Paul Henderson

Paul Garnet Henderson, CM OOnt is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames. Henderson is best known for leading Team Canada to victory at the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. He was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 2013. Henderson became a minister, motivational speaker and author following his playing career.

About Paul Henderson in brief

Summary Paul HendersonPaul Garnet Henderson, CM OOnt is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames. Henderson is best known for leading Team Canada to victory at the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. He was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 2013. A born-again Christian, Henderson became a minister, motivational speaker and author following his playing career. He has co-written three books related to hockey or his life. His father, Garnet, was fighting for Canada during the Second World War at the time and did not meet his son until he was nearly three years old. His mother, Evelyn, went into labour while staying at his father’s parents’ farm in the nearby community of Amberley during a snowstorm. She gave birth to Paul while the family was crossing Lake Huron via horse-drawn sleigh attempting to reach the hospital in Kincardine, Ontario. Henderson attracted the attention of NHL scouts at the age of 15 when he scored 18 goals and 2 assists in a 21–6 victory in a juvenile playoff game. He married his wife Eleanor in 1962 and, wanting to ensure he could provide for his wife, he considered giving up the game to become a history and physical education teacher. He later decided to play two additional years, and if he had not reached the NHL by 1964, he would quit the game and focus on his education.

Henderson was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2012 and of the Honourable Order of Ontario in 2014. He is married to Eleanor Henderson, who was on the team that propelled the Hamilton Red Wings to their first Memorial Cup final in 1961–62. The couple have a daughter, Emma, and a son, Paul, who plays for the Toronto Marlboro Hockey Club and the Ottawa Junior A Hockey Club. He also has a step-son, Paul Jr., who played for the Hamilton Junior A Red Wings in the 1960s and 1970s. Henderson played in two NHL All-Star Games and was a member of the Memorial Cup-winning Hamilton Red Red Wings team as a junior. The family often struggled financially, though Garnet was always able to provide the basic life necessities. Henderson’s father coached his youth teams, and at one minor hockey tournament, told his teammates simply to ‘just give the puck to Paul and get out of his way’ He later realized it stood as an affirmation and expression of his father’s pride in him and his abilities. Henderson scored a goal in the sixth, seventh and eighth games, the last of which has become legendary in Canada and made him a national hero. He recorded 24 goals and 43 points in 50 games to win the eastern Canadian championship in four consecutive games in 1962, then defeated the Quebec Citadelleses in the final series. In the 1962–62 season, he became a regular player on the Red Wings.