Howe Gets His 1,000th Goal 31 Years After No. 1

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Gordie Howe, who played his first professional hockey game 31 years ago, scored the 1,000th goal of his career at 1:36 of the first period of a World Hockey Assn. game Wednesday night between the New England Whalers and the Birmingham Bulls. Howe's team, the Whalers, won, 6-3. Howe. who scored his 999th goal Nov. 10 against the Edmonton Oilers, got the puck from behind the Birmingham net on a power play and tucked it past goalie John Garrett. John McKenzie and Mike Antonovich assisted.

The 49-year-old Howe now plays alongside his two sons -- Mark and Marty -- with the Whalers. He began his pro career with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League in 1946. When Howe scored his goal, he was mobbed by the New England players as the Whalers' bench emptied. An announcement on the public address system, however, was met with light applause by the fans in Birmingham.

Bobby Hull of the Winnipeg Jets, a youngster at 38, has more than 970 goals, putting him second to Howe. McKenzie, who assisted on No. 1,000, played with Howe in Detroit. "When I was a rookie with the Red Wings in 1959, I used to tell people that Gordie was amazing for his age," McKenzie said earlier this month. "Now here I am, 40 years old myself, and I'm saying the same thing."

[source: ap]