Gordie Howe and 1971 Red Wings were part of "Darkness with Harnkess", one of the most quivering seasons of the franchise

Ned Harkness is a name not fondly remembered by many Detroit Red Wings and Gordie Howe fans. His tenure with the team was famously known as "Darkness with Harkness." During his time as coach and then general manager, the team failed to make the playoffs.

Despite his success in college hockey, he was overmatched at the NHL level, and almost every decision he made was a miss. The decision to bring Harkness to Detroit was made by team owner Bruce Norris.

In 1967, Ned Harkness was hired to coach the Detroit Red Wings, a team that had been struggling for years. Despite his initial success, he quickly found himself in the hot seat, and in 1970, he was fired.

But that was not the end of Harkness's story. In fact, it was only the beginning. Just a week after his firing, he was hired as the general manager of the Red Wings, and he immediately set about reshaping the team.

He traded away Frank Mahovlich, a future Hall of Famer, to the Montreal Canadiens, and then shipped off several other players. The team was in disarray, but Harkness was determined to make it his own.

Unfortunately, for Harkness, his bold moves did not pay off. The team finished in seventh place that year, missing the playoffs. Norris defended Harkness and his roster, but it was clear that something had gone wrong.

Despite his failures as a GM, Harkness remained in the job for two more years. He made some good moves, including drafting a young Steve Yzerman, but the team never made the playoffs during his tenure. In 1973, he was fired once again, this time for good.

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Darkness with Harkness: Gordie Howe's Side of the Story

Ned Harkness came up with the idea of turning Gordie Howe, a skilled forward, into a defenseman for the Detroit hockey club in 1970.

Initially, Howe was hesitant, but Harkness convinced him to be aggressive and not ignore his scoring abilities while playing defense.

Gordie Howe excelled in the first three games, scoring five points and playing on the power play and penalty-killing teams. However, management eventually had to move him back to his original position as a right-winger due to his lack of performance.

The return ironically made Gordie Howe feel a bit uncomfortable. The rest of the season proved to be challenging for the Detroit veteran and his team.