2008-09 Upper Deck Legends Masterpieces - #MB-HO - Mark Howe Brushstrokes Green Auto (#'d/35)What a beauty! This card looks even better in person than I thought it would. I loved the Legends Masterpieces hockey set when it came out, but despite completing it just over 2 years ago I had no idea this particular card existed until recently. When I stumbled across it on eBay I knew I had to have it. The Brushstrokes autographs are still fairly popular with collectors and the numbered colored parallels don't seem to pop up all that frequently anymore, so I was more than happy to pay the $26 I ended up winning this for. The green border on this particular parallel looks fantastic when matched up with Howe's early-80s road uniform.
Mark was with the Whalers franchise for 5 seasons (2 in the WHA and 3 in the NHL). Playing alongside his father for the first 3 of those 5 seasons, he recorded some remarkable numbers and was generally regarded as one of the best two-way defensemen in the league. In his two seasons with the New England Whalers of the WHA, Mark recorded 91 and 107 points! He scored 80 points the following year, Hartford's first in the NHL. Perhaps his best season came later in his career with the Flyers though, when in 1985-86 he tallied 82 points and led the league with a +85. +85?!?!?!
Howe always seemed to be overshadowed and under-rated. For example, in the same 1985-86 season that I just referenced, Howe's incredible year was lost behind Paul Coffey's record-breaking 138-point effort. It wasn't the only time Mark would finish runner-up for the Norris Trophy.
This past summer Howe finally got some well-deserved recognition when it was announced that he would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. That just makes this card even greater, it's truly a welcome addition to my growing Whalers collection.
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5 comments:
How rare are father-son combos in any major sports Hall of Fame's? I know about Bobby and Brett. Are there even any at all in the other big sports?
Mark switched positions when the Whalers joined the NHL. He was actually an all-star left winger in the WHA. Not sure how(e) many people ever were an all-star at two different positions in two separate major leagues.
Hmm...that's a really good question! As far as I know the Hulls (and now the Howes) are it...
Mark Howe and Brad McCrimmon were a killer defense pairing when they put up those +/- numbers. It's forgotten now, but there wasn't a better unit out there.
Very cool card!
I'm actually working on a master set of Masterpieces (minus any 1/1s) and have yet to add this one to the project.
Absolutely beautiful set.
Congrats on the addition...in spite of the fact it's one more of these off the market for me!
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