Gordie Howe

Gordon Howe (born March 31, 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian hockey player who is often referred to as "Mr. Hockey."

Contents

1 Playing Career 2 Awards 3 Records 4 Career Statistics 5 Trivia 6 See also

Playing Career

Gordie 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 5 in scoring for 20 straight seasons.

Howe led Detroit to four Stanley Cups. During this time his line-mates, Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay, and Howe were known collectively as "The Production Line", both for their scoring and as an allusion to Detroit auto factories. The Red Wings were consistently contenders throughout the 1950s and early 1960s but began to slump in the late 1960s.

After 25 years, a wrist problem forced him to retire, and take a job in the Red Wings front Office. However, a year later he was offered a contract to play with the Houston Aeros of the newly formed World Hockey Association. An operation to improve his wrist made a return to ice hockey possible and he led his new team to consecutive championships. In 1974, at the age of 46, Gordie Howe was selected as the WHA's most valuable player.

When the WHA merged with the NHL in 1979, the 51-year-old Howe signed with the Hartford Whalers for one final season, competing in all 80 games of the schedule. Another milestone in a remarkable career was reached in 1997 when Gordie Howe played professional hockey in a sixth decade. He was signed to a one-game contract by the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League and, almost 70 years old, made a stirring return to the ice for one shift.

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

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 junior hockey team in the U.S.

Awards

• 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.
• Played in the NHL All-Star Game 23 times.
• Gary Davidson Trophy - 1974
• Played in the WHA All-Star Game 2 times.

Records

• Most NHL goals (801), broken by Wayne Gretzky
• Most NHL points (1,850), broken by Wayne Gretzky
• Most NHL games played (1,767)
• Most career goals, regular season (975), broken by Wayne Gretzky
• Most career goals, combined playoffs and season (1,071), broken by Wayne Gretzky
• Most seasons played (26)
• Most NHL career assists by a right winger (1,049)
• Most NHL career points by a right winger (1,850)
• 2nd in NHL all-time goals (801)
• 3rd in NHL all-time points (1,850)
• 7th in NHL all-time assists (1,049)

Career Statistics

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1945-46	Omaha Knights	USHL		51	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

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."
• A member of 11 different halls of fame.
• His name and nickname, as well as his wife's nickname, Mrs. Hockey, are registered trademarks.

See also

Gordie Howe hat trick

de:Gordie Howe