Mark Howe's Injury

[blood gin]

One of the most hideous and dangerous incidents in NHL history. Maybe not quite Malarchuk level but apparently he was impaled on that sharp middle part of the old goal net in a very sensitive area. He lost a lot of blood from what I've heard.

This incident isn't talked about much though compared to a lot of other NHL close calls. I actually have never seen any photos or videos of it at all nor have I ever met (online or in person) an individual who was even present at the game.

Does anybody remember it happening first hand? Or it being talked about in the media?

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[The Panther]

Good question. I have often read/heard about this incident as well, but I'm 99% sure no video of it exists, so it was probably in a non-televised game, of which (I guess) there were still some in 1980-81, esp. in Hartford.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

If a video of the Howe injury existed, I wouldn't want to see it. I still cannot bring myself to watch the Malarchuk one.

 

[Cursed Lemon]

I still have zero idea why they designed the nets like that.

 

[The Panther]

I still have zero idea why they designed the nets like that.

Aesthetically-speaking, I preferred the nets that way. Looks cooler.

It's all fun and games until someone gets speared half a foot into their rectum.

 

[blood gin]

If a video of the Howe injury existed, I wouldn't want to see it. I still cannot bring myself to watch the Malarchuk one.

I don't have a strong stomach for blood and all. Brought myself to watch it. I have no idea how he lived.

 

[blood gin]

I still have zero idea why they designed the nets like that.

It is kind of silly that they went so long with that pointy part but I think the original purpose was that pucks that went into the net along the ice could be kicked up into the (what was then) loose hanging netting and cause it to move and make it more clear a goal was scored

I also think there was a double netting (like a pouch) at one point running along the middle of the netting and pucks the went in high would drop into the pouch

 

[vikash1987]

Mark Howe discusses this in his book:

I watched a replay of the accident only one time, via a VHS cassette provided by one of my Avon policeman friends who had taped the game that night. I must have jumped three feet off the edge of the bed where I had been sitting when I saw myself sliding into the net

I took the tape out of the VCR and threw it away. There appears to be no copy of it anywhere today, and that's fine by me.

 

[Spirit of 67]

One of the most hideous and dangerous incidents in NHL history. Maybe not quite Malarchuk level but apparently he was impaled on that sharp middle part of the old goal net in a very sensitive area. He lost a lot of blood from what I've heard.

This incident isn't talked about much though compared to a lot of other NHL close calls. I actually have never seen any photos or videos of it at all nor have I ever met (online or in person) an individual who was even present at the game.

Does anybody remember it happening first hand? Or it being talked about in the media?

I remember when it happened.

It's possible the game was not televised as it was back before all games were.

The best thing is, he made a full recovery.

 

[KLo40]

One of the most hideous and dangerous incidents in NHL history. Maybe not quite Malarchuk level but apparently he was impaled on that sharp middle part of the old goal net in a very sensitive area. He lost a lot of blood from what I've heard.

This incident isn't talked about much though compared to a lot of other NHL close calls. I actually have never seen any photos or videos of it at all nor have I ever met (online or in person) an individual who was even present at the game.

Does anybody remember it happening first hand? Or it being talked about in the media?

I was at the game at the closer blue line near the glass. We thought he hurt his leg sliding into the net at a high speed. We knew something was serious when Gordie came running down the stairs in the Civic Center to the ice level. They worked on Mark for what seemed like 15 minutes. When they finally picked him up, there was a huge puddle of blood where he had been lying. The whole crowd let out a collective gasp. It was sickening. We thought it was likely a compound fracture of his leg. When we heard the next day what actually happened, we were even sicker. They had said 1/4” either way could have been death or pooping in a bag for the rest of his life. A miracle he came back at all after along recovery and to also play at an all star level to boot.

 

[CHIP72]

I remember when it happened.

It's possible the game was not televised as it was back before all games were.

The best thing is, he made a full recovery.

What's really amazing is Howe had the best seasons of his career, including seasons where he was probably one of the top 5-10 players in the NHL, after the injury.

 

[DannyGallivan]

What's really amazing is Howe had the best seasons of his career, including seasons where he was probably one of the top 5-10 players in the NHL, after the injury.

If it's true that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, then Mark Howe is essentially the incredible Hulk.

Typical Howe.

 

[Spirit of 67]

What's really amazing is Howe had the best seasons of his career, including seasons where he was probably one of the top 5-10 players in the NHL, after the injury.

Meh. It was really gross.
Not sure it would be considered career ending/hampering though.
Which obviously it wasn't.

 

[carl grosso]

The Game was on TV. I belive it was a WOR channel 9 game in New York. I saw this happen live duing the Islanders broadcast. Unreal

 

[Morbo]

No this was definitely Malarchuk level. Horrifying. Sickening.

 

[Terry Yake]

as if the injury itself wasn't bad enough, i remember reading that he had to go on a liquid diet and had to deal with a number of infections for the next few months afterwards

its too bad the whalers thought he was done for and traded him

 

[GreatGordie9]

Mark was very fortunate he was able to resume his career but had wished he had played with Wings instead of the Whalers and Philly.

 

[tarheelhockey]

An overshadowed detail of this game is that a broken water main at the Civic Center that night caused the Whalers to have to dress in the dark.

I still have zero idea why they designed the nets like that.

It is kind of silly that they went so long with that pointy part but I think the original purpose was that pucks that went into the net along the ice could be kicked up into the (what was then) loose hanging netting and cause it to move and make it more clear a goal was scored

I also think there was a double netting (like a pouch) at one point running along the middle of the netting and pucks the went in high would drop into the pouch

That’s right, Art Ross designed the B shape to fix the problem of having pucks hit the net near the posts and ricochet back out. This was a real problem in the days of one ref and a goal judge trying to agree on a call. The B-shaped interior helped guide the puck into the middle and slow it down, making it much easier to tell whether it went in or not.

The key factor in the Howe injury is that the net lifted up on its pegs just as Howe slid in. Ordinarily the point of the B was flat on the ice where a player would slide right over it. When the net lifted up, it became like a knife pointed in the air. The gash it made on Howe’s rectum was apparently enough to make grown men gag.

In nearly 60 years of using the Ross nets, apparently nobody seriously anticipated something like this happening. It’s just one of those things that’s hard to explain, the design seemed safe until it wasn’t.

 

[Big Phil]

I just always assumed the net was shaped like that to provide more balance perhaps?

I am glad the video doesn't exist. And I am glad the netting doesn't have that pipe in there anymore. I am all for the whole "our society is so soft nowadays" but there is the odd time where you just say, "What the heck?" and wonder why something was so dangerous in the first place.

 

[Big Phil]

I do have to wonder though, there has to be a one in a billion chance of that ever happening in a game. Everything has to come at the right time. Sliding into the net with the goalie out of the way, just as a spike is exposed and you are going in the wrong way. Yikes. Bad luck.

Looks like the game was on December 27th 1980. He then played again on February 7th, 1981. So he missed 15 or so games. Then played the rest of the year and scored his regular amount of points. My goodness, the guy didn't let that stop him. Goes on to have a HHOF career and nearly wins a Norris or two. Here's the kicker, the year of that ugly injury Howe still finished 10th in Norris voting. Yeah..........he's Gordie's son alright.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

That’s right, Art Ross designed the B shape to fix the problem of having pucks hit the net near the posts and ricochet back out. This was a real problem in the days of one ref and a goal judge trying to agree on a call. The B-shaped interior helped guide the puck into the middle and slow it down, making it much easier to tell whether it went in or not.

Perhaps this is just confirmation bias, but you notice this watching a lot of older games, especially O6 games before shots had a lot of power. The puck almost always seems to hit the back of the net and drop to the ice. Very little popout.

With the modern nets I sometimes wonder why they dont loosen up the slack of the netting to get a similar effect, but Im sure someone who knows what theyre doing has done the research and found this to be the most optimal design.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I do have to wonder though, there has to be a one in a billion chance of that ever happening in a game. Everything has to come at the right time. Sliding into the net with the goalie out of the way, just as a spike is exposed and you are going in the wrong way. Yikes. Bad luck.

However many hockey games (at how many levels?) were played between ‘27 and ‘80... that’s how long it took for this to happen one time. Conceivably, someone doesn’t lift that net and we could still be sitting here 40 years later with not the slightest concern. I think it really was one of those things where the danger was only obvious after it already happened. Bad luck indeed.

But man, it only took ONE time to convince everyone it needed to never happen again.

Perhaps this is just confirmation bias, but you notice this watching a lot of older games, especially O6 games before shots had a lot of power. The puck almost always seems to hit the back of the net and drop to the ice. Very little popout.

With the modern nets I sometimes wonder why they dont loosen up the slack of the netting to get a similar effect, but Im sure someone who knows what theyre doing has done the research and found this to be the most optimal design.

I may be hallucinating this, but I think I remember an analyst in the 90s talking about how they tightened up the nets and explaining the rationale. It’s a really hazy memory though. Maybe video review making it a non issue?

 

[mrhockey193195]

However many hockey games (at how many levels?) were played between ‘27 and ‘80... that’s how long it took for this to happen one time. Conceivably, someone doesn’t lift that net and we could still be sitting here 40 years later with not the slightest concern. I think it really was one of those things where the danger was only obvious after it already happened. Bad luck indeed.

But man, it only took ONE time to convince everyone it needed to never happen again.

Not to get off topic, but it's amazing to me how there have been multiple instances of neck injuries via skate blade in the NHL and we still haven't convinced everyone that neck guards should be mandatory.

 

[overpass]

Meh. It was really gross.
Not sure it would be considered career ending/hampering though.
Which obviously it wasn't.

Howe said he lost 20 pounds after the injury due to the infections. It took him 4 years to get back to his playing weight before the injury. And he said he never got his top-end speed back. Before the injury he had been on fire through the 1980 calendar year, with 25 goals and 93 points in his previous 73 games. He was the closest thing the game had seen to Bobby Orr as a rushing defenceman until Paul Coffey broke out the next year. Howe became a much better defender post-injury but was never the same offensively.

NHL.com Stats

 

[tarheelhockey]

Perhaps this is just confirmation bias, but you notice this watching a lot of older games, especially O6 games before shots had a lot of power. The puck almost always seems to hit the back of the net and drop to the ice. Very little popout.

With the modern nets I sometimes wonder why they dont loosen up the slack of the netting to get a similar effect, but Im sure someone who knows what theyre doing has done the research and found this to be the most optimal design.

I saw this photo and thought of your post.

This was this GWG in the first game of the 1930 Stanley Cup Finals. Albert Leduc had just gone around Eddie Shore to score on Tiny Thompson.

Look at how much the puck "punches" the net out compared to today! There was a lot of slack in that twine.

Noteworthy that Art Ross, the inventor, was on the bench coaching the Bruins during this game.