Who Was the Oldest NHL Player?

Several NHL players over the course of history, have pushed their boundaries. While most sports, including Ice Hockey, demand a retirement after 40 due to physical strains, one NHL player has continued to play above the age of 50. Nicknamed ‘Mr. Hockey’, this late Canadian gentleman also holds this title in the Guinness Book of World Records.

26 seasons in the NHL, 6 seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA), and 25 (out of the 26) spent with the Detroit Wings, Gordie Howe is often regarded as one of the greatest of all time. He retired at the age of 52 years and left behind a legacy for countless Hockey players to follow, not least of which is another Canadian legend, Wayne Gretzky.

How Gordie Howe went on to play one last time at age 52?

Gordie Howe played his beloved sport for 34 years, making history in the process. The, Floral, Saskatchewan boy from Canada, made his debut at the age of 18 for Detroit Red Wings in 1946. Howe’s first retirement came in 1971 when he was 43 years old. However, he returned to join the Houston Aeros of the WHA the next year in 1972. From 1974-75, Howe scored over 100 points twice in six years and also earned the Most Valuable Player in 1974. He left the game a final time in 1975, or so he thought.

Howe returned in 1980, at age 52, to play for the Hartford Whalers (based out of Connecticut) and then finally retired. The WHA had folded in 1979 and the Whalers joined the NHL in 1980. He thus earned the distinction of being the oldest player to ever play in the league.

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It was only possible when the Red Wings (Howe’s lifelong team) and the Whalers reached an amicable agreement in which the former team would not try and reclaim Howe. At 52, he wasn’t the same springy, young man that amassed numerous goals all his life. He was experiencing dizzy spells in the later part of his WHA career (1979-80), and it was only after a slew of tests, that he played his final game.

The result of his last match and the legacy of Gordie Howe

Although the Whalers lost the match against the Montreal Canadiens 4-3, it did not put a dent in Howe’s legacy. The man who scored 801 goals, 1049 assists, and 1850 points not only inspired future legends like Wayne Gretzky but also has a hat trick named after him. The Gordie Howe hat trick, is where one player has to score a goal, get an assist, and also score a penalty in the same game. His record of 801 goals stood for a long time as the highest ever by an NHL player, until Gretzky broke it and still holds it to this day. Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin also touched his record goals of 786 with a single franchise in December, 2022.

Several other NHL greats came close to retiring at 50, like Chris Chelios (48), Johnny Bower (45), Jaromir Jagr (45), etc. However, it was Mr. Hockey, who despite all his health issues came back at 52 to play the game he loved all his life. Howe passed away in 2016 at age 88 in Sylvania, Ohio.

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