Is Gordie Howe Better Than Tom Wilson? NHL Stats Decide

The career statistics tell a clear story in this RW comparison. Gordie Howe holds the advantage in 5 of 5 key categories, with Assists representing the most decisive gap — a 323% difference that separates these two NHL players. This is not a close debate on the numbers.

Gordie Howe's Assists of 1,049 compared to Tom Wilson's 248 represents a 323% advantage — dramatically better than their counterpart in this critical category. Tom Wilson falls 29.1% below the career average of 350 in this category while Gordie Howe exceeds it. It is the single most decisive number in this comparison and the clearest statistical argument for Gordie Howe's edge.

The most competitive category in this matchup is Penalty Minutes, where Gordie Howe posts 1,685 against Tom Wilson's 1649 — a gap of just 2.2%. Tom Wilson can point to this as evidence that the overall comparison is closer than the final 5-0 tally suggests. In any debate, Penalty Minutes is the statistical ammunition for the Tom Wilson side.

Hockey's greatest players accumulate points through both goal scoring and playmaking. The balance between goals and assists often reveals a player's style — pure scorer versus pass-first playmaker.

Gordie Howe wins this head to head comparison decisively — 5 categories to 0. The 323% gap in Assists alone makes a compelling case, but the consistency across multiple categories confirms Gordie Howe's statistical superiority in this NHL career comparison.