It’s been a long time coming.
45 years ago, Gordie Howe scored the final goal of his storied career at the venerable age of 52. It was a playoff goal, to boot, scored for the Hartford Whalers against an appropriately legendary franchise in the Montreal Canadiens, who had just won four-straight Stanley Cups.
The fans at the Montreal Forum gave Howe a standing ovation, which is not the typical reaction from Canadiens fans to a playoff goal scored by the opposing team. It helps that the Canadiens were still up 8-to-4 late in the third period after the goal en route to a three-game sweep of the best-of-five series. It’s a lot easier to be magnanimous when there’s no chance of losing.
Even still, it was a great moment for Howe and a special way to end his career, made even better because the primary assist came from his son, Mark Howe. Gordie Howe is still the only player in NHL history to play on the same team as his son, and he did it with two of them, Mark and Marty, that season with Hartford.
There’s just one problem with that goal: it’s missing an assist.
Mark Howe didn’t just magically end up with the puck before skating it up ice and passing it to his father. He received a pass around the boards from the Whalers’ goaltender: John Garrett.
Vancouver Canucks fans are, of course, very familiar with Garrett, who played parts of three seasons with the Canucks before retiring from the NHL and going into broadcasting. He eventually made his return to Vancouver and served as the colour commentator on Canucks broadcasts for over 20 years.
Before the Canucks, however, Garrett started his NHL career the same season Howe’s career ended. He split starts with Al Smith in the Whalers’ net in the 1979-80 regular season, then started just one game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: Game 2 against the Canadiens.
It was a rough night for Garrett, as he gave up eight goals to the Canadiens on 40 shots, but it ended in a special way, as he got to be a part of NHL history by assisting on Howe’s final goal.
Except the NHL scorekeepers didn’t give him the assist.
It’s something Garrett has brought up a few times over the years. On an , Garrett was adamant that he deserved the assist.
"That's a hard pass," insisted Garrett while watching the highlight. "Mark takes it, Mark gives it to Gordie, Gordie scores this beautiful goal. How can I not get an assist on that? I phoned Benny Ercolani — he's now retired, but Benny was the statistician for the league."
"I wasn't going to complain after the game," he added, noting how petty it would have seemed given he was on the wrong side of such a lopsided score.
Canucks fans even campaigned on Twitter back in 2013 for the NHL to with the #GiveItToCheech hashtag. Cheech didn't get his assist then, but 12 years later, he apparently will.
During the second intermission of Game 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, Ron MacLean announced that Cheech will finally get his assist.
“Coling Campbell of the NHL has begged all of you former NHLers, please do not be writing the league looking for credit on an assist,” said MacLean. “They are adding one to the record books, and this is a beauty.”
MacLean then described the goal, a backhand from distance that appeared to deflect off a Canadiens defenceman to beat Canadiens goaltender Denis Herron.
“John Garrett was denied official status for this assist. He moves the puck,” said MacLean. “In the record books, it just has Howe from Mark. It did not feature Cheech’s assist. It will, forevermore.”
“It’s official, John Garrett, you have an assist on the last goal Mr. Hockey ever scored,” he added.
Now, if only they could go back and give Garrett and the Pontiac Firebird that came with it, which Wayne Gretzky so unfairly stole from him.
