Gordie Howe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gordie Howe OC
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1972
Howe with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1960s
Born	(1928-03-31)March 31, 1928 Floral, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died	June 10, 2016(2016-06-10) (aged 88) Sylvania, Ohio, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Right (sometimes left)
Played for	Detroit Red Wings Houston Aeros Hartford Whalers
National team	Canada
Playing career	1946–1971 1973–1980

Gordon Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian ice hockey legend. He played for an amazing 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA). Most of his career (25 seasons) was spent with the Detroit Red Wings.

People called him "Mr. Hockey" because he was so good. Many think he was the most complete player ever and one of the greatest of all time. When he first retired, his 801 goals, 1,049 assists, and 1,850 total points were all NHL records. These records stood until Wayne Gretzky broke them. Gordie Howe was chosen for the NHL All-Star team 23 times. He still holds the NHL record for most seasons played. In 2017, he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players".

Howe started his NHL career with the Red Wings in 1946. He won the Art Ross Trophy six times for leading the league in points. This is the second-highest number of wins in NHL history. He also led the NHL in goals four times. For 21 years in a row, he was among the top ten scorers in the NHL. He won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings four times. He also won the Hart Memorial Trophy six times as the NHL's most valuable player.

Gordie Howe first retired in 1971 and was quickly added to the Hockey Hall of Fame. But he came back to play two years later! He joined his sons Mark and Marty on the Houston Aeros in the WHA. Even in his mid-40s, he scored over 100 points twice. He also won two Avco World Trophies (1974 and 1975) and was named the WHA's most valuable player in 1974. He briefly returned to the NHL in 1979–80, playing one season with the Hartford Whalers. He retired for good at age 52.

Howe was famous for his scoring, strength, and how long he played. He changed what it meant to be a great forward. He is the only player to have played in the NHL in five different decades (from the 1940s to the 1980s). He even played one shift in a game in 1997, meaning he played professional hockey in a sixth decade! The "Gordie Howe hat trick" is named after him. It means getting a goal, an assist, and a fight in the same game. He only did this twice in his career. In 2008, he received the first-ever NHL Lifetime Achievement Award.