Five Questions with Mark Howe

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features Mark Howe, director of pro scouting for the Detroit Red Wings and Hall of Fame defenseman.

Mark Howe didn't get to see Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin become the eighth member of the 700-goal club, but he's always been impressed by how Ovechkin approaches the game.

"Whenever I talk about Alex and all the times that I've seen him play, the word, 'Wow,' comes to mind," Howe said prior to the NHL season being paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. "From all the years I played, from all the players I've watched play, every time I watch him, usually every game there's a couple opportunities when he's shooting the puck and I go, 'Wow,' or I thank God I didn't have to stand in front of that one and block it. For me, for the guys I've watched, he and Brett Hull are two of the best pure goal scorers that I can remember watching play."

Ovechkin joined Howe's father, Gordie Howe, in the 700-goal club when he scored against the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 22. Howe is confident Ovechkin can reach an even more exclusive group that his father belongs to once the NHL resumes play.

The former defenseman, who has worked as a scout for the Red Wings since retiring as a player in 1995, also is impressed with the rebuilding effort being led by general manager Steve Yzerman.

"Simply put, Steve is the captain of the ship," Howe said. "And I think (assistant GM) Pat Verbeek, you have to mention both in one breath. … They have a goal, they've told everybody what they're looking for, what they want. It's easy to follow. Our job is to go out and look for what they're looking for."

Here are Five Questions with … Mark Howe:

In your years as a scout you've seen Alex Ovechkin score a lot of goals. Are there any that stand out to you?

"It's not so much the goals, it's his shot, his release. Often on the power play he's on the left-hand side, whether it be at the top of the dot, down low, wherever. And as all great goal scorers do, it doesn't matter where they are or how much room they have to put it in, they just know where the net is. I spoke with Mike Bossy years ago when we were both playing, and he said you instinctively know where to put the puck. And Alex does everything at high speed. There might be a six-inch hole and the puck is going to come across and he's going to either whip it with a wrist shot or smoke it with a slap shot and it finds those holes. It's not by accident. It's a skill that very few people that have ever played the game have had. When I watch him shoot the puck some days, I'm just amazed at how hard he can shoot it."

Your father, Gordie Howe (801), and Wayne Gretzky (894) are the only players with 800 goals. Can you see Ovechkin (706) joining them?

"On pure ability and the way he can still shoot the puck and with his power and strength, there's absolutely no doubt he can get there. He's also playing on a very good team. As great a goal scorer as he is, he's also been blessed to have a couple of great playmakers around him that make life easier for him (centers Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov). They work hand-in-hand; you can't have one without the other. Those guys are going to continue to play well so I don't see any reason [he wouldn't get to 800]. … All the years you watched Wayne Gretzky play, Wayne was driven to score every single shift. Didn't matter how much money he made, he just loved to compete, he loved to battle, win and to score. That was his driving force. I know with my dad it wasn't so much about scoring, it was about his passion for playing the game. He just loved to play the game of hockey. He still had that passion. In Hartford when they wanted him to retire at 52, he still wanted to play more. He was disappointed. His last year he was on the fourth line, didn't get much power-play time, and he still had 41 points (15 goals, 26 assists). He wanted to play. He still had that fire. As long as Alex has that fire and that passion for the game, and he puts in the time to stay in condition like the players have to do nowadays, there's no reason he can't score 800 goals.

"Brett Hull was as pure a goal scorer as I saw during my era, and I got to watch him when I was scouting with the Red Wings. He knew how to score, he knew how to find soft spots, he knew how to get open, he knew where the net was, where the goalie was. But right near the end of his career when he'd get a good scoring chance, he'd start hitting the crest. If Alex ever gets to that point where he starts hitting the goalie in the crest instead of hitting the open spots, that's when things start to deteriorate. That only happened to Brett in the last year or two of his career. When a guy is a pure goal scorer and you start hitting that crest, then it's starting to deteriorate. I've seen zero evidence of that at all with Alex."

This is your 28th season with the Red Wings, your final three as a player in the NHL and 25 as a scout, including the past 15 as director of professional scouting. You've been a part of four Stanley Cup championships. After all that winning, how difficult has this season been, with the Red Wings at the bottom of the League standings?

"It is disappointing. It's tough to swallow. But I'm also an optimist. I believe in the future. You go out and you do the best you can to help the organization speed the process as best you can. You look forward to the challenge. That's what I enjoy about it.

"We're going to get it done. We're not going to rush it, we're going to do it the right way. I'm drinking the Kool-Aid because I believe in Steve Yzerman, I believe in Pat Verbeek. It's a slow process, it's tough to tolerate for sure, especially when you're used to winning. I believe in the direction they're going. Unfortunately, it's going to take a couple years."

Ken Holland started the Red Wings on this rebuilding path before he left as GM. What, if anything has changed since Steve Yzerman took over last year?

"It's a continuation. You really have no choice but to go that direction. There's a few slight tweaks. I think this year our hands were forced a bit just by unfortunate circumstances. We knew we weren't a playoff team. We hoped if everything went great, we could be competitive, we could at least … be competitive most games, that was our goal. But with the [season-ending back] injury to [defenseman] Danny DeKeyser, we're not good enough to lose a player like Dan DeKeyser for a whole year. That deflates. Jonathan Ericsson, [Trevor] Daley, those injuries, our defense was decimated. Our defense has been a priority, trying to find some players to fit in and play. We were having to rely on some older guys and it just made it more difficult. I think [forward] Anthony Mantha who seemed to be on the right track and we lost him for two months (upper-body injury). When you have a team that doesn't have a lot of depth you can't afford key injuries to key players. I think those ingredients compounded a tough situation and made it worse."

One of the Red Wings' top prospects is a defenseman, 2019 first-round pick Moritz Seider. He's been with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League all season as Yzerman has preached patience. Have you seen him waver at all from that stance?

"No, I haven't seen that all. I've watched Seider play and I really like him as a prospect, as everybody does, and in my opinion, I didn't think he's [NHL] ready either. … The one thing I've seen over my years of scouting is when someone's brought to the NHL too soon and they're not ready, it tends to set people back. They're going to hit a major bump in the road and if they're not ready or able to fight through it, not only does it hurt the player physically, but it hurts them mentally and that's the part that really sets them back. Could Seider come in and play in Detroit right now? Sure, without a doubt. But in the long run was it better for that kid to stay in Grand Rapids and play or be in Detroit? My history of scouting tells me that without a doubt the best place for him to be was in Grand Rapids until he's fully ready. And when he's ready Steve will know, he'll make a decision. Maybe for two months it might be a little better for the Detroit Red Wings. But over the next 10 years, I'd give up those two months to get 10 better years.

"I think Steve is frustrated with the losing but I also do see the focus in his eyes. You know the direction he wants to go. He's staying on that path and he's doing it quietly and he's doing it. He's showing leadership."