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.
GORDIE HOWE PHOTO
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
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