Gordie Howe retired from NHL hockey after the 1970-71 season. Howe had been a member of the Detroit Red Wings since 1946 and his career was worthy of selection into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Three years later, Gordie came out of retirement to play in the World Hockey Association along with his two sons, Mark and Marty. The trio of Howe’s first played for the Houston Aeros in the 1973-74 season.
With the Houston Aeros, Gordie won the Gary L. Davidson Trophy as league most valuable player in his first year. He was twice selected as a First Team All-Star and was a member of two Avco Cup winning teams in Houston as the playoff champions.
In 1974-75, O-Pee-Chee released their first series of WHA hockey cards. The first card in the series featured Gordie, Mark and Marty Howe on the front of the card and a short profile of each on the back. Today, this card is twice as valuable as any other card in that series.
The 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee #1 of the WHA series is currently valued at between $50 and $80, according to the Beckett Hockey Guide. There are three other cards in the series that max out at a $40 value. Two of these cards feature Bobby Hull and Jacques Plante. The third card is a checklist.
The Howe’s combined for 203 points in their first season with Houston. Gordie led the way with 100 points while Mark had 79 in his rookie season and Marty had 20. Mark hit the back of the net more times than his father with 38 goals compared to Gordie’s 31.
For whatever reason, each Howe did not have an individual card in the 1974-75 series. Therefore, the following year’s O-Pee-Chee series officially featured rookie cards of Mark and Marty Howe. The Mark Howe rookie card from the 1975-76 O-Pee-Chee set is valued at the same price as his father’s card, around $50. Marty’s rookie card goes in the $6 range.
As for the two younger Howes, Mark had a great career in the WHA and NHL, retiring after the 1994-95 season. Mark began his career as a forward but was later converted to a defenseman. Howe played in two WHA All-Star games and four NHL All-Star games. Mark played for the Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings during his NHL career.
Marty Howe was a defenseman from the start and his career was less stellar than his father’s and brother’s. Marty appeared in 197 NHL games with the Hartford Whalers and Boston Bruins. He last played in the NHL during the 1984-85 season.
Gordie Howe, of course, is Mr. Hockey. Playing until the end of the 1979-80 season and retiring, again, at the age of 52, Howe still holds many records in the NHL. Gordie was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972, before his return to hockey with Houston. Also dubbed Mr. All-Star, Howe played in 23 NHL All-Star games and two WHA All-Star games.
The 1974-75 WHA series is hard to get a hold of, especially in decent condition. No kid wanted WHA hockey cards back in the 1970’s. More often than not, these cards were used between the spokes on bicycle wheels are really good quality cards from this series are few and far between. To have a 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee #1 card is a great investment in cardboard.
Just a point of interest but in the 72-73 extra prints set about 60 Wha cards were printed to acknowledge the Ist season of WHA hockey and the cards are cool. They include Hull in Winnipeg and Cheevers in Cleveland.
Some further info on the 72-73 set:
The OPC full set has four series. The 1st runs from card 1-110, the 2nd 111- 209, 3rd 210-289 and the WHA added cards in 4th series 290-340. Bobby Hull is 336
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