Garry Robert Charles Howatt (born September 26, 1952) is a Canadian former

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

forward. He played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

with the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1 ...

, and

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

between 1972 and 1984. With the Islanders Howatt won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

and

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

. Howatt was known for his toughness and, due to his small size, had the nickname "Toy Tiger."

Career

Junior and AHL

Born in Grand Centre (now part of Cold Lake),

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Howatt played one season in the WCHL with the

Flin Flon Bombers The Flin Flon Bombers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in Flin Flon, a city located on the Manitoba–Saskatchewan provincial border. The Bombers are members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), which is a member of the Canadia ...

in 1971-72. He amassed 79 points in 60 games. That year he was drafted into the NHL by the

at the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft. The following year he played with the

New Haven Nighthawks The New Haven Nighthawks were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1972 to 1992. They had affiliations with the New York Islanders (1972–1973), Minnesota North Stars (1972–1977), New York Rangers (19 ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

, scoring 49 points in 65 games.

NHL

Howatt started his

career with the

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

. Howatt enjoyed his greatest popularity with the Islanders, remaining on the team from their first season, through their formative years of steady improvement, right through to their first two Stanley Cup championships, in 1980 and 1981. Howatt, known along with teammate Bobby Nystrom as a member of the "Dynamic Duo", was a fan favourite admired for his scrappy, energetic style of play. For this reason, Islander fans established a Howatt-Nystrom booster club, called the "Dynamic Duo Fan Club", which was active throughout the 1970s. When he left the Islanders in 1981, Howatt held the Islanders' career penalty-minutes record (1,466) and career playoffs penalty-minutes record (279). With the

, Howatt scored a career-high 50 points and was offered a long-term contract and the team's captaincy. However, in his words, "bad advice from some former teammates" led him to request a trade to the

, and was traded with Rick Meagher for Merlin Malinowski and the rights to Scott Fusco. After squabbling with Devils' management, he played only sporadically before ending his career with the Maine Mariners of the

(AHL), where he helped them win a

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

as their captain. On January 15, 1983, Howatt, as a member of the Devils, and

Mickey Volcan Michael Stephen Volcan (born March 3, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the third round of the 1980 NHL entry draft and played 162 games in his NHL career. As the 1980 draft ...

, as a member of the Whalers, became the only active players to officiate an NHL game, when a snowstorm prevented referee Ron Fournier and linesman Ron Asselstine from reaching the

Hartford Civic Center Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of ...

for a game between the two teams. The two players stepped down after the first period once the officials arrived. He retired after the

1983–84 NHL season The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers de-throned the four-time defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders four games to one in the Cup finals. League business Ownership change ...

Personal life

Howatt suffers from

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

and was recognized by the epilepsy community for his grittiness by being awarded the National Epileptic Foundation Man of the Year for 1974. He later resided in New Jersey, where he owned and operated his own business, Mt. Freedom Golf, which he sold in 2010. Howatt now lives in Arizona with his wife and is still active playing hockey with NHL alumni. He is also active in rodeos throughout Arizona, participating in team roping competitions.

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howatt, Garry 1952 births Living people Canadian ice hockey left wingers Flin Flon Bombers players Hartford Whalers players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Ice hockey people from Alberta Kamloops Rockets players Maine Mariners (AHL) players New Haven Nighthawks players New Jersey Devils players New York Islanders draft picks New York Islanders players People from Cold Lake, Alberta Stanley Cup champions Victoria Cougars (WHL) players Wichita Wind players