Sure, Wayne Gretzky might be The Great One, but there’s only one Mr. Hockey, and that is Gordie Howe. When talking about NHL legends, you can’t leave Howe out of the discussion, and many could even argue that he’s No. 1 on the all-time legends list.
Gordie Howe’s career spanned over 34 years, and he finally called it quits in 1980. During those long, incredibly successful years, he won four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings, but he also earned several prestigious honors, like six Hart Trophies and six Art Ross Trophies.
Gordie Howe passed away in July 2016, but his legacy as a hockey player, person, and ambassador for hockey will live on forever.
Gordie Howe didn’t just play for many years. He also did it great. He’s considered one of the most complete players of all time, and he’s the player with the most NHL regular season games played with a single team, the most NHL seasons played, and the oldest to ever play.
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No one has more All-Star appearances than him, and there’s never a reason to question his nickname, Mr. Hockey.
Playing in the NHL for so many years, Howe has played with and against some of the greatest players in hockey history. Hockey was way tougher and brutal back then, but some players were crazily skilled and could score a crazy amount of goals.
In Steve Milton’s book ”The toughest I ever faced,” Gordie Howe was asked who his toughest ever opponent was.
His answer: Maurice ”Rocket” Richard.
It didn’t come as a huge surprise, with how many goals Maurice Richard scored in mind. He was the first NHL player in history to reach 50 goals in one season and the first to reach 500 goals. He retired as the league’s all-time leader in goals with 544 in 1960.
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