Paul Henderson

For other people named Paul Henderson, see Paul Henderson (disambiguation).

Paul Henderson
Born	January 28, 1943 (1943-01-28) Kincardine, ON, CAN
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	NHL Detroit Red Wings Toronto Maple Leafs Atlanta Flames AHL Pittsburgh Hornets WHA Birmingham Bulls Toronto Toros
National team	Canada
Playing career	1962–1981

Paul Henderson (born January 28, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames. Henderson is best known for scoring the winning goals in the last three games of the 1972 Summit Series against the USSR, the final one winning the series for Canada.

Henderson presently works in various ministries affiliated with Campus Crusade for Christ.

Playing career

Henderson's Signature

Henderson played left wing in various professional leagues in North America, as well as for Team Canada in international competitions. Henderson is best known for scoring one of hockey's most famous goals (a.k.a. the Goal of the Century), helping Team Canada clinch the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union with only 34 seconds left in the final game.

Henderson started his junior career with the Goderich Sailors of the Western Jr. 'B' Hockey League. He took them into the playoffs, before being eliminated by the Sarnia Legionnaires. After that, he played with the Hamilton Red Wings of the OHA from 1960 to 1963. He would help lead Hamilton to the Memorial Cup title in 1962.

Henderson played 13 seasons in the NHL. He began his career in 1962 with the Detroit Red Wings, staying there until 1968 (with the exception of the 1963 season, when he played for the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL). He was traded by Detroit with Norm Ullman and Floyd Smith to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Frank Mahovlich, Garry Unger, Pete Stemkowski and the contract rights to Carl Brewer on March 3, 1968.

He was among the NHL players selected to compete against the USSR in the 1972 Summit Series. He became famous in Canada after scoring the winning goals in the final three games of the eight-game series, securing the Canadian victory. He also played for Canada in the 1974 Summit Series in which Canadian WHA players were pitted against the Soviet team.

In 1974, Henderson left the Maple Leafs and the NHL altogether, jumping to the rival WHA where he played for the Toronto Toros. He was offered a five-year contract by Toros owner John Bassett a full season before his Maple Leafs contract expired. The deal included a signing bonus that depended on his performance during his final season with the Maple Leafs. He was subsequently offered the same deal by Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard, without the signing bonus, which he rejected. He later expressed regret at signing a Toros contract before his Maple Leafs contract expired. He remained with the Toros franchise after its relocation to Birmingham, Alabama and re-named the Birmingham Bulls. He stayed with the team when it transferred to the CHL in 1979.

He returned to the NHL in 1980 for one final season, playing for the Atlanta Flames. The following season he returned to the CHL's Birmingham Bulls and retired in 1981.

Clarke slash of Kharlamov

During a press conference on the 30th anniversary celebrations of the series in 2002, Henderson criticized former linemate Bobby Clarke for his slash on Valeri Kharlamov's ankle, which neutralized the Soviet star for the rest of the series, dubbing the move "the lowpoint of the series". Clarke responded that Henderson had made his career entirely on the historical significance of the series-winning goal, and that Henderson would have remained an unknown if he had not scored this goal. Clarke went on to say "I think it's improper to criticize a teammate 30 years later. If it was so offensive, why didn't he bother to say something after the game?" Henderson has since retracted his criticism.

Awards

• Led the Ontario Hockey Association Junior "A" League in goals in 1963 (49)
• Played in the 1972 NHL All-Star Game
• Played in the 1973 NHL All-Star Game
• Inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, 1995
• MasterWorks honouree (2004) by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada (video clip).
• Received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Tyndale University College and Seminary, May 2007.

Records

• Most game-winning goals in 1972 Summit Series (3; record was co-held by Vladimir Vikulov (2), prior to Game 8)
• Most consecutive game-winning goals in 1972 Summit Series (3; record was co-held by Vladimir Vikulov (2), prior to Game 8)
• Most goals in 1972 Summit Series (7, tied with Phil Esposito and Alexander Yakushev)
• One of three players (the others being Frank Mahovlich and Pat Stapleton) to have played for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series and 1974 Summit Series

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1960–61	Hamilton Red Wings	OHA		30	1	3	4	9		12	1	1	2	4
1961–62	Hamilton Red Wings	OHA		50	24	19	43	68		10	4	6	10	13
1962–63	Hamilton Red Wings	OHA		48	49	27	76	53		3	2	0	2	0
1962–63	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		2	0	0	0	9		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		38	10	14	24	18		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		32	3	3	6	14		14	2	3	5	6
1964–65	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	8	13	21	30		7	0	2	2	0
1965–66	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		69	22	24	46	34		12	3	3	6	10
1966–67	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		46	21	19	40	10		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		50	13	20	33	35		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		13	5	6	11	8		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		74	27	32	59	16		4	0	1	1	0
1969–70	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		67	20	22	42	18		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		72	30	30	60	34		6	5	1	6	4
1971–72	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		73	38	19	57	32		5	1	2	3	6
1972–73	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		40	18	16	34	18		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		69	24	31	55	40		4	0	2	2	2
1974–75	Toronto Toros	WHA		58	30	33	63	18		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Toronto Toros	WHA		65	26	29	55	22		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Birmingham Bulls	WHA		81	23	25	48	30		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	Birmingham Bulls	WHA		80	37	29	66	22		5	1	1	2	0
1978–79	Birmingham Bulls	WHA		76	24	27	51	20		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Birmingham Bulls	CHL		47	17	18	35	10		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Atlanta Flames	NHL		30	7	6	13	6		4	0	0	0	0
1980–81	Birmingham Bulls	CHL		35	6	11	17	38		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				707	236	241	477	304		56	11	14	25	28
WHA totals				360	140	143	283	112		5	1	1	2	0

International play

• Played for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series.
• Played for Team Canada in the 1974 Summit Series.
• One of three players to have played for Team Canada in both Summit Series. The other two were Pat Stapleton and Frank Mahovlich.

International statistics

Year	Team	Event	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1972	Canada	Summit	8	7	3	10	4
1974	Canada	Summit	7	2	1	3	0

Jersey Tour

In September 2011, Paul Henderson's jersey, which he wore in the 72' Canada-USSR Series when he scored one of history's greatest goals, started an eastern-Canada tour in his hometown of Lucknow. It stoped in some 40 towns from late September to mid-February. Some of the more notable stops were in Ottawa and Montreal. In Montreal, he met up with USSR goaltender and Hockey Hall of Fame member Vladislav Tretiak and Montreal Canadiens' legend Yvan Cournoyer. The trio praticipated in a puck dropping cermony at the Bell Centre on January 7. Even though Henderson did not accompany the tour to every stop, he did attend some of the bigger cities.

References

• "1972 Summit Series.com". 1972 Summit Series.com. http://www.1972summitseries.com. Retrieved 2006-03-09. 
• "Paul Henderson". The Summit in 1974: Canada plays USSR. http://www.chidlovski.net/1974/74_playersca.asp?playerid=ca19. Retrieved 2008-03-09. 

External links

• Paul Henderson's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Paul Henderson on the Internet Movie Database