by steve

Sad day for Wings fans

His longevity was something players growing up admired. He is the only player to have played in the NHL in five different decades, being from the 1940s until the 1980s. Eventually, he played in a sixth decade with one game for the Detroit Vipers in 1997 at nearly 70 years old.

Howe entered the NHL with the Red Wings at the age of 18. He played with them for 25 years until he retired, for the first time, after the 1970-71.

During his Red Wings career, he played in 1,687 games, scoring 913 goals, 1,243 assists for a total of 2,156 points. He also won four NHL Championships in 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955.