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Gordon "Gordie" Howe, Order of Canada|OC (born
March 31, 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan) is a
Canada|Canadian ice hockey|hockey player who is
often referred to as Mr. Hockey.

==Playing Career==
Howe made his National Hockey League|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 five in scoring for twenty straight seasons,
and the measure of his domination was shown in his
scoring championship seasons, when he routinely
led the league by margins not seen until the time
of Wayne Gretzky.

Howe led Detroit to four Stanley Cup|Stanley Cups.
 During this time he and his linemates, Sid Abel
and Ted Lindsay were known collectively as "The
Production Line", both for their scoring and as an
allusion to Detroit, Michigan|Detroit auto
factories.  The Red Wings were consistently
contenders throughout the 1950s and early 1960s
but began to slump in the late 60s. 



After twenty-five years, a chronic wrist problem
forced him to retire, and he took 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. 
Dissatisfied with not having any meaningful
influence in the Red Wings' office, he underwent
an operation to improve his wrist and make a
return to hockey possible, and he led his new team
to consecutive championships. In 1974, at the age
of 46, 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 Carolina
Hurricanes|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 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 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 regular seasons are
combined, he ranks first in goals with 975.  Howe
would also become good friends with Gretzky, who
had idolized Howe as a young player, and who would
later break many of Howe's scoring records and
milestones.

At the time of his retirement, Mr. Hockey's
professional totals, including playoff|playoffs,
for the NHL and WHA combined, were first. He
finished with 2421 games played, 1,071 goals,
1,518 assists, and 2,589 points. Wayne Gretzky has
since passed him in goals (1,072), assists
(2,297), and points (3,369), but not games played
(1,788). It is unlikely that anyone will surpass
Howe's total professional games played. Mark
Messier, though, is only eleven games behind
Howe's NHL record for regular season games played
at 1,756, but this is still a far cry from 2,421
total professional games.

Howe has been married to Colleen Joffa since April
15, 1953; two of their sons, Marty Howe|Marty and
Mark Howe|Mark, were his teammates on the Houston
Aeros and the Hartford Whalers.  Colleen is the
founder of the Plymouth Whalers|Detroit Junior Red
Wings, the first junior hockey team in the United
States|U.S.

==Awards==
* Art Ross Memorial Trophy - 1951, 1952, 1953,
1954, 1957, 1963.
* Hart Memorial Trophy - 1952, 1953, 1957, 1958,
1960, 1963.
* Lester Patrick Trophy|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.


==Career Records==
* Most NHL regular season goals: 801 (broken by
Wayne Gretzky)
* Most NHL regular season points: 1,850 (broken by
Gretzky and Mark Messier)
* Most NHL regular season and playoff goals: 869
(broken by Gretzky)
* Most NHL regular season and playoff points:
2,010 (broken by Gretzky and Messier)
* Most NHL & WHA regular season goals: 975
* Most NHL & WHA regular season points: 2,358
(broken by Gretzky)
* Most NHL & WHA regular season and playoff goals:
1,071 (broken by Gretzky)
* Most NHL & WHA regular season and playoff
assists: 1,518 (broken by Gretzky)
* Most NHL & WHA regular season and playoff
points: 2,589 (broken by Gretzky)
* Most NHL regular season games played: 1,767
* Most NHL regular season and playoff games
played: 1,924 (broken by Messier)
* Most NHL & WHA regular season games played:
2,186
* Most NHL & WHA regular season and playoff games
played: 2,421
* Most NHL seasons played: 26
* Most NHL & WHA seasons played: 32
* Most decades played in by a professional athlete
(including one game in the IHL): 6 (1946-98)
* Most NHL regular season goals by a right winger:
801
* Most NHL regular season assists by a right
winger: 1,049
* Most NHL regular season points by a right
winger: 1,850
* 7th in NHL all-time regular season 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
  
World Hockey
Association|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
trademark|trademarks.

start box
succession box | before = Red Kelly | title =
Detroit Red Wings#Team captains|Detroit Red Wings
captains | years = 1958-62 | after = Alex
Delvecchio
end box

==See also==
* Gordie Howe hat trick
* List of retired NHL players
* List of NHL statistical leaders
* List of NHL seasons
* Hockey Hall of Fame
* List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame
* Power forward (ice hockey)