Mitchell, The Home Of Howie Morenz - Mitchell, Ontario, Canada
N 43° 28.963 W 081° 11.143
17T E 484981 N 4814438
Located on 164 Road, north-east of Mitchell, Ontario.
Waymark Code: WM7R1E
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 11/24/2009
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Howie Morenz
Howard William Morenz (June 21, 1902 – March 8, 1937) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played centre for three National Hockey League (NHL) teams: the Montreal Canadiens (in two stints), the Chicago Black Hawks, and the New York Rangers. Before joining the NHL, Morenz excelled in the junior Ontario Hockey Association, where his team played for the Memorial Cup, the championship for junior ice hockey in Canada. In the NHL, he was one of the most dominant players in the league and set several league scoring records. A strong skater, Morenz was referred to as the "Stratford Streak" and "Mitchell Meteor" in reference to his speed on the ice.
Considered one of the first stars of the NHL, Morenz played 14 seasons in the league. He was a member of a Stanley Cup–winning team three times, all with the Canadiens. During his NHL career he placed in the top 10 leading scorers ten times. For seven straight seasons, Morenz led the Canadiens in both goals scored and points. Three times in his career he was named the most valuable player of the league, and he led the league once in goals scored and twice in points scored. He was named to the NHL All-Star Team three times.
Morenz died from complications of a broken leg, an injury he suffered in a game. After his death, the Canadiens retired his jersey number, the first time the team had done so for any player. When the Hockey Hall of Fame opened in 1945, Morenz was one of the original 12 inductees. In 1950, the Canadian Press named him the best ice hockey player of the first half of the 20th century.
Born in Mitchell, Ontario to William Morenz, Howie Morenz had three sisters and a brother. Morenz learned his hockey by playing shinny on the Thames River. At the age of eight, he played his first organised game as a goaltender, where he allowed 21 goals in a game. After that game, a coach switched Morenz to rover, a defensive position. Starting the 1916–17 junior season as a goaltender, Morenz became a forward when it became apparent his speed was much more suitable for an offensive role, and he helped the Mitchell ice hockey team win the Western Ontario junior championship. After the Morenz family moved to Stratford, a nearby community, in May 1917, Morenz tried enlisting in the Canadian military but was refused when recruiters learned he was only 15 years old.
At the age of 18, Morenz became apprenticed with the Canadian National Railways (CNR) factory in Stratford. When not playing hockey, Morenz bet avidly on horse races and played the ukelele. In 1926 he married Mary Stewart; together, they had three children: Howie, Jr. in 1927, Donald in 1933, and Marlene in 1934. Marlene later married Bernie Geoffrion, who played for both the Canadiens and Rangers from 1950 to 1968. Their son, Morenz's grandson, Dan, briefly played for the Canadiens in the 1970s.
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