Harry Howell (ice hockey)

Henry Vernon Howell (December 28, 1932 – March 9, 2019) was a Canadian professional hockey player and longtime star for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League.

Harry Howell
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1979
Howell with the New York Rangers.
Born	(1932-12-28)December 28, 1932 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Died	March 9, 2019(2019-03-09) (aged 86) Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	NHL New York Rangers Oakland Seals Los Angeles Kings WHA New York Golden Blades Jersey Knights San Diego Mariners Calgary Cowboys
Playing career	1952–1976

Early life

He was born in Hamilton, Ontario and died on March 9, 2019 at the age of 86.[1] He attended GCVI (Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute), in Guelph, Ontario.

Career

A stalwart, stay at home defenceman, in 1967 Howell was the last player in the pre-expansion era to win the Norris Trophy,[2] and famously said that he was glad he won the trophy then, because Bobby Orr (who finished second that year) would "own" the Norris for some time to come (as it turned out, Orr would win the trophy for the next eight seasons).[3]

Howell's playing weight was 195 and he stood 6 foot 1 inches tall. He played seventeen years wearing number 3 for the Rangers[4] then he played another eight years in professional hockey; two with Oakland/California Seals, three with the Los Angeles Kings, and one each with three World Hockey Association (WHA) teams: New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights (1973–74 WHA season), San Diego Mariners (1974–75), and ending his playing career with the Calgary Cowboys (1975–76).[5]

Howell first moved into team management while still a player. After just seven games with the New York Golden Blades, on November 21, 1973, Howell was elevated to player-coach when the team was moved and became the Jersey Knights for the remainder of the season.[6] At the end of that season, the Knights moved and became the San Diego Mariners, with Howell still performing double duty as player-coach. Howell was strictly a player during his season with the Calgary Cowboys.

Howell played 1411 NHL games and 170 WHA games, scoring 101 goals and 360 assists for 461 points.[7]

He was named a First Team All-Star in 1967, and played in All-Star Games in 1954, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968 and 1970. When he left the NHL, Howell had played more games as a defenseman than anyone else, and remains sixth in all time games played as a defenseman. He also holds the record for most games played for New York Rangers: 1,160.[8]

After retiring as a player, Howell became General Manager of the Cleveland Barons for the 1977–78 NHL season. The Barons were in dire financial circumstances, and merged with the equally challenged Minnesota North Stars at the end of that season. Howell became head coach of the merged Minnesota North Stars for the 1978–79 season.

Howell was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.[9]

In 1990, he finally won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Edmonton Oilers where he served as a scout.[10]

Howell's #3, along with Andy Bathgate's #9, was retired by the New York Rangers during a special ceremony prior to the February 22, 2009 match versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.[11][12]

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Howell at No. 10 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.[13]

Awards and achievements

• 1952 - Memorial Cup - (Guelph)
• 1967 - James Norris Memorial Trophy
• 1989–90 - NHL - Stanley Cup (Edmonton) (as scout)
• Most games played in a New York Rangers uniform, any position (1160)

Career statistics

Howell at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1951–52	Guelph Biltmores	OHA		51	17	20	37	0		—	—	—	—	—
1951–52	Cincinnati Mohawks	AHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1952–53	Guelph Biltmores	OHA		5	2	2	4	0		—	—	—	—	—
1952–53	New York Rangers	NHL		67	3	8	11	46		—	—	—	—	—
1953–54	New York Rangers	NHL		67	7	9	16	58		—	—	—	—	—
1954–55	New York Rangers	NHL		70	2	14	16	87		—	—	—	—	—
1955–56	New York Rangers	NHL		70	3	15	18	77		5	0	1	1	4
1956–57	New York Rangers	NHL		65	2	10	12	70		5	1	0	1	6
1957–58	New York Rangers	NHL		70	4	7	11	62		6	1	0	1	8
1958–59	New York Rangers	NHL		70	4	10	14	101		—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	New York Rangers	NHL		67	7	6	13	58		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	New York Rangers	NHL		70	7	10	17	62		—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	New York Rangers	NHL		66	6	15	21	89		6	0	1	1	8
1962–63	New York Rangers	NHL		70	5	20	25	55		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	New York Rangers	NHL		70	5	31	36	75		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	New York Rangers	NHL		68	2	20	22	63		—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	New York Rangers	NHL		70	4	29	33	92		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	New York Rangers	NHL		70	12	28	40	54		4	0	0	0	4
1967–68	New York Rangers	NHL		74	5	24	29	62		6	1	0	1	0
1968–69	New York Rangers	NHL		56	4	7	11	36		2	0	0	0	0
1969–70	Oakland Seals	NHL		55	4	16	20	52		4	0	1	1	2
1970–71	California Golden Seals	NHL		28	0	9	9	14		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		18	3	8	11	4		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		77	1	17	18	53		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		73	4	11	15	28		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights	WHA		65	3	23	26	24		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	San Diego Mariners	WHA		74	4	10	14	28		5	1	0	1	10
1975–76	Calgary Cowboys	WHA		31	0	3	3	6		2	0	0	0	2
WHA totals				170	7	36	43	58		7	1	0	1	12
NHL totals				1411	94	324	418	1298		38	3	3	6	32

NHL/WHA Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season						Post season
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
Jersey Knights (WHA)	1973–74	58	26	30	2	(54)	6th in East	Missed playoffs
San Diego Mariners (WHA)	1974–75	78	43	31	4	90	2nd in West	Lost in Semi-Finals
Minnesota North Stars (NHL)	1978–79	11	3	6	2	(8)	4th in Adams	(resigned)

See also

• Captain (ice hockey)
• Hockey Hall of Fame
• List of NHL players with 1000 games played

References

1. "NHL Hall of Famer Harry Howell, Rangers games leader, dies at 86". Retrieved 2019-03-10.
2. "In the know on the Norris (www.nhl.com)". Retrieved 2008-08-21.
3. "Legends of Hockey: Silverware- James Norris Memorial Trophy Winner (www.legendsofhockey.net)". Retrieved 2008-08-21.
4. "Legends of Hockey Spotlight, Treasure Chest (www.hhof.com)". Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
5. "NOPAC TALENT: America's Premier Celebrity & Sports Talent Agency (www.nopactalent.com)". Archived from the original on 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
6. "N.Y. Blades Now Jersey Knights". The Montreal Gazette. 1973-11-21. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
7. "Hockey Database: Harry Howell (www.hockeydb.com)". Retrieved 2008-08-21.
8. "NHL Alumni News Archive: New York Rangers honour Harry Howell (www.nhlalumni.com)". Archived from the original on 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
9. "Hockey Hall of Fame: "Stanley Cup Journal" (www.hhof.com)". Archived from the original on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
10. "TML Fever: Stanley Cup Rings (www.tmlfever.com)". Retrieved 2008-08-21.
11. "Canada.com: Red's Notebook, Red Fisher of the Gazette (April 12, 2008)". Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
12. David, Dan. "Bathgate, Howell come home to the rafters," newyorkrangers.com, Sunday, February 22, 2009. Archived October 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
13. Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0470736194.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Anderson, Dave. "Two Rangers Sweaters Will Rise Where a Cup Banner Didn't," The New York Times, Sunday, February 22, 2009.

Awards
Preceded by Jacques Laperrière	Winner of the Norris Trophy 1967	Succeeded by Bobby Orr
Sporting positions
Preceded by Don Raleigh	New York Rangers captain 1955–57	Succeeded by George Sullivan
Preceded by Bill McCreary, Sr.	General Manager of the Cleveland Barons 1977–78	Succeeded by Position abolished
Preceded by Lou Nanne	Head coach of the Minnesota North Stars 1978	Succeeded by Glen Sonmor