Over its hundred-year history, the NHL has had no shortage of out-of-this-world talents and masters with the puck who captivated entire fanbases, leaving jaws dropped with every dangle, move, and trickery on the ice. However, only a select few could be dubbed the greatest to ever play the sport. While the most common answer is the Edmonton Oilers legend Wayne Gretzky, opinions differ, and all-time greats Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr believe there was another player who stands above The Great One.
Gretzky is the NHL’s all-time leader in goals, assists, points, while still holding 57 League records to this day. Hockey is the ultimate team sport and nothing is more important than collective success, the Oilers legend is not unfamiliar with that either, as he has won four Stanley Cup titles with Edmonton.
Although Gretzky and his goals record are being chased after by Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, if he were to lose that record nobody would believe any less highly of him. However, despite Gretzky’s success and him elevating the level of play during the 80’s and 90’s, fellow Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins legends Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux believe there was one player who stood above him. As a matter of fact, even Gretzky himself believes it.
That player is Detroit Red Wings franchise icon Gordie Howe, who made his NHL debut in 1946 at 18 years old and first retired in 1971. However, Howe returned to the ice for one last season during the 1979-80 campaign. Playing for the Hartford Whalers, Howe became the oldest player to participate in an NHL game at 52 years and 10 days old.
Wayne Gretzky #99 of the Edmonton Oilers watches the play from the wing against the Montreal Canadiens during the Molson Canadien Heritage Classic on November 22, 2003 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada.
“Gordie [Howe] in my mind is the best that ever played the game,” Orr stated during the NHL’s All Star Weekend on January 2017, via ESPN. “I’m not sure if we’ll ever see another one.”
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“I think his work ethic first of all, just like Wayne was when he played, he’s the hardest-working guy out there,” Lemieux said. “Whether it’s a practice or a 3-on-3 game at practice, he wants to win, he wants to be the best.”
Gordie Howe’s influence
Gretzky may have been the most fascinating hockey player to ever step onto the ice, but Howe embodied everything hockey stood for. He was hockey. As a result, Howe earned the nickname “Mr. Hockey”. Howe passed away at the age of 88 in June 2016, leaving an indelible legacy in the beautiful sport of hockey.
The Red Wings legend even inspired a milestone named after him: the “Gordie Howe Hat Trick.” This feat consists of scoring a goal, registering an assist, and getting into a fight in a single game. Because that’s what hockey is all about—the beauty and the rampage, the harmony and the pandemonium that coexist on the ice.
The marquis at the Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan proclaims, “THANK YOU MR. HOCKEY” to honor hockey legend Gordie Howe’s death June 10, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan.
Even for Gretzky, who is hands down the most famous NHL superstar in history, being above Howe was nothing short of an honor.
“I think we’re all in pretty much in agreement that Gordie was pretty special,” Gretzky stated, per ESPN. “These two guys here are pretty special also, and we all have so much respect for what Gordie did and what he accomplished. It’s not a bad thing to be named in the top 100 behind a guy like Gordie Howe. I think we all feel the same way.”
Howe’s accolades
Over his longevous career in the NHL, Gordie Howe pulled off the unthinkable time and time again, and therefore, when he stepped off the ice he left an impressive resume behind. Howe played in 1,767 games (only surpassed by Patrick Marleau’s 1,779), scoring 801 goals, and registering 1,049 assists for a grand-total of 1,850 points. Howe didn’t shy away from the penalty box, either as he totalled 1,685 penalty minutes.
Howe experienced plenty of team success, as well. During his career, Howe hoisted Lord Stanley four times, and led the Detroit Red Wings to seven consecutive first place finishes in the regular season from 1949 to 1955, a feat no other team has ever replicated.
Gordie Howe speaks to fans during the Centennial Celebration ceremonies prior to the NHL game between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins on December 4, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Undoubtedly, Howe’s impact in today’s NHL is still felt all over the league. Not just for the Red Wings, Mr. Hockey is a symbol of resilience and love for the game to every player and team. While the younger generations watch on the superstars as insipiration, Gretzky revealed Gordie Howe was who he wanted to be growing up.
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“We all had the same dreams growing up as kids,” Gretzky stated during the interview with ESPN on 2017. “Mario probably wanted to be [Jean] Beliveau, Bobby Orr probably wanted to be Doug Harvey. Of course I wanted to be Gordie. So we all had the same dream.“
