Earlier this week, ZachMac wrote a post about NHL games on Christmas, and this got me thinking about the history of the NHL. With Bobby Orr, Gretzky, Crosby, and countless others, its easy to overlook Mr. Hockey himself, Gordie Howe.
Longevity
While on Twitter this morning, I saw this tweet from the NHL PR team. Gordie Howe holds countless records simply from playing professional hockey over six decades (his one shift for the Detroit Vipers of the IHL in 1997 counts). He has played in the most NHL games, the most professional hockey seasons (NHL and WHA), as well as being the oldest NHL player ever at 52 years old, and played in 80 games that season. This man was more athletic at 52 than I am at 22. Mr. Hockey wasn’t just able to play forever, he also was,productive during his time on the ice.
Gordie’s Skill
Gordie Howe in his last NHL season (1980)
While playing from the mid-40’s all the way up to 1980 is no small feat, Gordie was also extremely productive during that time. He accumulated 20 goals in a season 22 times in a row (1949-1971), as well as being named to the NHL All-Star Game a record 23 times. In his last season with Detroit, he was 42 and scored 23 goals. Being a five time goal leader and four time champion is also incredible.
The Legend of Mr. Hockey
Very rarely does a player transcend generations like Gordie did. A Detroit fan could grow up with Gordie, had a family of their own, and watched him with their kids. Gordie transcended generations, and in turn he seemingly transcended the sport. To quote The Sandlot, “heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” Mr. Hockey will never die, and will love in the hearts of every hockey fan as long as there’s hockey.
