Sports
Gordie Howe
1928–2016 · ice hockey player, right wing
Detroit Red Wings right wing for 25 seasons, often called the most complete player in hockey history, whose nickname 'Mr. Hockey' became synonymous with the city.
- Born
Floral, Saskatchewan, Canada- Died
Sylvania, Ohio
aged 88- Birth name
- Gordon Howe
- Also known as
- Mr. Hockey
- Detroit years
- 1946–1971
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
A Red Wings scout spotted Howe at a Windsor tryout camp in 1944, and he debuted in Detroit in 1946, scoring in his first game at age eighteen. Through the 1950s he anchored the 'Production Line' with centre Sid Abel and left wing Ted Lindsay at Olympia Stadium, and the trio carried Detroit to four Stanley Cups and seven straight first-place finishes. Howe led the league in scoring six times and won six Hart Trophies as its most valuable player before a chronic wrist injury forced his retirement in 1971 after twenty-five seasons, all with Detroit. He later returned to hockey elsewhere, but the city never let go of him: in 2007 the Red Wings unveiled a bronze statue of him at Joe Louis Arena and renamed its west entrance in his honor, and a new bridge linking Detroit and Windsor now carries his name.
Highlights
- Debuted with the Red Wings on October 16, 1946, scoring in his first game at eighteen
- Formed the 'Production Line' with Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay
- Won four Stanley Cups with Detroit (1950, 1952, 1954, 1955)
- Six-time NHL scoring champion and six-time Hart Trophy winner with the Red Wings
- Number 9 retired by Detroit in 1972; bronze statue unveiled at Joe Louis Arena in 2007
- The Gordie Howe International Bridge, linking Detroit and Windsor, is named for him
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1946–1971
Olympia Stadium
Demolished · 1927–1979
Howe's home rink for his entire twenty-five-year Detroit career, including the 'Production Line' years; demolished in 1987.
Memorial · 2007–2017
Joe Louis Arena
Demolished · 1979–2017
A bronze statue of Howe was unveiled here in 2007 and the west entrance renamed the Gordie Howe Entrance; the arena was demolished after the team moved out in 2017.