Howard William Morenz (September 21, 1902 – March 8, 1937) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Beginning in 1923, 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. He was named the winner of the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player of the league three times, and he led the league once in goals scored and twice in points scored. After the introduction of All-Star teams in 1931, he was named to the NHL first All-Star team twice and the NHL second All-Star team once.
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 nine inductees. In 1950, the Canadian Press named him the best ice hockey player of the first half of the 20th century, and in 2017 the NHL included him on their list of the 100 greatest players in league history.
Personal life
Born in Mitchell, Ontario to William Frederick Morenz and Rosena (Rose) Pauli, Howie Morenz had three sisters, Freda, Erma and Gertrude, and two brothers, Wilfred and Ezra. Morenz learned his hockey by playing shinny on the Thames River. At the age of eight, he played his first organized game as a goaltender, where he allowed 21 goals in a game. After that game, a coach switched Morenz to rover. 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. In 1926 he married Mary McKay; together, they had three children: Howie Jr. in 1927 (d. 2015), Donald in 1933 (d. 1939), and Marlene in 1934 (d. March 2, 2018). Marlene later married Bernie Geoffrion, who played for both the Canadiens and Rangers from 1950 to 1968. Their son, Morenz's grandson Dan, played for the Canadiens in 1979–80. Dan's son, Blake, played with the University of Wisconsin and won the Hobey Baker Award as best collegiate player in 2010. Selected in the 2006 NHL entry draft by the Nashville Predators, he made his debut with the Predators in 2011, becoming the first fourth-generation NHL player. Blake was traded to Montreal in 2012, meaning that all four generations of the Morenz-Geoffrion family have played within the Canadiens organization.
Playing career
Early career
In 1920 Morenz joined the Stratford Midgets junior team (under 20 years old), leading the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) in assists and points during the 1920–21 regular season, and goals, assists and points in the playoffs. The Midgets won the league title and played in the 1921 Memorial Cup against the Winnipeg Falcons. While Morenz scored a hat trick (three goals) in the second game in the series, the Midgets lost the total-goals series 11–9. His performance in the Memorial Cup tournament earned him an invitation to play for the Stratford Indians, a senior league team, for the 1921–22 season. While he joined the Indians, he continued to play for the juniors as well. During the playoffs, he led both leagues in goals, assists, and points and he also led the senior league in penalty minutes. Playing exclusively in the senior league in the 1922–23 season, he led it in regular season assists, playoff goals, points, and penalty minutes. Dandurand went to Stratford in January 1923 to watch Morenz play, and decided he wanted to sign him to the Canadiens. In April he met with William Morenz, because at the age of 20, Howie was still legally a minor. William told Dandurand that he wanted Howie to finish his apprenticeship at the CNR factory, which would take another two years. However, in July Dandurand learned that Morenz and his father had been in contact with the Toronto St. Patricks, a rival team in the NHL. Fearing that Morenz would sign in Toronto, Dandurand sent his friend, Cecil Hart, to Stratford with instructions to sign Morenz at any cost. On July 7, 1923, Morenz signed a contract with the Canadiens for three years with a salary of $3,500 per year and a $1,000 signing bonus, a considerable amount for a first-year professional. He made his NHL debut on December 26, 1923, in Ottawa against the Ottawa Senators, scoring a goal. At the conclusion of the 1923–24 season, Morenz's first in the NHL, he finished with 13 goals and 3 assists in 24 games. Finishing first in the league for the first time in five years, the Canadiens faced the Senators in the playoffs for the NHL championship. In the first game of the two-game, total-goals series, Morenz scored the only goal, and added another goal in the second game as the Canadiens won the series, five goals to two. As the champions of the NHL, the Canadiens played two teams from Western Canada for the Stanley Cup. They defeated the Vancouver Maroons of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) in two games of a best-of-three series and then faced the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). In the first game against Calgary, Morenz scored a hat trick as the Canadiens won by a score of 6–1. He scored another goal in the second game, as Montreal defeated the Tigers 3–0 to win their second Stanley Cup championship and Morenz's first with the team.
The 1927–28 season was one of Morenz's best in the NHL. On March 24, 1928, in the final game of the regular season, Morenz earned two assists, tying the then-NHL record for assists in a season with 18 and becoming the first player to reach 50 points in a season, finishing with 51. As the league leader in goals, with 33, assists and points, Morenz was named the recipient of the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. Though his scoring totals went down in 1928–29, with 17 goals and 27 points, Morenz still led the Canadiens in scoring, and tied for third overall in the league.
In 1929–30 Morenz finished seventh in the league for scoring with 50 points, including scoring 40 goals for the first time; this included a game against the New York Americans on March 18, 1930, in which he scored five goals. In the playoffs, he added another three goals, including his second Stanley Cup-winning goal, as the Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins for their third Stanley Cup. In the 1930–31 season, Morenz scored 28 goals and matched his career high with 51 points, winning his second NHL scoring title, and being awarded the Hart Trophy for the second time. In the playoffs, the Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive year, playing the Chicago Black Hawks. Playing with an injured shoulder and being held back by the Black Hawks, Morenz only scored one goal throughout ten playoff games, the final goal of the playoffs, as he won his third Stanley Cup with the Canadiens.
The 1931–32 season was another productive season for Morenz. With 49 points he finished third in league scoring, and became the first player in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy for a third time, also being named to the first All-Star team again. In the playoffs, he had three assists in two games. The 1933–34 season also saw Morenz's goal and point totals fall, to 8 goals and 21 points. Even with his decline in scoring, he still managed to reach a significant milestone, once again passing Cy Denneny to do so. Against the Detroit Red Wings on December 23, 1933, he scored his 249th career goal, to become the NHL leader for career goals. On January 2, 1934, Morenz twisted his ankle in a game in New York, bruising the bone and tearing ligaments. It was the first serious injury of his career, and he was unable to play for a month. After returning to the team, Morenz was unable to play at his previous level, and the Canadiens' fans began booing him. The rumours ended on October 3, 1934, when Morenz was traded along with goaltender Lorne Chabot and defenceman Marty Burke, to the Chicago Black Hawks for forwards Leroy Goldsworthy and Lionel Conacher, and defenceman Roger Jenkins.
Chicago, New York and Montreal (1934–37)
thumb|alt=A ice hockey player casually skating|Morenz with the [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks during the 1934–35 season.]]
In his first season with the Black Hawks, 1934–35, Morenz played in all 48 games for the team, scoring 8 goals and 34 points, an improvement over the previous season. The Black Hawks reached the playoffs, though Morenz was held pointless in the two games played. The following season was not as good for Morenz. He did not feel comfortable in Chicago, and was being benched, playing fewer minutes than he was used to. After 23 games with the Black Hawks, in which he scored 15 points, Morenz was traded for the second time in his career; he was sent to the New York Rangers on January 26, 1936, for forward Glen Brydson. On September 1, 1936, Morenz once again joined the Canadiens, his contract being purchased by the team from the Rangers. By mid-January, he had 4 goals and 20 points, far better totals than previous years.
Final game and death
The Canadiens played the Chicago Black Hawks in Montreal on January 28, 1937. In the first period, Morenz went after the puck in the Chicago end while being chased by Black Hawks defenceman Earl Seibert. Morenz lost his balance and fell to the ice, crashing into the boards and catching his left skate in the wooden siding. Seibert, unable to stop, landed on him with full force. The resulting impact snapped Morenz's left leg, creating a noise heard throughout the rink. Hart was initially hopeful that Morenz could return after six weeks, but after learning of the severity of the injury conceded that Morenz would not be able to play the rest of the season.
left|thumb|alt=A man lies in a bed with his left leg raised by a pulley.|After breaking his leg, Morenz was unable to move from his hospital bed.
While recovering in the hospital, Morenz received many get-well cards and visits from his teammates and players from other NHL teams. There were so many of them who brought drinks that a teammate remarked that "the whisky was on the dresser and the beer was under the bed." Though there were many visitors, Morenz often found himself alone in the hospital room, unable to move off his bed. To pass the time, he read newspapers to stay up to date with the Canadiens as they finished the season. Since his injury, the team had dropped in the standings, causing Morenz to worry. He began to think he would never play hockey again and became depressed.
The Canadiens' team doctor, Dr. J.A. Hector Forgues, visited Morenz in late February and determined that he had suffered a nervous breakdown. To help Morenz, Dr. Forgues banned all visitors to his room, except for family and Canadiens officials. A similar event happened in New York, where the New York Rangers and New York Americans had a moment of silence before the start of their game.
A funeral was held on March 11, at the Montreal Forum, the arena where the Canadiens played. Fans were allowed to file past the casket, laid at centre ice, and 50,000 people paid their respects. To honour him, the Canadiens retired his jersey number, 7, on November 2, 1937, the first time the team honoured a player in that fashion. This was prior to a benefit all-star game held at the Forum to raise money for the Morenz family. A team composed of players from the Canadiens and Maroons was defeated 6–5 by a team of players from the other NHL teams.
One of the most skilled players in the early NHL, Morenz led the Canadiens in both goals and points from 1926 until 1932, though he tied with Aurèle Joliat for points in 1926. At the time of his death, he had set an NHL record for most career points with 472. When the Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1945, he was among the first group of nine inductees. A 1950 Canadian Press poll named Morenz the best ice hockey player of the first half of the 20th century. In 1998 he was ranked 15th on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. When the NHL announced its 100 greatest players in conjunction with the league's centennial in 2017, Morenz was included on the list.
Through his exciting play, Morenz encouraged the expansion of the NHL, helping bring professional hockey to the United States. Watching Morenz play during the 1924 Stanley Cup Finals between Montreal and Calgary, Morenz's first season in the NHL, Charles Adams, the owner of a chain of grocery stores, went back to Boston wanting a hockey team based in the city. That summer, the NHL granted Adams a franchise for the following season, the Boston Bruins. Boxing promoter Tex Rickard, owner of Madison Square Garden, also saw Morenz play early in his career and agreed to add ice to his building for an NHL team known as the New York Americans. As part of the agreement, Morenz and the Canadiens played the first game against the Americans on December 15, 1925.
Morenz's daughter Marlene married Bernie Geoffrion, who also played for the Canadiens and Rangers, and was later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. When the Canadiens retired Geoffrion's number 5 on the night of his death on March 11, 2006, the team recognized the link between the two men. As Geoffrion's banner was being raised to the rafters of the Bell Centre, the banner for Morenz's number 7 was lowered halfway to the ice. Once Geoffrion's banner reached Morenz's banner, the two were raised together.