Mark Howe
Three-time Norris Trophy runner-up and two-time Avco Cup winner.
Mark Steven Howe (born May 28, 1955) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey defenseman and left winger who played six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1973 to 1995. He is notable as the son of Gordie Howe, for winning two Avco Cups with the Houston Aeros, and for being a three-time runner-up for the Norris Trophy as one of the best two-way NHL defensemen of the 1980s.
Quick Facts
- Halloffame
- 2011
- Birth Date
- 1955-05-28
- Birth Place
- Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
- Height Ft
- 5
- Height In
- 11
- Weight Lb
- 190
- Position
- Defense / Left wing
- Shoots
- Left
- Played For
- Houston Aeros / Hartford Whalers / Philadelphia Flyers / Detroit Red Wings
- Ntl Team
- USA
- Draft
- 25th overall
- Draft Year
- 1974
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Mark Howe began his professional career in 1973 with the Houston Aeros of the WHA, signing a four-year, $500,000 deal that included a $125,000 signing bonus. He played alongside his father Gordie and brother Marty, and the trio led the Aeros to Avco Cup championships in 1974 and 1975. Howe won the Lou Kaplan Trophy as WHA Rookie of the Year in 1974 and was named to the WHA All-Star Team three times. He led the 1975 WHA playoffs in scoring with 22 points and holds the record for most WHA playoff points with 92. When the WHA merged with the NHL in 1979, Howe joined the Hartford Whalers, where he was moved to defense full-time. In 1980, he suffered a severe injury when he slid into the pointed metal center of a net, cutting a five-inch gash in his rectal area; the injury nearly ended his career and led to an NHL net redesign after Howe's lawsuit. He was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, where he became a backbone of one of the NHL's best defensive teams of the mid-1980s, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals three times (1985, 1987, and later with Detroit in 1995).
Reader's Guide
Mark Howe's significance lies in his transition from a successful WHA forward to one of the NHL's premier defensemen of the 1980s, despite the enormous shadow cast by his father Gordie. He was a three-time runner-up for the Norris Trophy, finishing second in 1982–83, 1985–86, and 1986–87. His best season came in 1985–86, when he led the NHL with a +85 plus/minus rating and 7 shorthanded goals, scoring 24 goals and 82 points. From 1979 to 1988, he ranked third among defensemen in points and plus-minus. Howe's legacy includes being the youngest hockey player to win an Olympic medal (silver in 1972 at age 16), and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. After retiring, he worked in the Detroit Red Wings' hockey operations department, earning Stanley Cup rings in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008 as a video coach and pro scout.
Did You Know?
- Mark Howe is the son of Gordie Howe and younger brother of Marty Howe.
- In 1972, the United States earned a silver medal at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan with 16-year-old Howe being the youngest hockey player to win an Olympic medal in ice hockey history.
- His 1980 injury from sliding into a net's pointed center led to an NHL net redesign after his lawsuit.
More in Hockey Hall of Fame Defencemen 1-24
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