Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction November 2023
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/28/2023
Born March 31st, 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan, Gordie Howe would get his first taste of professional hockey at age 15 in 1943 when he was invited by the New York Rangers to their training camp held at "The Amphitheatre" in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He played well enough there that the Rangers wanted Howe to sign a "C" form which would have given that club his National Hockey League rights and to play that year at Notre Dame, a Catholic school in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, that was known for producing good hockey players. Turning down the offer the Blueshirts made him, Howe would return home and be noticed by the Detroit Red Wings in 1944, who extended the kid, who would become known as "Mr. Hockey", an invitation to their camp in Windsor, Ontario. Signed by Detroit to the same previously mentioned "C" form and enjoying a 1944-45 season with the Galt Red Wings and a 1945-46 campaign with the Omaha Knights of the USHL, Howe would finally crack the Motor City lineup on October 16th, 1946. In true Howe fashion, the 18-year-old right winger scored his first of 1071 professional goals (including both regular season and playoffs in the NHL and WHA) that night against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit's Olympia. Switching to his famed number "9" after his rookie season and becoming a mainstay in Detroit's lineup for 25-years, Howe would lead the Red Wings to four (4) Stanley Cup Championships, win six (6) Hart and six (6) Art Ross Trophies and be named an NHL All-Star a total of twenty-one (21) times.
Retiring from the National Hockey League at the conclusion of the 1970-71 season but making a comeback in the World Hockey Association beginning in 1973-74 to play with his son's Mark and Marty as a member of the Houston Aeros, the Howe's, led of course by their father, would lead the Aeros to the AVCO Cup in back-to-back years of 1974 and 1975. Finishing out his WHA tenure with two (2) seasons with the New England Whalers, Howe would find himself back in the NHL for the 1979-80 season with the merger between the NHL and WHA, where he would play one final season, playing in 80 games and registering 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points at the age of 52-years-old.
After a 32-season career that went into five decades, 52-year-old Gordie Howe ended his professional playing days. On April 6, the final day of the 1979-80 season in a game against the Red Wings, Gordie netted his final regular-season goal, potting the marker at 11:25 of the 2nd period for the 801st goal of his career, which served as his 1850th career point (during the same game, Howe got an assist in the 1st period for point #1849). During the Hartford Whalers’ preliminary round, on April 9, 1980 against the Montreal Canadiens, he scored his final playoff goal, the 68th of his remarkable career, which was assisted by his son Mark, making it the only NHL game in which all three Howe relatives earned points. Additionally, during that same playoff contest, Gordie and Marty would both register assists on Ray Neufeld's second period goal as well. That these would be his final contributions became known when he officially announced his retirement on June 4. These important milestones by Howe remained all time records until broken by Gretzky in 1989 and 1994 respectively.
Offered here, we proudly present this plaque that displays the pucks used by Howe to score his 801st career goal which also serves as his 1850th career point, and his 68th career Stanley Cup Playoffs goal. Recently on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame from 2019 to 2022, the plaque, measuring 12" x 15" and featuring beveled edges, sports both pucks, placed one above the other on a green coloured metal sheet with information pertaining to each goal having been engraved underneath each biscuit. Both correct model pucks for the era, the Whalers puck is a 1980-85 InGlasCo approved puck with no name/large logo, with "VICEROY CANADA" on the edge (V4 Viceroy slug), while the playoff goal puck is 1973-83 Viceroy puck with rubberized crests which has "CANADA" on the edge (V3 Viceroy slug). Each showing expected light wear to both the pucks and the logos that are featured on their faces in the form of surface wear along with the odd cut, chip/missing piece and scuffs, the piece serves as the ultimate display to celebrate the unmatched career of Mr Hockey and is accompanied by a Howe Foundation COA signed by both Mark and Marty Howe.
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