Howe started his hockey career in Saskatoon as part of the Saskatoon Lions in 1943-44 season. That same year Howe attended his first NHL training camp with the New York Rangers in Winnipeg. But as a 15 year old he quickly grew homesick and left camp. The following year he played only the exhibition season with the Galt Red Wings. He attended the Detroit Red Wings training camp that season and was picked up by the Red Wings and sent down to the Omaha Knights of the USHL where Gordie scored nearly a point a game. The following season Howe was brought up, and the NHL and its followers began to witness one of the game's greatest players begin his career.

It wasn't long until Howe began to establish his presence in the NHL. Howe was not physically intimidating by his looks, but his strength became well known throughout the NHL. In his autobiography, Jean Beliveau cites Howe as "having thick and rounded shoulders that sloped into a huge chest knotted with muscle." Howe was not a fighter, but he never backed down from a fight. He once flattened New York Ranger tough guy Eddie Shack and then turned his attention to a brawler named Lou Fontinato and clobbered him. No one fooled with Howe after that.

Howe used his strength, skating ability and stick handling ability to leave many an opponent searching vainly for the puck as he sped by. Goalies never knew how Gordie was going to come in on them as he was ambidextrous making him a threat no matter where he was on the ice. It wasn't long before Howe started leading the league. In the 1948-49 playoffs, Howe led the league in goals and points. In 1948-49 Howe was teamed up with Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel to form the famed Production Line which became one of the top scoring lines of all times. It wasn't long before Howe found himself among the top scorers in the league. In 1949-50, the members of the Production Line, Lindsay, Abel and Howe found themselves 1-2-3 in the league for scoring. It is not surprising the Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup that year, despite a serious injury to Howe.

The next season began a four year dominance of the scoring title by Howe. He led the league in most scoring categories during that four year reign becoming the first player to win the Art Ross Trophy 4 consecutive times. Howe would later add 2 more scoring titles to his collection in 1956-57 and 1962-63. Howe also collected the Hart Trophy a total of 6 times. Gordie played a total of 25 consecutive seasons with the Detroit Red Wings before retiring at the end of the 1970-71 season.

However, you can't take hockey out of the boy, and in 1973-74 Howe returned to the Houston Aero's of the WHA where he recorded 100 points. Not a bad feat for a 45 year old. Howe played 5 more years in the WHA and finally left the WHA with an overall scoring ranking of 6th!

In the 1979-80 season, Howe returned to the NHL playing with the Hartford Whalers and played the entire 80 game season, marking an astounding 26 NHL seasons and 32 in professional hockey! Not counting the one game Howe played for the Detroit Vipers in the 1997-98 season, Howe played in 5 decades. With today's style of play, that record is pretty safe. Howe's records and awards are almost too numerous to mention. He once held the all time scoring lead with 801 goals, the most assists and the most points until the "Great One" came along. Howe was voted to the NHL All Star Team a record 21 consecutive times from 1950 to 1971, won the Art Ross Trophy 6 times, the Hart Trophy 6 times, the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1967, was selected to the WHA First All Star Team in 1974, and 1975 and won the WHA MVP trophy in 1974. Howe still holds the Detroit Red Wings team records for the most seasons, the most games, the most career goals, most career assists, most career points and the most points by a right winger in as season. I once had the opportunity to meet Gordie at a Bobby Orr Easter Seal Skate-a-thon. While my son was getting Gordie to autograph his stick, my son got the stick up a little high and nearly clipped Gordie in the face. Gordie looked down and smiled and said, "use your elbows son, not your stick." In 1972, Gordie was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.