1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,000 This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons.com for more sports history. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:14,000 This is Gordon Howe of the Detroit Hockey Club. In a few moments I'll tell you about my greatest sports show. 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:33,000 This is Harry Wismer. What you're about to hear is a transcribed story of one of hockey's outstanding players. 4 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:38,000 And an event our special guest Gordon Howe considers his greatest sports thrill. 5 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,000 And Gordy himself is here to tell us all about it. 6 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:47,000 But first, here's Bill Reddick with a message of interest from your United States Air Force. 7 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:53,000 A good basketball captain knows when to press the other team, slow down the offense, or call time out. 8 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,000 In short, he has sound judgment. 9 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:02,000 Well, former servicemen with sound judgment are investigating today's opportunities in the United States Air Force. 10 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:08,000 Why? Because in the new age of space, the Air Force needs skilled former servicemen. 11 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:14,000 If you have the necessary background, you'll receive top training in promising career fields such as electronics, 12 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,000 jet mechanics, radar, and missile systems. 13 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:23,000 You'll get good starting rank, a guaranteed annual income, and steady advancement. 14 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:31,000 What's more, you'll get 30-day paid annual vacations, tax-free allowances for food, quarters, and clothing, plus other fine benefits. 15 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:38,000 See your local Air Force recruiter today about a secure position and a bright future in the age of space. 16 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:44,000 You'll agree that today and tomorrow, you're better off in the space age Air Force. 17 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,000 And that's more than just a slogan, it's good advice. 18 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,000 Now back to Harry Wisner. 19 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,000 Although the Detroit Red Wings are no longer the kingpins of the National Hockey League, 20 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:59,000 their star, Gordy Howe, continues as one of the outstanding players in the history of the game. 21 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:05,000 This remarkable right-winger was only 23 years old when he became the youngest winner of the Art Ross Trophy 22 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,000 as the league scoring champion in 1950 and 51. 23 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:15,000 Howe led the league's scores for four consecutive seasons, a feat never equaled before or since. 24 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:20,000 His tremendous play was a vital factor in the string of Detroit's hockey titles 25 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:27,000 that eventually reached seven before the Red Wings tumbled to second place in the season of 1955 and 56. 26 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:33,000 Howe was also voted the Hart Trophy twice in succession as the circuit's most valuable player. 27 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:38,000 Other noteworthy accomplishments in the career of this sensational hockey star include 28 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:44,000 topping the 80-point total four years in a row and the 40-goal mark three straight times. 29 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:50,000 And it should come as no surprise to hockey followers that Gordy Howe has filled the right-wing position 30 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:57,000 on the official NHL All-Star Team eight straight seasons in his first 11 years in the league. 31 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:02,000 Today, at an age when some players are finished, Gordy Howe is still in his prime. 32 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:07,000 He moves as gracefully as ever, the smoothest stick handler in hockey, 33 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,000 with his shooting eyes still among the best in the business. 34 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:17,000 The great red-wing player is second only to Montreal's Maurice Richard among the game's all-time goal-getters. 35 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:22,000 Richard, in 16 seasons, is the only man to score more than 500 goals. 36 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:28,000 Howe is nearing 400. No one else, either past or present, is close. 37 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:34,000 Gordy Howe, born May 31, 1928, is hockey's most versatile player. 38 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,000 Not only does he shoot from both left and right, which allows him to play on either wing 39 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,000 and shoot accurately from any angle, but he is so effective on defense 40 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:47,000 that he has been used as a defenseman in games during the past few years 41 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:51,000 when the Red Wings were trying to make a one-goal lead hold-up. 42 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:55,000 Howe's biggest booster is the Red Wings' general manager, Jack Adams. 43 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:59,000 But other hockey men in the high echelon, such as Muz Patrick, 44 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:04,000 the New York Rangers' general manager, are just as high on Gordy Howe. 45 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:10,000 Gordy Howe is the greatest player who ever played hockey, says Patrick, and I've seen them all. 46 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:15,000 Adams, who has been on hockey 42 years, 31 of them with the Red Wings, 47 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,000 calls Howe the perfect hockey player. 48 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:24,000 Except for an injury in 1954, Howe has been virtually indestructible 49 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,000 since he came up to the Red Wings in 1946 and 47. 50 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:36,000 Starting on the 9th of January the 19th, 1949, Howe played through a record 382 consecutive league games, 51 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:45,000 not missing a game in six years. His streak finally was stopped on November 3, 1954 by a severe shoulder injury. 52 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:52,000 Gordy Howe's greatest individual effort may have come in the game of December 25, 1956, Christmas night, 53 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:57,000 at Madison Square Garden in New York, when he netted a three-goal hat-trick for the 12th time 54 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:03,000 and added three assists as the Red Wings routed the New York Rangers 8-1. 55 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:11,000 Gordy Howe scored his first major league goal against goalie Turk Broda at the Toronto Maple Leafs in October of 1946. 56 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,000 He had only seven all that year. 57 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:19,000 In his second season, Howe was moved up to Detroit's first line with the veterans Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay. 58 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:24,000 The trio soon became the most powerful line in the game. 59 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:29,000 Gordy Howe didn't hit his stride until his fourth season with the Detroit Red Wings. 60 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:38,000 He won his first scoring championship in his fifth year, and in the next four years he rolled up an amazing total of 172 goals, 61 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:42,000 an average of 43 per 70 game season. 62 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:48,000 Gordy Howe is the Charlie Gerringer of hockey, his old coach Tommy Ivan once remarked. 63 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:56,000 By that I mean that he has both the ability and the knack for making the difficult plays look easy and routine. 64 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:01,000 Since he entered the National Hockey League, Gordy Howe has had some spectacular fights. 65 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Most memorable perhaps is the one he had with his archrival Maurice Richard. 66 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:12,000 The two stars tangled one night in Montreal, and the officials stood by and let them go at it. 67 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:19,000 Most hockey brawls involved threatening gestures, a few shoves, a tossed glove or two, and an occasional wallop. 68 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,000 But this one was a honey. 69 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:29,000 Gordy Howe came out of it with a few bruises, but Richard did not leave with the Canadians when they departed for New York the next day. 70 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:33,000 A majority of Gordy Howe's fights on the ice came early in his career. 71 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:41,000 In many of them he became involved in brawls while coming to the aid of his lively 5 foot 8 inch ex-teammate Ted Lindsey. 72 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:46,000 Jack Adams, Red Wings General Manager, says he finally had to put handcuffs on him. 73 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,000 He ordered him to refrain from using his fists. 74 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:53,000 As he says, Gordy Howe is more valuable to us playing hockey. 75 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:57,000 No one in hockey will dispute that point. 76 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:03,000 Now before you meet our special guest, Gordy Howe in person, and hear about his greatest sports thrill, 77 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:09,000 here is a message of interest to all young men who want to go places faster. 78 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,000 Recent servicemen, how much are you worth? 79 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:19,000 Well, probably more than you think, because your past military experience may bring you a good position with a promising future. 80 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,000 Where? In the United States Air Force. 81 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:28,000 You see, the Air Force urgently needs trained technicians to help run the new age of space. 82 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:35,000 And former servicemen like yourself can cash in military experience and skills for a promising Air Force career. 83 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:44,000 If qualified, you'll receive the finest training available in such important fields as guided missiles, jet mechanics, radar, electronics. 84 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:48,000 With this special knowledge, you'll advance as quickly as your ability allows. 85 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:55,000 What's more, the Air Force gives you a guaranteed annual income, 30 days paid vacation every year, 86 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:59,000 tax-free allowances for food, quarters and clothing, and many other benefits. 87 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:08,000 See your local Air Force recruiter soon and discover that today and tomorrow you're better off in the Space Age Air Force. 88 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,000 Now back to Harry Wisner. 89 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:14,000 Gordy Howe, what was your greatest sports thrill? 90 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,000 Well, Harry, I'd have to say it was a combination of many things. 91 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:23,000 Actually, the first one I would have to put ahead of the other two would be the fifth year in the league. 92 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:31,000 I won the scoring race, I also placed on the first All-Star Club and won the Most Valuable Player Award. 93 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,000 That was a great thrill to me. 94 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:37,000 The second, I would say, was our second Stanley Cup. 95 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:42,000 The first one I was unable to play due to the head injury which I had. 96 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:47,000 But the second one I was in the lineup all the way and that was a great thrill. 97 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:51,000 And the third, I might add, was the first game I ever played. 98 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:57,000 And I scored a goal in the second period against Turk Broda of the Toronto Maple Leaf. 99 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:03,000 And undoubtedly that was the greatest thrill because of all my years out in Western Canada, 100 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:09,000 all I heard was Turk Broda this, Turk Broda that because they broadcast the Toronto games out to Western Canada. 101 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:14,000 So scoring against Turk Broda, I would definitely say, was one of my greatest thrills. 102 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:21,000 As a top hockey player yourself, Gordy, who would you rate as the three best players you've ever seen or played against? 103 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:30,000 Terry, that would be a pretty tough question, but I'd have to go along with Melch Smith and also Rocket Richard. 104 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:36,000 And I've always said that we never mention our own players in this lineup. 105 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:41,000 But now that Ted Lindsay is over with the Chicago Blackhawks, I'd have to pick Ted too. 106 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:46,000 Gordy, how much weight and equipment does a hockey player carry on him, including skates? 107 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:51,000 Well, I'd say among the forwards, it just depends on your size. 108 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:59,000 But an average forward weighing about 170 would wear roughly anywhere from 23 to 25 pounds of equipment. 109 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:06,000 On the other hand, your goaltenders who are heavily padded will go anywhere around 30 to 35 pounds. 110 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:13,000 Our defensemen also, who are the bigger members of the club, they wear a little heavier padding around the shoulders, 111 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,000 which permits them to do all the heavy body check. 112 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:21,000 And therefore, being bigger and a little heavier equipped, I'd say they go close to 30 pounds. 113 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:26,000 I've heard it said that a hockey puck at times travels close to 100 miles per hour. 114 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:30,000 How do you get this tremendous speed in your shots? 115 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:35,000 I'd definitely say it travels over 100, I would say, because the simple fact that 116 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:40,000 while playing in Omaha, a young fellow by the name of George Hominuk was put through a test 117 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:49,000 and he was out shooting the puck for over a half hour, and he finally got the puck into the giving measurement. 118 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:54,000 And that puck at the time, after a half hour of shooting, and he was tired and he had to control it, 119 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,000 he got it up in around 90 miles per hour. 120 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:04,000 So I'd say an individual such as Gene Valable of Montreal, Canada, when going with the puck towards the net, 121 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:11,000 can get that shot away with accurate timing and get it close to the heel of the stick, such as you would in golf, 122 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:15,000 he'd put that thing well up over 100, I do believe that. 123 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,000 Gordy, would you tell us about the incident in the playoff game several years ago 124 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:24,000 that resulted in a serious injury to you and almost ended your hockey career? 125 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:29,000 Well, Harry, I'd have to say I'm a little in the dark on this subject for the simple reason that 126 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:34,000 it was a playoff game, it was against the Toronto Maple Leafs and it was the first game of the series. 127 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:40,000 And I was coming down, checking Teeter Kennedy at the time, and he was going, I'd say, down the left board, 128 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,000 being a right winger, I had to check him, that's my position. 129 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:49,000 So as I was catching up to him and coming along the board, all I remember is he making a pass into center ice 130 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:54,000 and being a right hand, that stick come around, and that's about the last I remember. 131 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:59,000 When I saw the stick coming up close to the head and trying to get out of the way, I guess I didn't 132 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:05,000 because I went down, and the last thing I remembered was that, but the first thing I do remember 133 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,000 when I come through was they were shaving the head, and I haven't got that much hair on my head, 134 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,000 believe me Harry, and it worried me quite a bit. 135 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:17,000 Gordy, did hockey players at one time have a clause in their contracts that paid them so much money 136 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,000 for stitches when they needed patching up? 137 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:25,000 That's right Harry, but it actually only lasted two years for good reason too. 138 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:33,000 The first year they were paying ten cents a stitch, and the company at the time were losing a lot of money. 139 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:39,000 And the second year they thought they'd change the program a little and give five or ten cents a cut, 140 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:45,000 which required a stitch, and they were losing, so they gave it up after two years. 141 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:49,000 Gordy, what's the funniest thing that ever happened to you on the ice? 142 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:58,000 The funniest thing Harry, actually I was embarrassed more than hurt, and that was I'd lost a couple of front teeth 143 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:05,000 in the first year, nobody knew I was wearing false teeth, and a game against New York Rangers in Detroit 144 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:13,000 with an old goaltender and a beloved one around the New York area, Charlie Rainer, he was in the nets at the time. 145 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:22,000 I cut across in front of the net, tried to get a backhand away, and doing so a defenseman flicked me under the jaw with a stick. 146 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:28,000 That permitted the teeth to run free, they went to the ice, and I dove at them, believe me, 147 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:33,000 and I cupped them in my hand and I held my mouth more or less as I put them back in place. 148 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:40,000 The referee and Charlie Rainer come over and asked me if I was hurt, and I said not really, I said I'm just teeth hunting at the time. 149 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:45,000 Thank you very much, Gordy Hall, the Detroit Red Wings, one of hockey's outstanding players.