1954-55 Topps 3 Harry Howell Hockey Card (Front)
1954-55 Topps 3 Harry Howell Hockey Card (Back)
Card Notes
One of the few players to jump from Junior Hockey to the NHL, Harry is in his third year as a Ranger at the young age of 22. His mates call him “Harry the Horse.” He starred for the Guelph, Ont. Biltmores, winners of the Memorial Cup, before turning to professional hockey. Harry is a good all-around athlete, choosing hockey over football for a career.
Details
The 1951-52 Guelph Biltmores captured the OHA Junior A championship, beating the St. Catharines Teepees in the final. Guelph moved on to take out the Montreal Junior Canadiens and earn a trip to the Memorial Cup final. The Biltmores then swept the Regina Pats in four games to capture the national title. Joining Howell on the team were future NHL stars Ron Murphy, Dean Prentice and Andy Bathgate.
Harry Howell played in 1,411 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1952-53 and 1972-73 with the Rangers, Oakland Seals and Los Angeles Kings. However, he played in just 38 Stanley Cup playoff games over that time and never was on a team that won a playoff series.
1966-67 was a career year for Harry. His 12 goals and 40 points were both career highs. He was honoured with the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. The next time someone not named Bobby Orr would win the award would be Denis Potvin in 1975-76. Howell was also named a First Team All-Star that year.
Howell spent three years in the WHA, 1973-74 to 1975-76, with the New York Golden Blades, San Diego Mariners and Calgary Cowboys before retiring as a player. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979. His jersey number 3 was retired by the Rangers in 2009.