1969-70 O-Pee-Chee 79 Harry Howell Hockey Card (Front)
1969-70 O-Pee-Chee 79 Harry Howell Hockey Card (Back)
1969-70 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
Card Notes
Until a severe back injury hit him last season, Harry Howell was one of the most reliable players in the NHL. “Old Reliable” played more games with N.Y. than anyone else in history. Won Norris Trophy, ’67.
En Français
Avant d’être blessé grièvement, au dos, Harry Howell était un des joueurs les plus stables de la LNH. “Old Reliable” (bon joueur fidèle), a participé à plus de joutes avec New-York que n’importe quel autre joueur dans l’histoire de la LNH. Il a gagné le trophée Norris en 1967.
Details
“Old Reliable” for sure. Harry Howell missed just 20 games for the New York Rangers between 1952-53 and 1967-68. Considering he played five games of junior hockey in 1952-53 with the Guelph Biltmores and also appeared in 67 of 70 games for the Blue Shirts, it’s simply amazing numbers for a defenseman.
Unfortunately, Howell would appear in one less game for the Seals in 1969-70 than he did with the Rangers the year before. Harry played 55 games for Oakland but nearly doubled his point production to 20 from the eleven in the previous campaign.
Howell would be gone from Oakland, but not from the state of California, by the middle of the next season. On February 5, 1971, he was shipped to the Los Angeles Kings for cash. He would finish out his NHL career with the Kings before jumping to the WHA for the 1973-74 season. He played parts of three years in the Rebel League with the New York Golden Blades / New Jersey Knights, San Diego Mariners and Calgary Cowboys.
Between 1952-53 and 1972-73, Harry Howell appeared in 1,411 regular season games in the National Hockey League with the Rangers, Seals and Kings. However, he saw action in just 38 playoff games and was never on a team that won a series in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
In 1966-67, Howell edged out Pierre Pilote of the Chicago Blackhawks for the Norris Trophy. It would be the last time until Denis Potvin in 1975-76 that someone other than Bobby Orr would win the award. In 1966-67, Harry was also in the running for the Hart Trophy, finishing fifth in voting, a great distance behind winner Stan Mikita.