Stuff of Legends: Mark Howe

Friend of The Hockey Guys and Philadelphia Flyers correspondent for NHL Hot Stove, Dave Strehle, presents his latest Stuff of Legends on long time Flyers legend Mark Howe.  We hope you enjoy the latest installment.

by Dave Strehle

Mark Howe may just be one of the greatest professional hockey players not to be enshrined in the hallowed halls of the Hall of Fame in Toronto.

One of the best two-way defenders ever to play the game, Howe was blessed with a graceful, fluid skating stride, a keen offensive sense, and a blistering wrist shot. But he was obscured in the shadows of greatness through much of his career. If he had played in another generation, Howe may have ended up winning multiple Norris Trophies as the NHL’s top defenseman, and even a couple of Stanley Cups.

Even so, Howe left a lasting impression on those of us who were fortunate enough to have witnessed his great career.

Mark Steven Howe was born May 28, 1955 in Detroit, Michigan. To say that he was born into hockey royalty is an understatement. As everyone knows, the Howe name in hockey is legendary. Mark’s father, Gordie Howe, is known simply as “Mr. Hockey”, being one of the most beloved and all-time enduring icons of the sport. Mother Colleen, who sadly passed away this past March, is affectionately known as “Mrs. Hockey”, and was a trailblazer in the business end of the hockey world.

At the age of 15 in 1970-71, Mark played junior hockey with the Detroit Junior Red Wings, scoring 37 goals and 107 points in 44 games.

In 1971-72, Howe played for the U.S. Olympic Team in Sapporo, Japan. The 16-year-old wasn’t out of place, scoring three goals and four points in 11 tournament contests, and helped the Red-White-and Blue to a Silver Medal.

(Mark is in the back row, far left)

In 1972-73, Howe concluded his junior career by leading the OHA’s Toronto Marlboros to a Memorial Cup title, winning the Stafford C. Smythe Memorial Trophy as the tourney’s MVP along the way.

Gordie had retired from professional hockey in 1971, but decided to come out of retirement to play with his sons, Mark and Marty. The three Howes signed with the Houston Aeros and comprised an entire forward line, perhaps the only time that such a feat will ever be accomplished in professional hockey.

In the 1973-74 season playing for the Houston Aeros, Mark would score his first goal as a professional. The goal came exactly 27 years to the day that father Gordie had notched his first career goal with the Detroit Red Wings.

Mark would go on to post 38 goals and 79 points as a freshman and would win the Lou Kaplan Trophy as the WHA’s rookie-of-the-year. He was also named a Second Team WHA All-Star at season’s end.

He was drafted in the second round, 25th overall, in the 1974 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins. With a chance to be the heir-apparent to legendary Bobby Orr in Beantown, Howe instead opted to stay in the WHA and play with his family for the Aeros.

In 1974-75, Howe would have another banner offensive year, scoring 36 goals and 76 points. The Howes and the Houston Aeros would go on to win the Avco Cup, the WHA’s version of the Stanley Cup as playoff champions, sweeping the Chicago Cougars in the Finals.

In 1975-76, Howe would notch 39 goals and 76 points, and the Aeros again swept their opponents in the Finals, this time it was the Quebec Nordiques.

The 1976-77 campaign saw Howe move to the blue line to play defense exclusively. Limited to just 57 games because of injury, Mark still was able to notch 23 goals and 75 points.

In 1977-78, Mark, Gordie and Marty all signed as free agents with the New England Whalers. Mark recorded 30 goals and 91 points. The Whalers would make it to the Avco Cup Finals, only to lose to the Winnipeg Jets.

In 1978-79, Howe topped the 40-goal and 100-point plateaus, scoring 42 times and 107 points. New England would lose to the Edmonton Oilers in the semifinals. But on the individual side of things, Mark was named a First Team WHA All-Star.

This would be the last season for the WHA, as the failing league decided to fold, but merge four of it’s existing clubs into the NHL. The Whalers were one of those teams.

As part of an agreement with the Boston Bruins regarding the merger, Howe’s team would not be called the New England Whalers anymore, but rather the Hartford Whalers.

In his six WHA seasons, Mark recorded 208 goals and 504 points in just 426 contests. Stellar numbers, especially for a player that played a decent amount of those games on the blue line.

Howe’s first three NHL seasons in Hartford were marked by mixed results and one of the most horrific injuries in league history.

The 1979-80 campaign was his best of the three seasons, as Mark potted 24 goals and 80 points.

In 1980-81, Howe suffered a career-threatening injury. On December 27, 1980, he was skating hard back towards his own net when he lost his edge, fell and slid skates-first towards the cage. The old shape of the NHL net had a “V” shape in the bottom back of the pipes. When Mark slid into the net, the pointed edge of the “V” pierced him in his upper thigh and buttocks area, nearly severing his spine. The injury led to the NHL changing the shape of the net to it’s current style, with the straight back bar along the ice, which is now also padded.

Howe would end the season having played in just 63 contests, but still managed to score 19 goals and 65 points. He also lost 35 pounds due to the injury, which led to problems of conditioning and stamina.

The 1981-82 season saw Howe post career-lows in all categories. His eight goals and 53 points seemed to send out a red flag to the Hartford organization, as they worried if Howe was now “damaged goods” that would never be the same again. The uneasiness regarding his physical condition led the Whalers to make a hasty move that they would come to regret.

On August 20, 1982, a trade involving Howe would again change the course of his career, along with that of the franchise that acquired him. Hartford dealt Howe and a draft pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forwards Kenny “The Rat” Linseman and Greg Adams, and two draft choices.

The Flyers had been mediocre in the early-80s. They turned in a few decent regular seasons, but after a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1980, they hadn’t made much noise in the NHL’s postseason.

Howe gave them a dimension that they had lacked for several years, an offensive defenseman. Not since Tom Bladon and Bob “The Count” Dailey had Philly had a rear guard that brought so much to the table in the offensive end.

In the 1982-83 season, his first with the Orange-and-Black, Howe returned to his old form. Paired with tough guy Glen Cochrane, Howe posted numbers that everyone had come to expect from him as he once again hit the 20-goal mark, and finished with 67 points. For his troubles, Howe was runner-up to the Washington Capitals’ Rod Langway for the Norris Trophy. He did win the Masterton Trophy for dedication and perseverance, as well as the inaugural Barry Ashbee Trophy as the best Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman.

The injury that Howe suffered in 1980 left him with back pain. He would miss the back end of games on back-to-back nights, and when he was playing it was usually with a certain degree of discomfort.

The 1983-84 campaign saw Howe net 19 goals and 53 points and a +30. He was limited to 71 games because of a rotator cuff injury. The team played well during the regular season, but their postseason slides continued with first round exits in both the 1983 and 1984 playoffs.

But all of that changed in 1984-85. Bob Clarke retired as an active player and became GM in place of the fired Bob McCammon, and Clarke hired little-known head coach “Iron” Mike Keenan to take over the reigns of his team.

Keenan’s defensive system lent itself to Howe’s style, which enabled him to use his immense skating talent to join the rush. “Iron Mike” paired Howe with Brad “The Beast” McCrimmon, and Howe never had to worry about leaving the team hung out to dry defensively if he jumped into the play. The two made up one of the most formidable defensive duos in the NHL in the mid-80′s.

In the 1984-85 season, Howe would score 18 goals and 57 points and post a +51 rating in 73 games.

Maybe the most important thing he did that year was score the overtime goal in game one of their annual first round playoff against their hated rivals, the New York Rangers. The Rangers had made it a habit out of barely sneaking into the postseason in the last week of the regular season, then knocking off the heavily-favored Flyers in the first round.

The set up for the 1985 playoffs was no different. Even though Philly finished 51 points ahead of the Rangers in the regular season standings, there was a nervous air about the city heading into the first round matchup. Would this be another horribly disappointing playoff loss at the hands of a team that barely even qualified?

The Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead, but as was the case in the early 1980′s, New York stormed back. Anders Hedberg tied the game up with 26 seconds left in regulation, and all any of the Flyers’ contingent could think was “Here we go again”.

Midway through the first overtime period, Howe unleashed a wrist shot from the point that somehow made it’s way through a mass of humanity in front of Rangers’ netminder Glen Hanlon. Howe had not only provided a huge game-winning goal, he had reminded Philadelphia how to win when it counted.

The Flyers rode that crest of momentum in sweeping New York and ultimately making it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

This is another case of the worst-possible timing in the career of Mark Howe. The Flyers teams of the mid-80′s were as good as any and deserved to win a Cup or two. The problem? Their opponents were the Edmonton Oilers, perhaps the greatest team to ever take the ice.

With such legendary future Hall-of-Famers as Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, and Grant Fuhr, the Flyers were defeated in five games.

Howe’s 1985-86 season was his best in the NHL, and maybe even the defining year of his entire professional career. He finished with 24 goals (seven of which were scored while the Flyers were shorthanded) and 82 points, and an NHL-best +85 rating. The season was tragically marred by the death of goaltender Pelle Lindbergh in November, and the incredible regular season burned out in a five game loss to the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. Again it was a Rangers team that would finish the regular season sub-.500 and 32 points behind the division leading Flyers doing the damage, as the mental rigors the club experienced over the course of the Lindbergh tragedy had taken a tremendous toll.

Howe was a finalist for the Hart (NHL MVP) and Norris Trophies. Gretzky had scored an NHL-record 215 points, a mark that still stands to this day, and rightfully took the Hart. It just so happened that Coffey would set offensive records for a defenseman with 48 goals and 138 points. Coffey walked away with the Norris, and Howe was again a runner-up. Howe did, however, end up being named a First Team NHL All-Star. He also won the Emery Edge Award winner for plus / minus with a +85 (Coffey was a +61), and team honors of the Bobby Clarke Trophy (Flyers’ MVP) and his second Barry Ashbee Trophy.

The 1986-87 season saw Howe rack up 15 goals and 53 points in just 69 games. With the defense pairing of Howe-McCrimmon and backstopped by rookie netminder Ron Hextall, Philadelphia again made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Once again, the Edmonton Oilers were waiting for them. The Oilers took a three games to one lead, but the Flyers rallied and forced a game seven. On Sunday, May 31st, 1987, the Oilers beat the Flyers 3-1 at Northlands Coliseum, claiming their third Cup in four seasons, and second in three years against Philadelphia.

Howe and the Flyers had come up just short of hockey’s Holy Grail yet again.

Howe would again be named a First Team NHL All-Star, and his +57 rating was second only to Gretzky’s +70. He would also be runner-up for the Norris Trophy for a third time. this time to Raymond Bourque of the Boston Bruins.

In 1987-88, Howe would tally 19 goals and 62 points and a +23 in 75 games. Another excellent season, but things were changing. Howe’s defensive partner, McCrimmon, held out in the offseason in a contract dispute and was promptly dealt to the Calgary Flames. Howe was then paired with towering 6′ 6″ defenseman Kjell Samuelsson. Though they played well together, the pairing did not have the same incredible chemistry that the Howe-McCrimmon duo had exhibited.

The 87-88 campaign would actually be the last regular season that Howe would be able to amass over 60 games played. The grind of 15 professional seasons and the injuries incurred along the way were taking their toll. His body was breaking down.

In 1988-89, Howe would miss 30 games with various injuries. In addition to back spasms, he missed games with a knee sprain and a groin pull. In the 52 games that he was able to play, Howe recorded nine goals and 38 points and posted a +7 rating.

He helped lead Philadelphia to a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Flyers would fall in six games to Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens.

Over the course of the 1989-90, 1990-91, and 1991-92 seasons, Howe would see action in just 101 games due to numerous ailments, recording 14 goals and 63 points in that span. It’s no coincidence that the Flyers did not appear in the playoffs in all three of those years. If Howe was able to play, Philadelphia was very competitive. If he was out with an injury, the team was disheveled, especially defensively.

Following the 1991-92 campaign, Howe became a free agent. Howe was a shell of his former self, which also described the team, as well. Philadelphia was in the process of overhauling their roster and getting younger, and were entralled in obtaining a phenom, Eric Lindros, whom they hoped would lead them back to the promised land.

Flyers’ GM Russ Farwell offered Howe a one-year deal that was highly incentive driven, but Howe wanted a longer term than just one year. So Farwell granted Howe permission to talk to other teams before the free agency period began on July 1st.

Howe’s camp contacted several other teams, but most didn’t want to tender anything more than a one year offer. Mike Illitch, owner of the Detroit Red Wings, Howe’s childhood hometown team from when father Gordie played there, offered Howe a two-year deal. The Flyers matched the offer, but Howe’s choice ended up being to go to Detroit.

In his first season with the Red Wings in 1992-93, Howe got to play a bit with his old partner Brad McCrimmon, who was also playing in Detroit at the time. He also got to help with the development of young defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom and Vladimir Konstantinov. Howe would play in 60 contests, scoring three goals and 34 points, while recording a +22 rating. In the playoffs, Howe scored a goal and four points and a +6 rating in seven games, but the Red Wings fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.

1993-94 saw Howe get into only 44 regular season games, tallying four goals, 24 points and a +16 rating. In the first round of the playoffs, the San Jose Sharks pulled off one of the most improbable upsets as they knocked off Detroit in seven games. Howe played in six of those contests, picking up just one assist and was even in the plus / minus rating.

With the Red Wings’ depth and Howe’s deteriorating body, Mark played in just 18 games in a lockout-shortened 1994-95 season. He was able to manage just a goal and six points, while finishing a -3. It was just the second time in his 22 seasons that he finished as a minus player. In 1981-82 he ended up a -8 with the Hartford Whalers, not coincidentally in the season after his ghastly injury and had lost so much weight.

The 1995 Detroit team had a fantastic run to the Stanley Cup Finals, as they lost just two games total in dispatching of the Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks in the first three rounds. But a Stanley Cup championship was not meant to be for Howe as the Red Wings were swept in the Finals by the New Jersey Devils. The Holy Grail had eluded Mark one last time.

After the 94-95 campaign, the 40-year-old Howe retired as an active player and became a pro scout for the Red Wings’ organization. He was able to be part of Stanley Cup winners in that capacity with Detroit in 1997, 1998, 2002, and again in 2008.

He was inducted into the Philadelphia Flyers’ Hall of Fame in 2001 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

His seemingly eventual induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame has incredibly not yet occurred.

It was an observation of mine that during his time here in Philadelphia, Howe was taken for granted. Night in and night out, he was quietly the best player on the ice. When he was in the lineup, the team thrived. When he was out with an injury, the club often struggled mightily. While players such as Tim Kerr, Brian Propp, Dave Poulin, and Ron Hextall were rightfully lauded with praise for their part in the Flyers’ successes, Howe was widely passed over when the accolaides were being doled out. And he may just have been the key ingredient that made all of the other players’ successes possible.

But for Howe it wasn’t about individual recognition. He just wanted his team to win, and throughout his entire 22-year professional playing career, his teams did a lot of winning.

Howe’s offensive numbers are staggering. In six years in the WHA, Mark would score 208 goals and 504 points, splitting time as a defender and playing left wing on an all-Howe line. In 16 NHL seasons, Howe finished with 197 goals and 742 points in his NHL career in 929 games. When you combine both his WHA and NHL statistics, in 22 seasons, Howe played 1355 games, scored 405 goals and recorded 1,246 points.

The key is that he was a true two-way defenseman. Always defensively responsible in spite of his tremendous offensive numbers, in the 16 seasons Howe played defense in the NHL, he racked up a collective +400 rating. With the plus / minus statistic being recorded in five of his six WHA campaigns, Howe was a collective +154.

Even though obscured in the shadow of father Gordie early-on, and defensemen of Mark’s NHL era like Coffey and Bourque, Mark Howe is indeed a true hockey legend. He would not only stop opponent’s offensive forays into his team’s zone, he could beat you with an end-to-end rush, or with his patented wrist shot.

Here, Howe rifles a wrister by Minnesota North Stars goaltender Mike Sands. Notice how quickly the puck goes from Rich Sutter to Howe and is immediately behind Sands.

This is a great between periods segment including an interview with Howe when he was a member of the WHA’s New England Whalers. Notice former Flyer Andre’ Lacroix describing Howe as the closest thing to Bobby Orr, and Mark describing why he uses the wrist shot over the slap shot.

It seems that the only thing missing is the long overdue call from Toronto to let him know that his accomplishments are no longer being taken for granted.