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

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

. He played in the National Hockey League 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 ( ...

, Hartford Whalers, and

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, 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 ...

between 1972 and 1984. With the Islanders Howatt won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) 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, an ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

and

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

. 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, Howatt played one season in the WCHL with the Flin Flon Bombers 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 1972 NHL Amateur Draft was the 10th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Richard Brodeur, who played his last NHL game in the 1987–88 s ...

. The following year he played with the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League, scoring 49 points in 65 games.

NHL

Howatt started his National Hockey League 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, me ...

. 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 Robert Thore Nystrom (born October 10, 1952) is a Swedish-Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He played for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1972– 86. He is best remembered as having scored the ...

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 Hartford Whalers, 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 Scott Michael Fusco (born January 21, 1963) is an American former ice hockey player. Fusco attended Belmont Hill School before going to Harvard. In college, Fusco won the Hobey Baker Award in 1986. He was also a member of the American 1984 Wint ...

. After squabbling with Devils' management, he played only sporadically before ending his career with the

Maine Mariners Maine Mariners may refer to: * Maine Mariners (AHL), an ice hockey team in Portland, Maine, which operated from 1977 to 1992 * Maine Mariners (ECHL) The Maine Mariners are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2018 ...

of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he helped them win a Calder Cup as their captain. On January 15, 1983 Howatt, as a member of the Devils, and Mickey Volcan, as a member of the Whalers, became the only active players to officiate an NHL game, when a snowstorm prevented a referee, Ron Fournier, and a linesman,

Ron Asselstine Ron Asselstine (born November 6, 1946) is a retired National Hockey League linesman. He was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised in Guelph, Ontario, Asselstine's NHL officiating career started in 1979 after a long outstanding career with the WHA a ...

, from reaching the

Hartford Civic Center Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

for a game between the two teams. 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 Not since World War ...

Personal life

Howatt suffers from epilepsy 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 Ice hockey people from Alberta Kamloops Rockets players Maine Mariners 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