Gordie Howe

Gordie "Mr. Hockey" Howe was born on March 31, 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan, Canada. Howe did not play organized hockey till he was eight, but quickly picked up the game. He exercised relentlessly and gained a powerful physique working construction with his father during the summers. Howe was signed by the Detroit Red Wings when he was 16 and moved through the Red Wings Galt, Ontario junior team, to the Omaha Knights of the USHL and finally to the Detroit Red Wings. Howe was soon teamed up with Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel in what would be called the "Production Line", one of the all-time great NHL combinations. Howe played 33 pro seasons, one has a 17 year old with Omaha of the United States Hockey League, 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL, six with the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association, one season with the Hartford Whalers of the NHL and one game in 1997-98 with the Detroit Vipers of the IHL.

Godie Howe set numerous hockey records that seemed unbreakable at the time. He was an effortless skater with deceptive speed, tremendous streght and a powerful shot. In his fourth NHL season, 1949-50, Howe began one of hockey's most amazing streaks. The the next 22 years, Howe scored over 20 goals a year. The Red Wings and Howe won the Stanley Cup in 1950 and the following year Howe was atop the league scoring, a feat he would repeat for the next three years. He would go on to win a total of six Art Ross trophies and also added six Hart Memrial Trophies as the league MVP. As 41 year old in 1968-69, he scored 44 goals and added 59 assists for a career high 103 points. At 43, Howe retired from the Red Wings in 1971 after injuries slowed him down. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame immediately.

Two years after his retirement, Gordie Howe could not resist the opportunity of playing with his sons as he signed along with Marty and Mark Howe with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association. He was an instant success in the WHA and tallyed 508 points in 419 WHA games. In 1979 he returned to the NHL with the Hartford Whalers when they moved from the WHA to the NHL. Howe played that season as a 51 year old, appearing in all 80 games and collecting 41 points. He made his final professional hockey appearance with the Detroit Vipers in 1997, making him the only player to have played in 6 different decades.

Here is a summary of Gordie Howe's NHL accomplishments;

Year    Team                 GP   G   A   Pts   Pim
1946-47 Detroit Red Wings    58   7  15    22    52 
1947-48 Detroit Red Wings    60  16  28    44    63 
1948-49 Detroit Red Wings    40  12  25    37    57 
1949-50 Detroit Red Wings    70  35  33    68    69 
1950-51 Detroit Red Wings    70  43  43    86    74 
1951-52 Detroit Red Wings    70  47  39    86    78 
1952-53 Detroit Red Wings    70  49  46    95    57 
1953-54 Detroit Red Wings    70  33  48    81   109 
1954-55 Detroit Red Wings    64  29  33    62    68 
1955-56 Detroit Red Wings    70  38  41    79   100 
1956-57 Detroit Red Wings    70  44  45    89    72 
1957-58 Detroit Red Wings    64  33  44    77    40 
1958-59 Detroit Red Wings    70  32  46    78    57
1959-60 Detroit Red Wings    70  28  45    73    46 
1960-61 Detroit Red Wings    64  23  49    72    30
1961-62 Detroit Red Wings    70  33  44    77    54
1962-63 Detroit Red Wings    70  38  48    86   100 
1963-64 Detroit Red Wings    69  26  47    73    70
1964-65 Detroit Red Wings    70  29  47    76   104 
1965-66 Detroit Red Wings    70  29  46    75    83 
1966-67 Detroit Red Wings    69  25  40    65    53 
1967-68 Detroit Red Wings    74  39  43    82    53
1968-69 Detroit Red Wings    76  44  59   103    58
1969-70 Detroit Red Wings    76  31  40    71    58 
1970-71 Detroit Red Wings    63  23  29    52    38
1979-80 Hartford Whalers     80  15  26    41    42 
NHL Totals                 1767 801 1049 1850  1685



Trophies
Art Ross Trophy - 6 (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1963)
Hart Memorial -  6 (1952, 1953, 1957, 1058, 1960, 1963)


Championships
Stanley Cup - 4 (1950, 1952, 1954, 1955)

Team Pages:
Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers / Carolina Hurricanes

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