This Victoriaville Pro hockey stick was produced as a prototype for Hall of Famer Gordie Howe. Howe began his NHL career in 1946 with the Detroit Red Wings, the franchise he would represent for the next 25 seasons. “Mr. Hockey”, as he would become to be known, later went on to help save the struggling WHA, playing for the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers before returning to the NHL after the fledgling leagues collapse in 1979. Howe spent one final season with the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80, after they merged with the NHL. When discussing the greatest players in the history of the sport, Gordie is included at or near the top of every list. In fact, the two players who often give him a run for his money, Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr, each consider Howe as the greatest to ever play the game!
Howe’s incredible career statistics don’t do him justice, having played for decades at the highest level in a very low scoring environment. Gordie partook in 1767 NHL games and scored a remarkable 801 goals. He added another 1049 assists for 1850 points. Known as the all-time greatest “power forward” the game has ever known, Gordie put his razor-sharp elbows and iron fists to work and accumulated 1685 PIMS in the process. Howe’s mantel was filled with hardware that included 6 Art Ross Trophies as the NHL’s leading scorer, 6 Hart Memorial Trophies as the NHL’s MVP and 4 Stanley Cups! Gordie was 21 times voted a 1st or 2nd team NHL All Star, wow!
Gordie’s WHA feats are also most impressive. Gordie dominated the WHA, putting up a couple of 100-point seasons and capturing a couple of 1st Team WHA All Star selections and a WHA MVP Award! Howe brought his teams to 4 Avco Cup Finals in his 6 years in the WHA and skated away with 2 Championships. In 419 WHA games played, Mr. Hockey lit the lamp 174 times and added 334 assists for 508 points to go along with 399 PIMS. Despite missing a season, Howe finished his WHA career as the 7th highest scoring player in league history. Lest we not forget that Gordie achieved all of this between the age of 45 and 51! Sadly, the hockey world mourned as we lost this Hall of Fame legend in the summer of 2016.
This Victoriaville stick has the player name “Howe” stamped on the side. The “Mailhot & Freres Inc.” stamp is on both sides below the butt. The stick is untaped, as it never made it into game action. This stick was acquired by our consignor while with his friend at Olympia Stadium in the late 1960’s. His friend, an Olympia Stadium operations employee in charge of the ice, indicated that the “equipment” in the storage room across the hall from the Red Wings dressing room was about to be discarded and that he was free to help himself if there was anything he wanted. This is also when he acquired the Bill Gadsby jersey from last auction and Carl Brewer stick in this auction.
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