Gordie Howe - Tribute by Moses

  Gordie Howe was born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada. Gordie was, and is, the greatest right-winger of all-time.  As a strapping youngster with the Detroit Red Wings in 1946-47 (at the young age of 18), Howe was a giant to his peers.  At 6 Foot 2 205 lbs, Howe could manhandle pretty much anyone in the game when he played.  A Gordie Howe shoulder usually meant that the opposing player took an elbow to the head (based on height differential).  

  Playing alongside Sid Abel, Ted Lindsey, and legendary goalie Terry Sawchuk, Mr. Hockey won the coveted Stanley Cup four times with the Red Wings of the late 40's - mid-fifties.

  When Lindsey and Doug Harvey (among others) started the National Hockey League Players Association Union, some of the initiators of the Players Association were 'blacklisted' by the NHL Owners.  Ted Lindsey ended up being shipped to the Chicago Black Hawks (as the Norris brothers owned each the Detroit Red Wings AND the Chicago Black Hawks, and punished Lindsey for his role in the procreation of the NHLPA shipping him to the weaker team).  This ended up costing the Red Wings their chemistry.   

  The reality in 1955 to an NHL'er was that you had a good paying job, one in which you could earn what an Accountant earned.  Certainly not as much as a Doctor or a Lawyer could.  The NHLPA paved the way for the salaries and collective bargaining we see today between the NHLPA and the Owners (represented by the Commissioner).

  Mr. Hockey was then paired with Alex Delvecchio, after Sid Abel's retirement from the NHL.  Delvecchio was a fine center in his own right for the end of the fifties to the end of the sixties.  Although Howe never won the Stanley Cup with Alex he still revered him as one of the greatest center-men of his day.  When the dust settled (up until Gordie's WHA days), Howe managed to tally 786 goals (at the end of the 70-71 season).  Gordie Howe was respected during this time, as a player who would be held in awe (even though no-one realized at the time that his retirement from the game was short lived).

  The fact was that this wasn't even close to being the end of Howe's playing days, he in fact was a starter for the next 7 years (retiring from the game after the 1979-80 campaign with the Hartford Whalers).

  Gordie resurfaced with the rival World Hockey Association Houston Aeros and became one the their first superstar signings.  This led to Howe having an MVP year in 1973-74.  In his six years in the WHA Howe was productive each year, capping 100 points in a year twice.  When Mr. Hockey started out with the Houston Aeros he teamed with his sons' Mark and Marty, and they became the first Father/Son(s) combo in WHA history - or any professional hockey league for that matter.  When all three surfaced in the NHL with the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80 they became the first Father/Son(s) in NHL History.  In fact Gordie Howe is the only Professional Hockey Players in the NHL or any League Worldwide to have played in 5 different decades.

  I met Mr. Hockey in 1999 with my Cousin Dr. Brian Kaufman at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario.  He was giving away his autobiography (also signing the book and taking photos and signing an autographed photo with himself).  When it was our turn to take a picture with Mr. Howe the lens broke and I had a couple of minutes' alongside my Cousin and Mr. Hockey.  I asked Mr. Howe 'Who is the most tenacious hockey player you ever played with or against ? '.  He replied 'Dicky Duff.'  I looked it up a few days later, sure enough Dicky Duff was a team-mate of Howe's with the Red Wings in the 50's and was likewise a rival playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens.  A few years later the veterans committee of the Hockey Hall of Fame voted Dicky Duff into the Hall.  I always thought that it was Howe's voice' that was heard the loudest regarding Duff's exploits on the ice.    

  Mr. Hockey is recognized with awe and Legend that is truly deserved.  He could out muscle anyone on the puck, he could pass the puck from tape to tape, shoot it with authority, and out-skate the opponent to boot.
  The game was shaped due to his accomplishments, leading an announcer to become enthralled when a players scores a goal, has an assist, and gets into a fight in the same game- who then gives the 'Gordie Howe Hat-trick' announcement to praise the player for his accomplishment.

  When all was said and done, Howe amassed 801 NHL Goals, 1049 NHL Assists, 1850 NHL Points, 975 Career Goals, 1383 Career Assists, and 2358 Career Points (including his days in the WHA).  He led all playoff scorers in individual years six times, had 68 NHL Playoff Goals (96 inc. WHA) 92 NHL Playoff Assists (135 inc. WHA), and had 160 NHL Playoff Points (231 inc. WHA).  Howe was 1st Line RW in the NHL twelve times (and was named 1st Line RW twice in the WHA).  He won 6 Hart Trophies, 6 Art Ross Trophies, and led the NHL in Goals (now called the 'Rocket' Richard Trophy) 4 times.

  One of the proudest Hockey Families of all-time, the Howe brothers Gordie and Vic, and Gordie's sons Mark and Marty, have been immortalized as icons of a game that is hard to master, doing so with grace and grit.

  R.I.P Gordie Howe #9