| Paul Henderson | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 28, 1943 Kincardine, ON, CAN |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) |
| Position | Right Wing |
| Shot | Right |
| Played for | NHL Detroit Red Wings Toronto Maple Leafs Atlanta Flames AHL Pittsburgh Hornets WHA Birmingham Bulls Toronto Toros |
| National team | Canada |
| Playing career | 1962–1981 |
Paul Henderson (born January 28, 1943 in Kincardine, Ontario, but grew up in Lucknow, Ontario) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames. Henderson is best known for scoring the winning goals in the last three games of the 1972 Summit Series against the USSR, the final one winning the series for Canada.
Henderson presently works in various ministries affiliated with Campus Crusade for Christ.
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Henderson played left wing in various professional leagues in North America, as well as for Team Canada in international competitions. Henderson is best known for scoring hockey's most famous goal (a.k.a. the Goal of the Century), helping Team Canada clinch the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union with only 34 seconds left in the final game.
Henderson started his junior career with the Goderich Sailors of the Western Jr. 'B' Hockey League. He took them into the playoffs, before being eliminated by the Sarnia Legionnaires. After that, he played with the Hamilton Red Wings of the OHA from 1960 to 1963. He would help lead Hamilton to the Memorial Cup title in 1962.
Henderson played 13 seasons in the NHL. He began his career in 1962 with the Detroit Red Wings, staying there until 1968 (with the exception of the 1963 season, when he played for the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL). He was traded by Detroit with Norm Ullman and Floyd Smith to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Frank Mahovlich, Garry Unger, Pete Stemkowski and the contract rights to Carl Brewer on March 3, 1968.
He was among the NHL players selected to compete against the USSR in the 1972 Summit Series. He became famous in Canada after scoring the winning goals in the final three games of the eight-game series, securing the Canadian victory. He also played for Canada in the 1974 Summit Series in which Canadian WHA players were pitted against the Soviet team.
In 1974, Henderson left the Maple Leafs and the NHL altogether, jumping to the rival WHA where he played for the Toronto Toros. He was offered a five-year contract by Toros owner John Bassett a full season before his Maple Leafs contract expired. The deal included a signing bonus that depended on his performance during his final season with the Maple Leafs. He was subsequently offered the same deal by Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard, without the signing bonus, which he rejected. He later expressed regret at signing a Toros contract before his Maple Leafs contract expired. He remained with the Toros franchise after its relocation to Birmingham, Alabama and re-named the Birmingham Bulls. He stayed with the team when it transferred to the CHL in 1979.
He returned to the NHL in 1980 for one final season, playing for the Atlanta Flames. The following season he returned to the CHL's Birmingham Bulls and retired in 1981.
Henderson has not been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and there is much debate over his omission. He scored one of the most famous goals in hockey and Canadian sports history when he scored the winning goal in the deciding game eight of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. Henderson also scored the winning goals in games six and seven of that series. If Henderson was inducted, it would be due almost entirely to the historical significance of that goal (plus his game-winners in games six and seven as well). Although his NHL numbers were respectable (236 goals and 477 points in 707 career NHL games), they are not close to the levels of those generally selected for induction. His candidacy has led to many debates among hockey fans, because although his performance in the Summit Series made him one of the most well known names in hockey, many fans feel that it is not right to honour a player's entire career because of one highlight. However the Hall of Fame is not controlled by the NHL nor is it officially connected with it, so his play in the WHA would be relevant.
During a press conference on the 30th anniversary celebrations of the series in 2002, Henderson criticized former linemate Bobby Clarke for his slash on Valeri Kharlamov's ankle, which neutralized the Soviet star for the rest of the series, dubbing the move "the lowpoint of the series". Clarke responded that Henderson had made his career entirely on the historical significance of the series-winning goal, and that Henderson would have remained an unknown if he had not scored this goal. Clarke went on to say "I think it's improper to criticize a teammate 30 years later. If it was so offensive, why didn't he bother to say something after the game?" Henderson has since retracted his criticism.[1]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1960–61 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA | 30 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1961–62 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA | 50 | 24 | 19 | 43 | 68 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 13 | ||
| 1962–63 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA | 48 | 49 | 27 | 76 | 53 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1962–63 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 38 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 32 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1964–65 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1965–66 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 34 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | ||
| 1966–67 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 46 | 21 | 19 | 40 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 50 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 13 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 74 | 27 | 32 | 59 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1969–70 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 67 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 72 | 30 | 30 | 60 | 34 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1971–72 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 73 | 38 | 19 | 57 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1972–73 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 40 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69 | 24 | 31 | 55 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1974–75 | Toronto Toros | WHA | 58 | 30 | 33 | 63 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Toronto Toros | WHA | 65 | 26 | 29 | 55 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Birmingham Bulls | WHA | 81 | 23 | 25 | 48 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Birmingham Bulls | WHA | 80 | 37 | 29 | 66 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79 | Birmingham Bulls | WHA | 76 | 24 | 27 | 51 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Birmingham Bulls | CHL | 47 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 30 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81 | Birmingham Bulls | CHL | 35 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 707 | 236 | 241 | 477 | 304 | 56 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 28 | ||||
| WHA totals | 360 | 140 | 143 | 283 | 112 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||||
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Canada | Summit | 8 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 4 |
| 1974 | Canada | Summit | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
In January 2011, Paul Henderson's jersey, which he wore in the 72' Canada-USSR Series when he scored one of history's greatest goals, will start its Canada-wide tour in his hometown of Lucknow.