Gordie Howe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right and Left
Nickname	Mr. Hockey
Height Weight	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 205 lb (93 kg)
Pro Clubs	USHL  Omaha Knights NHL  Detroit Red Wings  Hartford Whalers WHA  Houston Aeros  New England Whalers
Nationality	Canada
Born	March 31, 1928, Floral, SK, CA
Pro Career	1946 – 1971 1973 – 1980
Hall of Fame	1972

Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC (born March 31, 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers in the NHL, and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the WHA. He is often referred to as Mr. Hockey, and is generally regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, being most famous for his scoring prowess, physical strength, and longevity.

[edit] Playing career

Although famous as #9 during his long career, 18-year old Gordon Howe actually wore #17 throughout his rookie season with the Detroit Red Wings in 1946-47.

Howe made his NHL debut in 1946 at the age of 18, playing right wing for the Detroit Red Wings. He quickly established himself as a great goal scorer and a gifted playmaker. Using his great physical strength, he was able to dominate the opposition in a career that spanned five decades. In a feat unsurpassed by any athlete, in any sport, Gordie Howe finished in the top five in scoring for twenty straight seasons. It was said that a Gordie Howe hat trick was a goal, an assist, and a fight.

Howe led Detroit to four Stanley Cups and to first place in regular season play for seven consecutive years (1948-49 to 1955-56), a feat never equaled in NHL history. During this time Howe and his linemates, Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay, were known collectively as "The Production Line", both for their scoring and as an allusion to Detroit auto factories. Howe had been in his prime during a defensive era, the 1940s and 1950s, when scoring was difficult and checking was tight.

As Howe emerged as one of the game's superstars, he was frequently compared to the Montreal Canadiens' Maurice "Rocket" Richard. Both were right wingers who wore the same sweater number (9), were frequently contenders for the league scoring title, and could also play rough if needed. During their first encounter in the Montreal Forum, when Howe was a rookie, he knocked Richard out with a punch after being shoved. The Red Wings and Canadiens faced off in four Stanley Cup finals during the 1950s. When Richard retired in 1960, he paid tribute to Howe, saying "Gordie could do everything."

The Red Wings were consistently contenders throughout the 1950s and early 1960s but began to slump in the late 60s. When Howe turned 40, in 1967, the league expanded from six to twelve teams and the number of scoring opportunities grew as the game schedule increased. Howe played the 1968-69 season on a line with Alex Delvecchio and Frank Mahovlich. Mahovlich was big, fast, and skilled, and Delvecchio was a gifted playmaker. The three were dubbed "The Production Line 3" and Howe's scoring returned to the levels of his youth, topping 100 points for the first time which included 44 goals and a career-high 59 assists.

Howe holds the Hart and Art Ross Trophies.

After twenty-five years, a chronic wrist problem forced him to retire after the 1970-71 season, and he took a job in the Red Wings front office. At the beginning of 1972, he was offered the job as first head coach of the New York Islanders, but turned it down. ^[1]

A year later, he was offered a contract to play with the Houston Aeros of the newly formed World Hockey Association, who had also signed his sons Mark and Marty to contracts. Dissatisfied with not having any meaningful influence in the Red Wings' office, he underwent an operation to improve his wrist and make a return to hockey possible, and he led his new team to consecutive championships. In 1974, at the age of 46, Howe was selected as the WHA's most valuable player.

When the WHA folded in 1979, the Hartford Whalers joined the NHL and the 51-year-old Howe signed on for one final season playing in all 80 games of the schedule, helping his team to make the playoffs with fifteen goals. One particular honor was when Howe, Phil Esposito, and Jean Ratelle were selected to the mid-season all-star game by coach Scotty Bowman, as a nod to their storied careers before they retired. Howe had played in five decades of all-star games and he would skate alongside the second-youngest to ever play in the game, 19-year-old Wayne Gretzky. The Joe Louis Arena crowd gave him a standing ovation twice, first when he appeared and second when he assisted on his sides 6-3 win.

Another milestone in a remarkable career was reached in 1997 when Howe played professional hockey in a sixth decade. He was signed to a one-game contract by the Detroit Vipers of the IHL and, almost 70 years old, made a return to the ice for one shift.

Howe's #9 banner hanging in Joe Louis Arena.

His most productive seasons came during an era when scoring was difficult and checking was tight, yet Howe ranks third in NHL history with 1,850 total points, including 801 goals and 1,049 assists. Careerwise, when his goals and assists from both the NHL and the WHA regular seasons are combined, he ranks first in goals with 975. Howe would also become good friends with Wayne Gretzky, who had idolized Howe as a young player, and who would later break many of Howe's scoring records and milestones.

At the time of his retirement, Howe's professional totals, including playoffs, for the NHL and WHA combined, were first. He finished with 2421 games played, 1,071 goals, 1,518 assists, and 2,589 points. Wayne Gretzky has since passed him in goals (1,072), assists (2,297), and points (3,369), but not games played (1,788). It is unlikely that anyone will surpass Howe's total professional games played. Mark Messier retired only 11 NHL games behind Howe at 1,756 (and counting minor league action and playoffs, 2,048 total professional games), but this is over five seasons away from 2,478 total professional games (including minor league action).

[edit] Personal life

Howe has been married to Colleen Joffa since April 15, 1953; two of their sons, Marty and Mark, were his teammates on the Houston Aeros and the Hartford Whalers. Colleen is the founder of the Detroit Junior Red Wings, the first Ontario Hockey League team in the U.S.

Colleen Howe was diagnosed with Pick's disease, an incurable neurological disease that causes dementia, in 2002. [1][2]

[edit] Awards & Achievements

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy - 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1963.
• Hart Memorial Trophy - 1952, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1963.
• Lester B. Patrick Award - 1967.
• Made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1971.
• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.
• Inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000.
• Played in the NHL All-Star Game 23 times.
• Gary L. Davidson Trophy - 1974.
• Played in the WHA All-Star Game 2 times.
• The last active person that played during the 1940s and the 1950s. He's tied with Bobby Hull for the latter, as they both played in the final game for Hartford in the 1980 playoffs.
• In 1998, he was ranked #3 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, the highest-ranking right wing on the list.
• His number 9 was retired by both the Detroit Red Wings and the Hartford Whalers (Which became the Carolina Hurricanes).

[edit] Records

• Most NHL regular season games played: 1,767
• Most NHL & WHA regular season games played: 2,186
• Most NHL & WHA regular season and playoff games played: 2,421
• Most NHL seasons played: 26
• Most NHL & WHA seasons played: 32
• Most NHL regular season goals by a right winger: 801
• Most NHL regular season assists by a right winger: 1,049
• Most NHL regular season points by a right winger: 1,850
• Most NHL regular season points by a father/son combo (with son Mark) 2,592

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] International Play

Howe played a single game in the IHL for the Detroit Vipers in 1997-98. This is regarded as his final game as a professional hockey player.

[edit] Trivia

• Bart Simpson used a picture of Howe as part of a practical joke he pulls on Mrs. Krabappel in The Simpsons episode "Bart the Lover". At the end of the episode, Howe's career statistics are displayed on the screen.
• At the height of Howe's career, a ballad was penned by a songwriter named Bob Davies called, "Gordie Howe is the Greatest of Them All".
• Howe is a member of 11 different Halls of Fame.
• His name and nickname, "Mr. Hockey", as well as his wife's nickname as "Mrs. Hockey", are registered trademarks.
• His tough physical play also earned him the nickname "Mr. Elbows".
• His Detroit Red Wings jersey is worn by the character Cameron Frye in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
• Michael Vartan gives a speech about Gordie Howe in the movie Never Been Kissed
• The only person in hockey history to compete in 6 different decades at the professional level (e.g. NHL and WHA; 1940s-1980s). 1997-98 also saw a one shift comeback from Gordie Howe, making him the only person to play hockey in six different decades.
• There is a Statue of Gordie Howe in downtown Saskatoon, SK on the corner of 20th Street and 1st Ave. He is depicted wearing a Detroit Red Wings Sweater. The statue has been relocated to Credit Union Centre.
• Gordie Howe recorded only one "Gordie Howe hat trick", even though the hat-trick, which requires a player to score a goal, an assist, and win a fight in one game, is named after him.
• Colleen & Gordie Howe have a Middle School named after them, located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada (Colleen & Gordie Howe Middle School)
• Wore jersey number 9, which was retired by Detroit, Hartford, and the Houston Aeros
• Ska band The Planet Smashers wrote a song about Howe called "Uncle Gordie"
• Howe took a signing bonus in his first season, it was a Red Wings letterman jacket

[edit] See also

• Hockey Hall of Fame
• List of famous ice hockey linemates
• List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame
• List of NHL players
• List of NHL players with 1000 games played
• List of NHL players with 1000 points
• List of NHL players with 500 goals
• List of NHL seasons
• List of NHL statistical leaders
• Notable families in the NHL
• Power forward (ice hockey)
• Production line (hockey)
• List of Father/son pairs with most points in NHL

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Order of Canada Citation
• Career Stats
• More Career Stats
• Colleen and Gordie Howe Middle School
• Gordie Howe Biography
• Mr Hockey Biography
• ESPN Article
• Red Wings Legends
• HHOF Biography