Harry Howell

Harry Howell
Position	Defenceman
Shot	Left
Height Weight	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (89 kg)
Teams	New York Rangers Oakland Seals Los Angeles Kings New York Golden Blades New Jersey Knights San Diego Mariners Calgary Cowboys
Nationality	Canadian
Born	December 28, 1932(1932-12-28), Hamilton, ON, CA
Died	March 9, 2019(2019-03-09) (aged 86), Hamilton, ON, CA
Pro Career	1952 – 1976
Hall of Fame, 1979

Henry Vernon "Harry" Howell (December 28, 1932 – March 9, 2019) was a Canadian professional hockey player and longtime star for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. A stalwart, stay at home defenceman, in 1967 Howell was the last player in the pre-expansion era to win the Norris Trophy, and famously (and prophetically) said that "he was glad he won the trophy then, because Bobby Orr would win it from then on forward."

Howell's playing weight was 195 and he stood 6 foot 1 inches tall. He played seventeen years wearing number 3 for the Rangers then he played another eight years in professional hockey; two with Oakland/California Seals, three with the Los Angeles Kings, and one each with three WHA teams: New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights, San Diego Mariners, and Calgary Cowboys.

Howell played 1411 NHL games and 170 WHA games, scoring 101 goals and 360 assists for 461 points. He was named a First Team All-Star in 1967, and played in All-Star Games in 1954, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968 and 1970. When he left the NHL, Howell had played more games as a defenceman than anyone else, and remains sixth in all time games played as a defenseman. He also holds the record for most games played in the NHL wearing the same New York Rangers sweater: 1160.

After retirement, he went on to coach the Minnesota North Stars in the 1978-79 season. Also in 1979, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In 1990, he finally won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Edmonton Oilers when he served as a scout.

Howell's #3, along with Andy Bathgate's #9, was retired by the New York Rangers during a special ceremony prior to the February 22, 2009 match versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Awards and Achievements

• 1989–90 - NHL - Stanley Cup (Edmonton)

Career Statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1951–52	Guelph Biltmores	OHA		51	17	20	37	0		—	—	—	—	—
1951–52	Cincinnati Mohawks	AHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1952–53	Guelph Biltmores	OHA		5	2	2	4	0		—	—	—	—	—
1952–53	New York Rangers	NHL		67	3	8	11	46		—	—	—	—	—
1953–54	New York Rangers	NHL		67	7	9	16	58		—	—	—	—	—
1954–55	New York Rangers	NHL		70	2	14	16	87		—	—	—	—	—
1955–56	New York Rangers	NHL		70	3	15	18	77		5	0	1	1	4
1956–57	New York Rangers	NHL		65	2	10	12	70		5	1	0	1	6
1957–58	New York Rangers	NHL		70	4	7	11	62		6	1	0	1	8
1958–59	New York Rangers	NHL		70	4	10	14	101		—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	New York Rangers	NHL		67	7	6	13	58		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	New York Rangers	NHL		70	7	10	17	62		—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	New York Rangers	NHL		66	6	15	21	89		6	0	1	1	8
1962–63	New York Rangers	NHL		70	5	20	25	55		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	New York Rangers	NHL		70	5	31	36	75		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	New York Rangers	NHL		68	2	20	22	63		—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	New York Rangers	NHL		70	4	29	33	92		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	New York Rangers	NHL		70	12	28	40	54		4	0	0	0	4
1967–68	New York Rangers	NHL		74	5	24	29	62		6	1	0	1	0
1968–69	New York Rangers	NHL		56	4	7	11	36		2	0	0	0	0
1969–70	Oakland Seals	NHL		55	4	16	20	52		4	0	1	1	2
1970–71	California Golden Seals	NHL		28	0	9	9	14		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		18	3	8	11	4		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		77	1	17	18	53		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		73	4	11	15	28		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights	WHA		65	3	23	26	24		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	San Diego Mariners	WHA		74	4	10	14	28		5	1	0	1	10
1975–76	Calgary Cowboys	WHA		31	0	3	3	6		2	0	0	0	2
NHL totals				1411	94	324	418	1298		38	3	3	6	32

Gallery

Phil Esposito in action, March 13, 1968.

External Links

• Harry Howell's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Awards
Preceded by Jacques Laperrière	Winner of the Norris Trophy 1967	Succeeded by Bobby Orr
Sporting positions
Preceded by Don Raleigh	New York Rangers captains 1955–57	Succeeded by George Sullivan

New York Rangers
Team	Franchise • Players • Coaches • GMs • Seasons • Records • Draft Picks • History Madison Square Garden
Stanley Cups	1928, 1933, 1940, 1994
Affiliates	Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), Maine Mariners (ECHL)