Player Discussion RIP Rangers legend Harry Howell

pld459666

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
25,854
7,984
Danbury, CT
Story about Harry Howell

I worked for a company that picked up and delivered business archives. One of the contracts they had was with one of, at the time one of the big six accounting firms, occasionally we had to pick up 750 boxes to be destroyed

One day I grab a random box and there were tons or documents about Harry Howell.

I didnt care much about the docs, but the pics were friggin awesome.

Would up not taking anything, but I remember being lucky enough as a Rangers fan to have opened a rando box and seeing Rangers stuff.

Thought it was pretty cool at the time....still do kinda
 

bobbop

Henrik & Pop
Sponsor
May 27, 2004
14,310
20,410
Now, Suburban Phoenix. Then, Long Island
I got to know Harry in my minor league days and he was as classy off the ice as he was on the ice. Just such a nice man. Years later I got in contact with him for a a deal I was working on and again, he was just the same way. We talked hockey like old friends even though he hardly knew me. Just a terrific guy.

Little known fact, his brother Ron was a former Long Island Duck who was also a legendary Canadian Football League player. Ron would finish the football season, then come to Long Island for the second half of the hockey season. The first Duck game I ever went to, Harry and Andy Bathgate were there watching Ron and I got their autographs. Years later, Harry told me that if his brother had devoted himself to hockey instead of football, he would have been an NHL player.

RIP to a great guy.
 

eco's bones

Registered User
Jul 21, 2005
26,124
12,514
Elmira NY
Great player. When I started following the Rangers back in 71-72 I think he was still playing with the Kings.

There have been 3 or 4 other Rangers kind of in his era that have died fairly recently. Andy Hebenton and George 'Red' Sullivan are two.

Update:

Danny Lewicki in September.
Andy Hebenton and Red Sullivan in January.
Ivan Irwin in February.
Harry Howell.

They were all good players.

RIP.
 
Last edited:

eco's bones

Registered User
Jul 21, 2005
26,124
12,514
Elmira NY
I got to know Harry in my minor league days and he was as classy off the ice as he was on the ice. Just such a nice man. Years later I got in contact with him for a a deal I was working on and again, he was just the same way. We talked hockey like old friends even though he hardly knew me. Just a terrific guy.

Little known fact, his brother Ron was a former Long Island Duck who was also a legendary Canadian Football League player. Ron would finish the football season, then come to Long Island for the second half of the hockey season. The first Duck game I ever went to, Harry and Andy Bathgate were there watching Ron and I got their autographs. Years later, Harry told me that if his brother had devoted himself to hockey instead of football, he would have been an NHL player.

RIP to a great guy.

Howell came up around the same time as Andy Bathgate I think. Harry had his brother Ron who played briefly with the Rangers and Andy had his brother Frank who also played briefly with the Rangers.
 
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alkurtz

Registered User
Nov 26, 2006
1,440
1,014
Charlotte, NC
When I first became aware of the Rangers in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Howell was among the first players I admired, along with Bathgate, Worsley, Prentice, and Hebenton. The team was bad, but those guys were good.

But what I most remember about Harry was the year he won the Norris and we made the playoffs for the first time in years: the start of the Francis era. He led that team.

How to best describe him to younger fans? Think of Staal before his eye injury and concussions. Think of Girardi at his peak, before the league changed around him as he lost some foot speed. Play that out over multiple seasons. That was Howell: a fine D, and a veteran leader. It was an era when age didn’t disqualify players from long careers, when experience was valued. It’s a different game today, in most ways a better game. The skill and speed of today’s game is amazing, but Harry was a perfect example of an Original Six era D.
 

romba

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
6,695
4,465
New Jersey
Death is weird, always gets the mind running and reviewing old theology philosophies/hypocrisies that will forever be seared into my brain. Rest in Peace HH.
 

Bluenote13

Believe In Henke
Feb 28, 2002
26,703
848
BKLYN, NYC
He was really the last defensive defenseman to win the Norris too.

The average age of the Norris winner during the 1960s was around early to mid thirties. Once Bobby Orr came on the scene, along with Park, then Potvin, the average started to be mid-late twenties and still is.
 
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nyrmetros

Registered User
May 3, 2007
5,970
176
One of the greatest Rangers of all time . . Glad I have a #3 Howell white jersey .
 

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