Gordie Howe wasn’t just one of the greatest players in hockey history—he was also one of the toughest. And he did not like it when anyone took the puck from him, something Hall of Famer Dave Keon learned the hard way. He tried—and then he woke up in the hospital.
With 26 NHL seasons, 801 goals, four Stanley Cups, and 1,850 points, Gordie Howe needs no introduction. “Mr. Hockey” helped shape the sport into what it is today. But Howe wasn’t just extraordinarily skilled—he was fiercely competitive.
READ MORE: Scotty Bowman summed up Gordie Howe perfectly with one sentence
Gordie Howe played with his sons
Playing until the age of 52, Gordie Howe displayed stamina like no one else. His career lasted so long that he even got the chance to play in the WHA alongside two of his sons, Mark and Marty, with the New England Whalers and the Houston Aeros. That competitiveness also came with a ruthless will to win—and he hated losing the puck.
Dave Keon, a Hall of Famer who won four Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs, learned firsthand that no one takes the puck from Howe without consequences. The two would later become teammates on the Whalers, but back when they faced off—Keon with the Leafs and Howe with the Detroit Red Wings—Keon managed to strip the puck from Howe not once, but twice.
Dave Keon took the puck from Howe
When Mark Howe appeared on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, he recalled a story Keon once told him about the encounter:
“Dave Keon, great player—I played with him in Hartford. Dave was one of the cleanest players; I think he had 104 penalty minutes in his career. He had this patented little hook check. We’re having lunch one day and Davie says, ‘Yeah, I remember the first time I played your dad. I come out—boom—hook the puck away from behind and take off.’
Davie comes back to the bench and all the players say, ‘Oh, you better watch out.’ He goes, ‘I’ve watched Hockey Night in Canada—I know not to hit Gordie Howe.’ They said, ‘No, Gordie just doesn’t like it when you take the puck from him.’
It happened again, and then Davie comes back to the bench. This time, all the players spread out—he’s sitting there on an island. He goes, ‘What are you doing?’ and they say, ‘We don’t know how, we don’t know when—but you’re going to pay for what you just did.’”
Woke up in the hospital
Keon then tried to take the puck from Gordie Howe a third time—but this time, the legend was ready.
“Dad had a really short stick. He pushed the puck maybe a foot farther out in front of him. Now Davie had to reach farther—he exposes his chin. Gordie takes his right hand off the stick and just rifles it. Davie wakes up in the hospital—and all the players say, ‘We told you so!’” he said on the podcast.
You can watch the story below.
READ MORE: Gordie Howe claimed this was the toughest opponent he ever faced
