Picked up a half-a-dozen hockey books a few days ago, including Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe: My Story (Penguin, 2014), Gordie's autobiography. Best part for me was his recollection of his infamous run-in with Lou Fontinato. Presumably anyone interested enough in the history of the NHL to be visiting The History of Hockey forum here at HFBoards has heard something about that fight.
February 1, 1959, the Detroit Red Wings were in MSG facing the New York Rangers. In the first period, the Wings' Red Kelly was behind his team's net tussling with the Blueshirts' Eddie Shack, and Howe intended to intervene, while Fontinato intended to engage with Gordie. Howe recalls that he glanced back to see that Lou's "gloves and stick were at the blue line (and) he was about ten feet away and charging hard ... He didn't know I had spotted him" (p. 165). Gordie said that Fontinato thought he would be "swinging at a sitting duck" and he "moved just in time to miss the haymaker he threw at my head" (p.165). Howe gives a good description of that fight, and his approach to it. He admits that Lou did "land a few good lefts of his own" (p. 166), while Gordie had his right arm tied up.
Howe said: "It didn't make me happy to see Louie in such bad shape, but I can't say I felt sorry for him. That might make me sound cold-hearted, but to my way of thinking he was just doing his job and I was doing mine. One of us was going to take the worst of it and it turned out to him" (p. 166). Before recalling that fight, Gordie wrote about how Fontinato's "coach figured that Louie irritated the hell out of me, so whenever I hit the ice he wanted him out there to try to take my head out of the game" (p. 165). One time Fontinato got the better of Howe, using "his stick ... to split open my head for a few stitches" (p.165)
Gordie said of that fight: "I'd say I probably get asked about that fight more than any of the goals I ever scored. I'd rather talk about the Stanley Cups and some of the great teammates I was lucky enough to play with, but I guess that scrap does have its place in the scheme of my career. No one was in much of a hurry to drop the gloves with me afterward, which was fine by me. I was grateful for anything that helped to keep me on the ice and out of the penalty box" (p. 166-167)
Just for the record - for the sake of those hockey fans who have heard and believe that Gordie destroyed Lou and/or his career - let me point out the fact that (after having his nose re-arranged in the first period of that game in 1959) Fontinato finished the game. In fact, he had a penalty in each of the next two periods. After that game, Lou was as rambunctious as ever, hitting the 100-PIM mark in 1959-60 and 1960-61 with the Rangers. After being manhandled and eliminated by the Chicago Black Hawks in the first-round of the 1960-61 playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens traded Doug Harvey straight up for Lou Fontinato. In 1961-62 - as a Hab - Fontinato led the NHL in penalty minutes for the third time in his career.
February 1, 1959, the Detroit Red Wings were in MSG facing the New York Rangers. In the first period, the Wings' Red Kelly was behind his team's net tussling with the Blueshirts' Eddie Shack, and Howe intended to intervene, while Fontinato intended to engage with Gordie. Howe recalls that he glanced back to see that Lou's "gloves and stick were at the blue line (and) he was about ten feet away and charging hard ... He didn't know I had spotted him" (p. 165). Gordie said that Fontinato thought he would be "swinging at a sitting duck" and he "moved just in time to miss the haymaker he threw at my head" (p.165). Howe gives a good description of that fight, and his approach to it. He admits that Lou did "land a few good lefts of his own" (p. 166), while Gordie had his right arm tied up.
Howe said: "It didn't make me happy to see Louie in such bad shape, but I can't say I felt sorry for him. That might make me sound cold-hearted, but to my way of thinking he was just doing his job and I was doing mine. One of us was going to take the worst of it and it turned out to him" (p. 166). Before recalling that fight, Gordie wrote about how Fontinato's "coach figured that Louie irritated the hell out of me, so whenever I hit the ice he wanted him out there to try to take my head out of the game" (p. 165). One time Fontinato got the better of Howe, using "his stick ... to split open my head for a few stitches" (p.165)
Gordie said of that fight: "I'd say I probably get asked about that fight more than any of the goals I ever scored. I'd rather talk about the Stanley Cups and some of the great teammates I was lucky enough to play with, but I guess that scrap does have its place in the scheme of my career. No one was in much of a hurry to drop the gloves with me afterward, which was fine by me. I was grateful for anything that helped to keep me on the ice and out of the penalty box" (p. 166-167)
Just for the record - for the sake of those hockey fans who have heard and believe that Gordie destroyed Lou and/or his career - let me point out the fact that (after having his nose re-arranged in the first period of that game in 1959) Fontinato finished the game. In fact, he had a penalty in each of the next two periods. After that game, Lou was as rambunctious as ever, hitting the 100-PIM mark in 1959-60 and 1960-61 with the Rangers. After being manhandled and eliminated by the Chicago Black Hawks in the first-round of the 1960-61 playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens traded Doug Harvey straight up for Lou Fontinato. In 1961-62 - as a Hab - Fontinato led the NHL in penalty minutes for the third time in his career.
