Jump to content

Gordie Howe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Centpacrr (talk | contribs) at 03:54, 29 March 2016 (Reverted to revision 710089789 by ClueBot NG (talk): Gordie's birthday is in fact March 31, not March 28. (TW)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Gordie Howe
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1972
Born (1928-03-31) March 31, 1928 (age 96)
Floral, SK, CAN
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Ambidextrous[1]
Played for USHL
 Omaha Knights
NHL
 Detroit Red Wings
 Hartford Whalers
WHA
 Houston Aeros
 New England Whalers
IHL
 Detroit Vipers
National team  Canada
Playing career 1946–1971
1973–1980

Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC (born March 31, 1928) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, Howe played twenty-six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seasons were spent with the Detroit Red Wings. Nicknamed "Mr. Hockey", Howe is considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time.[2] A 23-time NHL All-Star, Howe held many of the sport's scoring records until they were broken in the 1990s by Wayne Gretzky. Howe continues to hold NHL records for most games and seasons played.

Howe was recruited by the Red Wings and made his NHL debut in 1946. Howe led the league in scoring each year from 1950 to 1954, then again in 1957 and 1963. He ranked among the top ten in league scoring for 21 consecutive years, and set a league record for points in a season (95) in 1953. Howe won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings four times, won six Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player, and won six Art Ross Trophies as the leading scorer.

Howe retired in 1971 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame the next year. However, he came back two years later to join his sons Mark and Marty on the Houston Aeros of the WHA. Although in his mid-40s, Howe scored over 100 points twice in six years. He made a brief return to the NHL in 1979–80, playing one season with the Hartford Whalers, then retired at the age of 52.

Howe is most famous for his scoring prowess, physical strength, and career longevity. He is the only player to have competed in the NHL in five different decades (1940s through 1980s). Although he only achieved the feat twice in his own career, Howe became the namesake of the "Gordie Howe hat trick": a goal, an assist, and a fight in the same game. He was the inaugural recipient of the NHL Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Early life

Howe was born to Ab and Katherine Howe in a farmhouse in Floral, Saskatchewan; he was one of nine siblings.[3] When Gordie was nine days old, the Howes moved to Saskatoon,[4] where his father worked as a labourer during the Depression. In the summers, Howe would work construction with his father.[3]

He was mildly dyslexic growing up, but was physically beyond his years at an early age. Already six feet tall in his mid-teens, doctors feared a calcium deficiency and encouraged him to strengthen his spine with chin-ups. He began playing organized hockey at eight years old.[3] Howe quit school during the Depression to work in construction, then left Saskatoon at sixteen to pursue his hockey career.[4]

Playing career

Howe was an ambidextrous player, one of just a few skaters able to use the straight sticks of his era to shoot either left- or right-handed.[5] As a young teen Howe played bantam hockey with the King George Athletic Club in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, winning his first championship with them in the 1942 Saskatchewan Provincial Bantam Hockey Finals. He received his first taste of professional hockey at age 15 in 1943 when he was invited by the New York Rangers to their training camp held at "The Amphitheatre" in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He played well enough there that the Rangers wanted Howe to sign a "C" form which would have given that club his NHL rights and to play that year at Notre Dame, a Catholic school in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, that was known for turning out good hockey players. Howe did not feel that was a good fit for him and wanted to go back home to play hockey with his friends so declined the Rangers' offer and returned to Saskatoon.[6]

Gordie Howe (2nd from left, back row) on the 1945-46 Omaha Knights (USHL)

In 1944, Howe was noticed by Detroit Red Wings scout Fred Pinkney and was invited to their camp in Windsor, Ontario. He was signed by the Red Wings to a "C" form and assigned to their junior team, the Galt Red Wings. However, due to a maximum amount of Western players allowed by the league and the Red Wings' preference to develop older players, Howe's playing time with the team was initially limited. In 1945, however, he was promoted to the Omaha Knights of the minor professional United States Hockey League (USHL), where he scored 48 points in 51 games as a seventeen-year-old. While playing in Omaha, Frank Selke of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization noticed that Howe was not properly listed as Red Wings property. Having a good relationship with Detroit coach Jack Adams, he notified Adams of the clerical error and Howe was quickly put on the team's protected list.[3]

Detroit Red Wings

Howe relaxing at "Gordie Howe Hockeyland" in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, circa 1966

Howe made his NHL debut on October 16, 1946, playing right wing for the Detroit Red Wings, scoring in his first game at the age of 18.[7] He wore #17 as a rookie. However, when Roy Conacher moved on to the Chicago Black Hawks after the 1946–47 season, Howe was offered Conacher's #9, which he would wear for the rest of his career; although he had not requested the change, Howe accepted it when he was informed that "9" would entitle him to a lower Pullman berth on road trips. He quickly established himself as a great goalscorer and a gifted playmaker with a willingness to fight. Howe fought so often in his rookie season that coach Jack Adams told him, "I know you can fight. Now can you show me you can play hockey?"[3] The term "Gordie Howe hat trick" (consisting of a goal, an assist, and a fight) was coined in reference to his penchant for fighting; however, Howe himself only recorded two such hat tricks in his career,[8] on October 10, 1953, and March 21, 1954.[9] Using his great physical strength, he was able to dominate the opposition in a career that spanned six decades (including one game with the Detroit Vipers of the IHL in 1997). In a feat unsurpassed by any hockey player, he finished in the top five in scoring for 20 straight seasons. Howe also scored 20 or more goals in 22 consecutive seasons between 1949 and 1971, an NHL record.

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 led Detroit to four Stanley Cup championships 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. The trio dominated the league in such a fashion that in 1949–50, they finished one-two-three in league scoring.[10] Howe had been in his prime during a defensive era, the 1940s and 1950s, when scoring was difficult and checking was tight.

As his career just started going, however, Howe sustained the worst injury of his career, fracturing his skull after an attempt to check Toronto Maple Leafs captain Ted Kennedy into the boards went awry during the 1950 playoffs. The severity of the fracture was such that he was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery in order to relieve building pressure on his brain.[3] The next season, he returned to record 86 points, winning the scoring title by 20 points.

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 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 cold with a punch after being shoved.[11] 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."[12]

The Red Wings were consistent contenders throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, but began to slump in the late 1960s. When Howe turned 40 in 1967–68, the league expanded from six to 12 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 at 40 years old, Howe reached new scoring heights, topping 100 points for the only time of his NHL career with 44 goals and a career-high 59 assists.[2]

Following his personal best 103-point season, however, conflict with the Red Wings organization arose after Howe discovered he was just the third-highest paid player on the team with a $45,000 salary. Furthermore, while owner Bruce Norris increased Howe's salary to $100,000, he blamed Howe's wife, Colleen, for the demand.[3] Howe remained with the Red Wings for two more seasons, but after 25 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.[13]

World Hockey Association

A year later, Howe was offered a contract to play with the Houston Aeros of the newly formed World Hockey Association (WHA), 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 won the Gary L. Davidson Trophy, awarded to the WHA's Most Valuable Player (the trophy was renamed the Gordie Howe Trophy the following year). Howe played with the Aeros until 1977, when he and his sons joined the New England Whalers.[2]

Team Canada 74

Gordie was named with sons Mark & Marty (although both were born in the U.S.) to the WHA version of Team Canada for an eight-game series against the USSR National team. This was primarily the same USSR team which had taken the NHL All Stars to the brink of defeat in an epic eight-game series in 1972. Playing on a line with son Mark and Ralph Backstrom, Gordie was a wonder for Team Canada in the series, with 7 points in 7 games and punishing the shocked young Russian stars with his physical play and ability at age 46. Although the WHA lost the series 4 games to one with 3 ties, the series was much closer than expected and Gordie was one of the best players for Canada.

In the final season of the WHA, Gordie had the opportunity to play with Wayne Gretzky in the 1979 WHA All-Star Game. The format of the game was a three-game series between the WHA All-Stars against HC Dynamo Moscow. The WHA All-Stars were coached by Jacques Demers, and Demers asked Howe if it was okay to put him on a line with Gretzky and his son Mark Howe.[14] In Game One, the line scored seven points, as the WHA All-Stars won by a score of 4–2.[14] In Game Two, Gretzky and Mark Howe each scored a goal and Gordie Howe picked up an assist as the WHA won 4–2.[14] The line did not score in the final game but the WHA won by a score of 4–3.

Hartford Whalers

When the WHA folded in 1979, the renamed Hartford Whalers joined the NHL. While the Red Wings still held his NHL rights even though he had retired eight years earlier, the Whalers and Red Wings reached a gentleman's agreement in which the Red Wings agreed not to reclaim him. Howe had experienced dizzy spells in the late part of the 1978–79 WHA season, and underwent an “extensive battery of tests” before making his decision to play the 1979–80 season.[15] 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 15 goals. One particular honour 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 an All-Star Game, 19-year-old Wayne Gretzky. The Joe Louis Arena crowd gave him a standing ovation twice, lasting so long that he had to skate to the bench to stop people from cheering. He had one assist in the Wales Conference's 6–3 win.[11]

Legacy

Howe's name and nickname, "Mr. Hockey", as well as his late wife's nickname as "Mrs. Hockey", are registered trademarks.[16] Howe was also referred to during his career as Power,[17] Mr. Everything, Mr. All-Star, The Most, The Great Gordie, The King of Hockey, The Legend, The Man, No. 9,[18] and "Mr. Elbows" (for his tough physical play). Over the years Howe became good friends with Gretzky, who had idolized Howe as a young player, and who would later break many of Howe's scoring records and milestones.[2]

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.[3] In doing so, he became the only player in hockey history to compete in six different decades at the professional level, having played in the NHL, WHA and IHL from the 1940s to 1990s.

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, and he never scored 50 goals in a single season, yet Howe ranks fourth in NHL history with 1,850 total points, including 801 goals and 1,049 assists. When career regular season goals from both the NHL and the WHA are combined, he ranks first in goals with 975.

At the time of his retirement, Howe's professional totals, including playoffs, for the NHL and WHA combined, were first. He finished with 2,421 games played, 1,071 goals, 1,518 assists, and 2,589 points. Later on, however, Wayne Gretzky would pass him in goals (1,072), assists (2,297), and points (3,369), but not in games played or games played with one team.

Howe played internationally on one occasion, at the 1974 Summit Series.

In May 2015, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced that a new international bridge spanning the Detroit River would be named in honor of Howe. The Gordie Howe International Bridge is set to open in 2020.[19]

Retirement

Howe appearing at Gordie Howe Night as partial owner of the Vancouver Giants in 2008.

In 1998, The Hockey News released their List of Top 100 NHL Players of All Time and listed Howe third overall, ahead of Mario Lemieux, but behind Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr. Of the list, Orr was quoted as regarding Howe as the greatest player.[3]

On April 10, 2007, Howe was honoured with the unveiling of a new bronze statue in Joe Louis Arena. The statue is 12-feet tall and weighs about 4,500 pounds. The man who was commissioned to create the art was Omri Amrany. The statue contains all of Howe's stats and history. Another statue of Howe was erected in downtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on the corner of 20th Street and 1st Ave. He is depicted wearing a Detroit Red Wings sweater.[20] The statue has since been relocated to the SaskTel Centre.

In 2000, Howe was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

In February 2011, various groups proposed naming the New International Trade Crossing bridge, a proposed bridge that will connect Detroit and Windsor by linking Highway 401 in Ontario with Interstate 75 and Interstate 94 in Michigan, in honour of Gordie Howe.[21] On May 14, 2015, during an event attended by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it was officially announced that the bridge would be known as the Gordie Howe International Bridge.[22]

Canadian actor Michael Shanks portrayed Howe in the Hallmark movie Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story. The film aired April 28, 2013, on CBC and on the Hallmark Channel in the U.S. on May 5.

Personal life

Howe met his wife, Colleen, at a bowling alley when she was 17 years old, and they were married four years later on April 15, 1953.[3] A middle school in Abbotsford, British Columbia, is named after Gordie and Colleen Howe, and a campground and football stadium are named after Gordie Howe in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Two of their sons, Marty and Mark, were his teammates on the WHA Houston Aeros and the New England (WHA)/Hartford (NHL) Whalers. Mark would go on to have a long NHL career, playing 16 seasons for the Hartford Whalers, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Red Wings and was one of the dominant two-way defensemen of the 1980s. He followed his father by being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. Their third son, Murray, is a radiologist in Toledo, Ohio, and only daughter, Cathy, lives in Lubbock, Texas.

Colleen Howe was one of the founders of the Detroit Junior Red Wings and represented both Gordie and Mark financially during their careers.[3] She died in 2009 at age 76 after a long battle with Pick's disease.[23]

Suffering from dementia and declining health, Howe has spent most of his time since his wife's death residing with all four of his children on a rotating basis. While staying at his daughter's home in Texas he suffered a major stroke on October 26, 2014, from which he is continuing to recover.[24][25][26][27][28][29]

Howe's younger brother, Vic Howe, also played in the NHL appearing in 33 games with the New York Rangers between 1950 and 1955. He died at age 85 in Moncton, New Brunswick on January 31, 2015.[30]

Professional career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1945–46 Omaha Knights USHL 52 22 26 48 53 6 2 1 3 15
1946–47 Detroit Red Wings NHL 58 7 15 22 52 5 0 0 0 18
1947–48 Detroit Red Wings NHL 60 16 28 44 63 10 1 1 2 11
1948–49 Detroit Red Wings NHL 40 12 25 37 57 11 8 3 11 19
1949–50 Detroit Red Wings* NHL 70 35 33 68 69 1 0 0 0 7
1950–51 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 43 43 86 74 6 4 3 7 4
1951–52 Detroit Red Wings* NHL 70 47 39 86 78 8 2 5 7 2
1952–53 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 49 46 95 57 6 2 5 7 2
1953–54 Detroit Red Wings* NHL 70 33 48 81 109 12 4 5 9 31
1954–55 Detroit Red Wings* NHL 64 29 33 62 68 11 9 11 20 24
1955–56 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 38 41 79 100 10 3 9 12 8
1956–57 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 44 45 89 72 5 2 5 7 6
1957–58 Detroit Red Wings NHL 64 33 44 77 40 4 1 1 2 0
1958–59 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 32 46 78 57
1959–60 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 28 45 73 46 6 1 5 6 4
1960–61 Detroit Red Wings NHL 64 23 49 72 30 11 4 11 15 10
1961–62 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 33 44 77 54
1962–63 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 38 48 86 100 11 7 9 16 22
1963–64 Detroit Red Wings NHL 69 26 47 73 70 14 9 10 19 16
1964–65 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 29 47 76 104 7 4 2 6 20
1965–66 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 29 46 75 83 12 4 6 10 12
1966–67 Detroit Red Wings NHL 69 25 40 65 53
1967–68 Detroit Red Wings NHL 74 39 43 82 53
1968–69 Detroit Red Wings NHL 76 44 59 103 58
1969–70 Detroit Red Wings NHL 76 31 40 71 58 4 2 0 2 2
1970–71 Detroit Red Wings NHL 63 23 29 52 38
1973–74 Houston Aeros WHA 70 31 69 100 46 13 3 14 17 34
1974–75 Houston Aeros WHA 75 34 65 99 84 13 8 12 20 20
1975–76 Houston Aeros WHA 78 32 70 102 76 17 4 8 12 31
1976–77 Houston Aeros WHA 62 24 44 68 57 11 5 3 8 11
1977–78 New England Whalers WHA 76 34 62 96 85 14 5 5 10 15
1978–79 New England Whalers WHA 58 19 24 43 51 10 3 1 4 4
1979–80 Hartford Whalers NHL 80 15 26 41 42 3 1 1 2 2
1997–98 Detroit Vipers IHL 1 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 1767 801 1049 1850 1685 157 68 92 160 220
WHA totals 419 174 334 508 399 78 28 43 71 115
Minor league totals 52 22 26 48 53 6 2 1 3 15

* Stanley Cup Champion

Bolded means led league

See also

References

  1. ^ Gordie Howe (2014). Mr Hockey: The Autobiography Of Gordie Howe. Penguin Canada. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-14-319280-0.
  2. ^ a b c d "Players: Gordie Howe Biography". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Dryden, Steve (1998). The Top 100 NHL Players of All Time. Toronto: Transcontinental Sports Publishers. pp. 26–32. ISBN 0-7710-4175-6.
  4. ^ a b MacSkimming, Roy (2003) [1994]. "1". Gordie: a hockey legend (2nd ed.). Canada: Greystone Books. p. 14. ISBN 1-55054-719-4.
  5. ^ Diamond, Dan (2001). 'Hockey Stories on and off the Ice'. USA: Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 0-7407-1903-3.
  6. ^ Howe, Gordie. "Mr. Hockey: My Story". New York: G.P. Putnam & Sons; The Penguin Group US (2014) pp.49-52
  7. ^ "Gordie Howe, 'Mr. Hockey,' turns 85 years old". NHL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  8. ^ Marek, Jeff (2007-11-02). "How many Gordie Howe hat tricks did Mr. Hockey notch?". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  9. ^ Marek, Jeff (October 29, 2008). "The mystique of the Gordie Howe hat trick". CBC. Archived from the original on 20 July 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Written History: 1950s". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Howe, Gordie - Biography - Honoured Player". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  12. ^ "Detroit Red Wings Legends: "Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe". Redwingslegends.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  13. ^ Jim Proudfoot (column), Toronto Star, January 8, 1972, p. 41
  14. ^ a b c The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association, p.221, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, ON, ISBN 0-7710-8947-3
  15. ^ S-P Services (September 22, 1979). "Decision to play rest solely with Howe". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, page A12. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  16. ^ "Mr. Hockey". gordiehowe.com. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
  17. ^ McGourty, John (2008-03-30). "Detroit honors 'Mr. Hockey' at 80". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  18. ^ Vancouver, The (2008-03-15). "Howe Gordie did it". Canada.com. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  19. ^ Roose, Bill (May 14, 2015). "New international bridge to honor Howe". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved May 14, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ "Bronze statue of 'Mr. Hockey' unveiled in Detroit". ESPN. Associated Press. April 11, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  21. ^ Kraniak, Dennis (February 4, 2011). "The Gordie Howe International Bridge". Detroit: WJBK-TV. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  22. ^ "Gordie Howe International Bridge to connect Windsor and Detroit". CBC News. May 14, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  23. ^ "Death of Colleen Howe". Ctv.ca. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  24. ^ Krupa, Gregg (October 28, 2014). "Wings great Gordie Howe resting after 'serious stroke'". Detroit News. Retrieved October 29, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ "Gordie Howe resting after stroke: report". National Hockey League. October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ Beam, Todd (December 19, 2014). "Family issues update on Gordie Howe". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 19, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ "Gordie Howe makes ‘amazing’ recovery following stem cell treatment in Mexico" ProHockeyTalk, NBC Sports, December 19, 2014
  28. ^ Fikes, Bradley J. "Did stem cells really help Gordie Howe?" The San Diego Union-Tribune, December 26, 2014
  29. ^ "Hockey legend Gordie Howe's recovery highlights stem-cell advances". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  30. ^ "Vic Howe, brother of hockey legend, dies at 85" NHL.com
Preceded by
Inaugural
NHL Lifetime Achievement Award
2008
Succeeded by
Preceded by Detroit Red Wings captain
195862
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Hart Trophy
1952, 1953
1957, 1958
1960
1963
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Art Ross Trophy
1951, 1952, 1953, 1954
1957
1963
Succeeded by
Preceded by NHL Goal Leader
1951, 1952, 1953
1957
1963
Succeeded by