THUNDER BAY – Gordie Howe has been dubbed “Mr. Hockey” The long serving player, ambassador for hockey and long-time leading scorer is being tagged to have the Hart Trophy named after him. The National Hockey League Fans’ Association (NHLFA) is actively lobbying the National Hockey League (NHL) in an attempt to have the Hart Memorial Trophy renamed the Gordie Howe Trophy.
The Hart Trophy is awarded annually to the NHL “player judged most valuable to his team”. Since 1924, the trophy has been awarded to 54 different players, including six times to Gordie Howe, second only to Wayne Gretzky who won the trophy a record nine times.
The NHL community owes an enormous debt to Gordie Howe. Mr. Hockey, now 85 years old, was instrumental in building the game for today’s generation of owners, players and executives. During a long, successful career spanning five decades, Gordie was the game’s marquee player. Away from the rink, Gordie has always been a model ambassador for the sport.
The NHLFA will encourage hockey fans to join a social media campaign to show their support for this change. A Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GordieHoweTrophy) has been set-up and Twitter account (https://twitter.com/HoweTrophy) established.
The NHLFA, launched in 1998, provides NHL fans a way to express their views on the game and to influence it for the better. There is no charge for membership and to date more than 31,000 fans have registered via the Association’s Web site, www.nhlfa.com.
Approximately 60% of NHLFA members are American and 40% are Canadian. Though not affiliated with the NHL, the NHLFA communicates closely with the League and National Hockey League Players Association on behalf of hockey fans.
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