sure was for me," Mark says. "Rolfi ng can improve the quality of your life." A ROLFING TRADITION In 1972, after serving two tours in Vietnam and returning with a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Cross of Gallantry, and 19 years before he would cross paths with hockey royalty, Toporek found himself in the company of a different type of legend. "I was at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, on a leadership development fellowship from the Ford Foundation at the time I fi rst met Ida [Rolf ]," For Gordie Howe, the Rolfi ng work he received from Toporek was not just structurally signifi cant, but relaxing for the 84-year-old as well. Lindy Powers Photography. 92 massage & bodywork november/december 2012 Gordie Howe #9 1951