April 11, 1980: Two legends skate away

HARTFORD, Conn. - It was an inauspicious way to end two glorious careers.

When Montreal beat Hartford 4-3 in overtime to complete a first-round sweep, it marked a quiet end to the Whalers' first season in the NHL. Nobody had expected the fledgling Whalers to do much against the four-time defending Stanley Cup champions, and the Whalers lived up to their expectations exactly. Normally, not a memorable occasion.

But this game was a different, as it was the final game for two of the greatest players to ever put on skates, two players who were, at the time of their retirement, ranked 1 and 2 in career goals.

Bobby Hull, the Golden Jet, played his final season split between the Winnipeg Jets and the Whalers, in both teams first seasons after moving over from the WHA. The 41-year-old Hull didn't have much left, playing in only 27 games in his final season, but he did suit up for all three Whalers playoff games. He wrapped up his career with 610 NHL goals and 303 WHA goals. Those NHL numbers were good for second all-time at the time of his retirement, though he has since been passed by 13 players, including his own son.

But Hull's retirement took a back seat to that of his teammate. Gordie Howe, still playing professional hockey at age 51, played in all 83 games for the Whalers in 1979-80. Thirty-three years after starting his career as a teenager for the Red Wings, Howe still had it, scoring the final 15 of his 801 career goals (975 if WHA stats are counted) and being one of only four Whalers to play every game. Howe even got to play the season, and the previous three, with his son Mark.

Howe's career is remarkable for its longevity, and it's no surprise that he was the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer when he retired. Though his scoring stats have all been eclipsed by Wayne Gretzky, it's likely nobody will touch his record of 2,186 pro hockey games. Some other remarkable feats about Howe include 32 straight seasons of double-digit goal scoring; leading the league in games played at age 22 and again at age 41; and playing in an all-star game in five different decades.

Between them, Howe and Hull played in 35 all-star games, won 13 scoring titles, won 7 MVP awards, and won the Stanley Cup 4 times. And it all came to an end that spring day in Hartford.