Howe, Gordie (1928—)

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Howe, Gordie (1928—)

In the world of professional hockey, Gordie Howe gained legendary status as a record-setter and as an all-around athlete. Known for his longevity, Howe played into his fifties in a demanding sport in which professionals typically retire in their early thirties. His prowess, on and off the ice, led to his honorary title of "Mr. Hockey." Outside the world of professional hockey, Howe's name and awards served to generate interest in a professional sport that has received little recognition compared to football, basketball, and baseball.

In 1946, at the age of 18, Howe began his professional career as a right wing forward with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). After 25 years with the Red Wings and five decades as a professional, he retired in 1980 at the age of 52. It was his second retirement.

Gordie Howe was born on March 31, 1928, in Floral, Saskatchewan, Canada, the fourth of nine children. He played amateur hockey and had one year in the minors before joining the NHL. Howe's first three years with Detroit were less than stellar, but by 1949 he was the highest scorer in the NHL playoffs. By the early 1950s, he had become the first player to win three consecutive scoring titles. His other records included becoming the League's top scorer six times, and being named six times as the League's Most Valuable Player. When he retired from the Red Wings, he had set NHL records for playing in 1,687 games, for scoring 1,809 points on 786 goals and 1,023 assists, and for serving 1,643 penalty minutes.

His numerous "most" records are detailed in his official biography at the National Hockey League Hall of Fame. They include most seasons played, most regular-season games, most career goals in regular season play, most winning goals, most career assists by a right winger, most career points by a right winger, and most selections to the NHL All-Star team. He also set several All-Star Game records.

Ambidextrous and known for his incredible strength, Howe's playing style has been described as a combination of effortless and deceptively fast skating and outstanding stick-handling. When he first started as a professional, his father said he worried that his son might kill someone if he happened to get into a fight because of his strength and his ability to use both hands. As a young man, Gordie had impressed his father with his strength when he had worked summers on construction crews and could easily heft 90 pound cement sacks with either hand.

Howe was also known for his astonishing staying power. After a two-year retirement (1970-1972), he returned to professional hockey at age 45. The physician who gave him his team physical described Howe's pulse rate as comparable to that of a man half his age. His dedication as a player is revealed in a story about the 1950 Stanley Cup semi-final series when he slammed his head into a sideboard. The blow knocked him unconscious and he had to be transported to the hospital for immediate brain surgery. As he was wheeled into the operating room, he apologized to the team manager for being unable to help the team more that night.

Despite seeming laconic, Gordie Howe was never considered introverted on the ice, practicing what he called "religious hockey"—a philosophy in which he considered it better to give than to receive. His NHL penalty record of 1,643 penalty minutes and his career record of 2,421 penalty minutes attest to this. According to Fischler's Ice Hockey Encyclopedia, former Red Wings teammate Carl Brewer once called Howe the "dirtiest player who ever lived. A great player, but also the dirtiest. He'd gouge your eye out if you gave him a chance, carve you up. He's both big and tough and used his size to intimidate guys."

In 1971, at age 43, Howe retired from the NHL and was elected to the NHL Hall of Fame in in 1972. Two years later he made a remarkable comeback, joining the World Hockey Association (WHA) to play for the Houston Aeros with his sons Mark and Marty. The three Howes led the Aeros, winning the AVCO Cup and WHA titles in both 1974 and 1975. At age 47, Howe was awarded the Most Valuable Player in the 1975 playoffs. In 1977, he again left professional hockey, but in 1979, aged 51, he returned once more, this time to play with the Hartford Whalers. Howe finished his pro career in the 1979/80 season at the unprecedented age of 52.

In celebration of his fiftieth year in hockey and to set a record as the only professional hockey player to play in six consecutive decades, Howe briefly came out of retirement in October of 1997, at age 69, adding to his professional longevity record by playing an opening shift with the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League.

During the 1950s and 1960s when Gordie Howe was at his career peak, hockey great Dave Keon, former captain of the Toronto Mapleleafs (quoted in Fischler's Ice Hockey Encyclopedia), observed there were "two weak teams in the NHL and four strong ones—and the strong ones were Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, and Gordie Howe."

—Mary Lou Nemanic