(AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Harry Howell, who briefly coached the North Stars, dies at 86
The Hall of Famer spent 17 seasons with the New York Rangers. He coached the North Stars ni 1978 but quickly swapped jobs with GM Lou Nanne.
March 11, 2019 at 12:29PM
The Star Tribune's Joel Rippel takes a look at the career of Harry Howell:
Harry Howell, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame who briefly coached the North Stars, died Saturday. He was 86.
The Hockey Hall of Fame announced his death on Sunday.
Howell, a native of Hamilton, Canada, played 1,411 NHL and WHA games. He spent 17 seasons with the New York Rangers and won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman in 1966.
After three seasons in the WHA he retired in 1976 at the age of 43.
He was the general manager of the Cleveland Barons of the NHL when that franchise was merged with the North Stars in June of 1978. North Stars GM Lou Nanne named Howell the team's coach in July of 1978.
Early in the 1978 season, Howell was sidelined for a week after a heart irregularity was detected in a routine physical. Scout Glen Sonmor filled in as the North Stars coach in Howell's absence. Howell returned to the North Stars bench on Nov. 12. But a week later, Howell and Sonmor permanently swapped jobs.
"I thought I might like to try coaching when I agree to take the job last summer,'' Howell told the Minneapolis Tribune. "But I found I didn't enjoy it.''
Nanne told the Tribune, "Some people really don't enjoy coaching and others don't. I personally didn't enjoy coaching that much. So, I know exactly what was on Harry's mind.''
The North Stars were 3-6-2 under Howell.
With the playoffs a month away, the Wild is starting to play in tight contests because goals are hard to come by.
