Crisscrossing Careers : Webster, Howe Played Together Twice, Now They Meet Again

It’s not much of a coincidence that the paths of hockey legend Gordie Howe and King Coach Tom Webster have crossed.

Twice.

With 32 years as a player, Howe’s path is difficult to miss.

The first time was at the start of Webster’s career, in his rookie season with the Detroit Red Wings. The second time was at the end of Howe’s career, when both played for the Hartford Whalers.

Sunday night counted as a third time, in a way. Watching from the Forum as the Kings played the Red Wings was Howe, who officially came on board the “Watch Wayne get Gordie’s record” bandwagon. Howe will stay with the Kings for the duration, until Gretzky surpasses Howe’s National Hockey League scoring record of 1,850 points. Gretzky moved to 1,843 Sunday night with three assists.

It was fitting that game was against Detroit, as the Red Wings are sentimental to Webster and Howe.

The team helped launch Webster’s career. The Red Wings witnessed Howe’s career.

Howe would move to other teams, even the upstart World Hockey Assn., and would play out his career in Hartford, but it was in Detroit that Howe laid the groundwork for his incredible scoring records. Starting with the 1949-50 season with the Red Wings--and for the next 20 seasons--Howe finished among the top five scorers in the NHL.

The season Howe slipped out of the top five was Webster’s rookie season, 1970-71. Howe missed much of the season with an injury and Webster, playing at Howe’s former postion on Howe’s former line, led the Red Wings in goals, assists and total points.

When he did play, Howe was patrolling on the blue line, having been relegated to defenseman because his legs were showing wear. Howe’s legs would carry him to the end of the decade, but because he wanted to play, Howe played where he was told.

“Ned Harkness (then the Detroit coach) was going to experiment with moving Howe to the blue line,” Webster said. “He was going to play as a defenseman and I was going to move up and play with Alex Delvecchio and Frank Mahavolich. So here I am, a young kid coming in, rooming with my idol, the guy I tried to be like as a hockey player. It was quite a thrill.”

Howe’s legendary feistiness was equally thrilling.

“He was mean. It wasn’t just in games but in practices,” Webster said. “He hit me right over the head once, popped me right over the head. I had taken the the puck off him. He bops me and says, “Whoops, sorry.” Meanwhile, I’m seeing stars and he’s laughing.

“We were doing skating drills, and Ned Harkness was really (upset) at us one day. We lined up on the boards, and we were going up and back, and Gordie tripped me. And of course, I’m the young guy. Practice stops and Harkness yells at me. Gordie is laughing and having a great time.”

Usually, Howe’s fine-point elbows were directed at opponents.

“Not too many people would go near Mr. Howe,” Webster said. “The odd guy would, and later on, sometime, somewhere, some place, the guy would walk off with stitches or missing teeth or just lying on the ice. And Gordie would say, ‘How did that happen?’ ”

Webster was thrilled to be Howe’s roommate for the year and a half he was with the team. As a rookie, Webster would carry the veteran players’ luggage. He would take messages for Howe. He would watch Howe laugh and tear up the messages.

Through it all, Webster was careful to keep quiet and give Howe due respect. Except once.

“I wear contact lenses,” he said. “Gordie has a problem with blinking. All the time. Sure enough, one morning, I put my contacts in and I was blinking. Gordie is looking at me and he’s blinking back. Before I knew it, he thought I was making fun of him, which I wasn’t. What a snotty-nosed brat he thought I was.”

Alas for Webster, he was traded to the old Oakland Seals. Happily for the Red Wings, Howe stayed in Detroit.

The Red Wings are a franchise like many others: There have been ups and there have been downs. Only the ups were more prevalent during the Howe years.

“Gordie was the kind of guy who read his fan mail in between periods,” Webster said. “He’d get caught up. At times he even dozed off. As soon as the siren went, boom, he was ready to go. With Gordie, you felt you were never out of the hockey game. With him on the team with the Red Wings, you always felt you could always win.”

With Howe, the Red Wings did win. Detroit won seven consecutive league championships between 1949 and 1955--no team has done it since--and won four Stanley Cups.

Howe endured decades of being told he was too old to play. Yet, his most productive NHL season was in 1969, when he scored 103 points for the Red Wings at age 41.

“When I was a rookie with the Red Wings in 1959, I used to tell people that Gordie was amazing for his age,” said Johnny McKenzie in 1979, who like Webster, played with Howe in Detroit and Hartford. “Now, here I am, 40 years old myself, and I’m saying the same thing.”

Howe retired from the Red Wings at 43 in an emotional ceremony on Sept. 7, 1971. He was headed not into retirement, but into the front office. Howe became a club vice president and was paid half of his $100,000 playing salary. He hated everything about it. Especially the part where he didn’t get to put on the uniform and play.

Eventually he met Webster again, in Hartford. They were line mates, with Howe at center, Webster at right wing and Howe’s son, Mark, at left wing.

Webster was amazed that Howe’s enthusiasm had not diminished in the 10 years since they first played together.

“He would make plays,” Webster said. “He’d be the first guy in the corners. He’d be the first guy back-checking. He’d pass me. He was just a guy who wanted to play. He loved playing. Obviously, at that age, he had to have loved it.”

Obviously, he still does.