Howie Morenz

Howie Morenz
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1945
Morenz c. 1936–37
Born	(1902-09-21)September 21, 1902 Mitchell, Ontario, Canada
Died	March 8, 1937(1937-03-08) (aged 34) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Montreal Canadiens Chicago Black Hawks New York Rangers
Playing career	1923–1937

Howard William Morenz (June 21, 1902 – March 8, 1937) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played centre for three National Hockey League (NHL) teams: the Montreal Canadiens (in two stints), the Chicago Black Hawks, and the New York Rangers. Before joining the NHL, Morenz was a very good player in the junior Ontario Hockey Association, where his team played for the Memorial Cup, the championship for junior ice hockey in Canada. In the NHL, he was one of the best players in the league and set several league scoring records. A strong skater, Morenz was called the "Stratford Streak" and "Mitchell Meteor" because he was very fast.

Considered one of the first stars of the NHL, Morenz played 14 seasons in the league. He was a member of a team that won the Stanley Cup three times, all of them being the Canadiens. During his NHL career he was in the top 10 leading scorers ten times. For seven seasons in a row Morenz led the Canadiens in both goals scored and points. Three times in he was named the most valuable player of the league, and he led the league once in goals scored and twice in points scored. He was named to the NHL All-Star Team three times.

Morenz died from problems with a broken leg, an injury he suffered in a game. After his death, the Canadiens stopped using his jersey number, the first time the team had done so for any player. When the Hockey Hall of Fame opened in 1945, Morenz was one of the first 12 people to be added. In 1950, the Canadian Press named him the best ice hockey player of the first half of the 20th century.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1919–20	Stratford Midgets	OHA-Jr.		5	14	4	18	—		7	14	12	26	—
1920–21	Stratford Midgets	OHA-Jr.		8	19	12	31	—		13	38	18	56	—
1921–22	Stratford Midgets	OHA-Jr.		4	17	6	23	10		5	17	4	21	—
1921–22	Stratford Indians	OHA-Sr.		4	10	3	13	2		8	15	8	23	21
1922–23	Stratford Indians	OHA-Sr.		10	15	13	28	19		10	28	7	35	36
1923–24	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		24	13	3	16	20		6	7	3	10	10
1924–25	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		30	28	11	39	46		6	7	1	8	8
1925–26	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		31	23	3	26	39		—	—	—	—	—
1926–27	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		44	25	7	32	49		4	1	0	1	4
1927–28	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		43	33	18	51	66		2	0	0	0	12
1928–29	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		42	17	10	27	47		3	0	0	0	6
1929–30	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		44	40	10	50	72		6	3	0	3	10
1930–31	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		39	28	23	51	49		10	1	4	5	10
1931–32	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		48	24	25	49	46		4	1	0	1	4
1932–33	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		46	14	21	35	32		2	0	3	3	2
1933–34	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		39	8	13	21	21		2	1	1	2	0
1934–35	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		48	8	26	34	21		2	0	0	0	0
1935–36	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		23	4	11	15	20		—	—	—	—	—
1935–36	New York Rangers	NHL		19	2	4	6	6		—	—	—	—	—
1936–37	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		30	4	16	20	12		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				550	271	201	472	546		47	21	12	33	66

• All statistics are taken from NHL.com.

Awards

NHL

Award	Year(s)
Art Ross Trophy	1928, 1931
Hart Memorial Trophy	1928, 1931, 1932
First All-Star Team Centre	1931, 1932
Second All-Star Team Centre	1933

Other websites

• Howie Morenz biography at Legends of Hockey
• Howie Morenz career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Howie Morenz player profile at NHL.com