Howe Has Golden Memory Of Debut
Around the NHL
His heart was beating faster now, and his stomach ached. Gordie Howe didn’t like any of this one bit. But he was ready.
Was the old coach crazy, or what? All week, the Red Wings practiced and all week Jack Adams never said a word. Not a thing. Start Gordie Howe, the 18-year-old rookie from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on opening night? Against the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Had he known, Howe wouldn’t have daydreamed during the national anthem. No way. When he was a kid, he collected pictures of NHL players by sending in labels of Bee Hive corn syrup. And now, four years later, here it was, 1946, and Howe was looking up and down Toronto’s blue line, searching for the players he had in his scrapbook - Syl Apps (have it) … Turk Broda (have it) … Nick Metz (have it). …
Fifty years ago, on Oct. 16, 1946 (on a Wednesday, no less), Howe stepped onto the Olympia Stadium ice and began a career that would be honored many times over for its greatness (1,071 goals and 21 All-Star appearances) and longevity (four decades and 2,421 games).
The real crazy part? Howe wasn’t even expecting to play. Really. No clue. The newspapers that day listed him as one of the Detroit “spares.” That was fine with him. This was his first game in the NHL. And besides, Olympia was swelling with fans - a sellout of 12,755. Never before had he seen so many people in one place.
So minutes before the opening face-off, just after the anthem, Howe went searching for a seat at the end of the bench. He wanted to be the good rookie and stay out of the way. That’s when, suddenly, he heard Adams say: ” … and Howe starts!”
Huh? Starting? On the same line with Sid Abel and Adam Brown?
For one hot flash of a moment, Howe felt like he was in grade school again and the teacher had just called his name.
No time to think. Howe charged onto the ice.
Notebook
Neal Broten, the last member of the United States’ 1980 Miracle On Ice team still playing in the NHL, has been waived by the New Jersey Devils.
If he is not claimed, he will be assigned to a minor-league team, with the Devils still responsible for paying his $950,200 salary.
Dallas is 6-0-0, the best start in franchise history, after besting visiting Detroit 3-1 Tuesday night. The Stars are the only unbeaten, untied team in the NHL. … Corey Schwab earned his first career shutout as the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 … Valeri Zelepukin had a goal and two assists, and Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils defense shut down one of the NHL’s top offenses in beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in East Rutherford, N.J. … Toronto outshot Chicago 40-30, including 21-9 in the third period, but goalie Ed Belfour stopped all but one shot as the Blackhawks won 3-1 in Toronto. … Eric Lacroix got his first career hat trick as the Colorado Avalanche scored on six of their first 14 shots in a 7-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers.