Howie Young Howard ( Howie ) John Edward Young ( August 2 , 1937 – November 24 , 1999 ) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and actor , best known for his time in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1960s . He was born in Toronto , Ontario . Playing career . Early Years in Detroit . Young would break into the Red Wings lineup in the 1960 – 61 season , quickly earning a reputation as one of the toughest , most promising , and most troubled young defenders in the sport . He was blessed with a high level of natural skill and was one of the most fearsome bodycheckers in the game , but was tremendously undisciplined both on an off the ice , and a constant headache to the Detroit organization . He recorded 8 assists in his rookie season , and managed to lead the Wings with 108 penalty minutes despite playing in only 29 of the team ' s 70 games . In the playoffs , he would excel , appearing in all 11 games and scoring two goals in helping the Red Wings reach the Stanley Cup Finals . He would split another season between the NHL and the minors before establishing himself as a regular in 1962 – 63 . In his first full NHL season , he would record 9 points in 62 games and demolish the league league record for penalty minutes , recording 273 to eclipse Lou Fontinato ' s old record of 202 . His pugilistic exploits would earn him a place on the cover of Sports Illustrated in January 1963 . However , his drinking had by this point reached full - blown alcoholism , and despite his popularity in Detroit the team shipped him to the Chicago Black Hawks in the summer of 1963 . Exile to Los Angeles . Young ' s problems would follow him to Chicago , and their patience would run out even quicker than Detroit ' s did . Mid - way through the 1963 – 64 season , the team sold him to the Western Hockey League Los Angeles Blades . In Los Angeles , he would be one of the Western League ' s most feared defenders , leading the league in penalty minutes in both his full seasons there while contributing offensively from the blueline . Handsome and charismatic , he would also foray into acting , with a minor role in the 1965 Frank Sinatra film " None But The Brave " . In 1965 , Young ' s life bottomed out , and he entered Alcoholics Anonymous . After sobering up , his play on the ice showed a marked improvement , and he finally began to harness his immense potential . He also managed to greatly improve his discipline on the ice and focus more on the game and less on fisticuffs . Return to the NHL . Young started the 1966 – 67 season dominating the WHL , with 22 points in his first 29 games . More impressively , the once - volatile defender spent just 43 minutes in the penalty box . Impressed with his sobriety and improved play , the Red Wings sent three players to Los Angeles to reacquire him . Back in the NHL for the first time in three years , Young played the best hockey of his career . In 44 games for the Red Wings , he recorded 3 goals and 14 assists for 17 points along with 100 penalty minutes . In 1967 – 68 , he would spend another full season in Detroit , setting career highs with 17 assists and 19 points . Dealt back to Chicago for the 1968 – 69 campaign , Young began to show his age . Now 32 , he slumped to just 10 points in 57 games and seemed to have lost his physical edge . He would spend most of the following two seasons in the minors , with the exception of an 11 game stint with the expansion Vancouver Canucks in 1970 – 71 , before retiring . Comeback , WHA years and retirement . After a year away from the sport , Young would make a comeback in 1972 , signing on with the WHL Phoenix Roadrunners . Despite being 35 and having played defence for most of his career , he returned as a forward , and was surprisingly successful . In 1972 – 73 , he scored 20 goals and 38 assists for 58 points for the Roadrunners . In 1973 – 74 , he was better yet , scoring 37 goals ( 6th in the league ) and 68 points , and was named a WHL First - Team All - Star . For the 1974 – 75 season , Phoenix was granted admission to the World Hockey Association , and Young stayed with the Roadrunners through the move . Now 37 and playing top - level pro hockey for the first time in 5 years , he continued to play well , recording 15 points in 30 games before being sold mid - season to the Winnipeg Jets . In Winnipeg he was reunited with his former Chicago teammate Bobby Hull , and delivered 13 goals in 42 games . He finished the year with solid totals of 16 goals and 22 assists for 38 points in 72 games . Young would retire again in 1975 , but return to Phoenix late in the 1976 – 77 season after a nearly two - year layoff . Nearly 40 , he scored just 1 goal and 4 points in 26 games . He would play low - level minor pro for another two seasons in Phoenix and Los Angeles before retiring again in 1979 . He would make another comeback in 1985 - 86 , picking up an assist in 4 games for the Flint Spirits of the IHL , an impressive feat at the age of nearly 50 in a league just a notch below the NHL . Following his retirement , he would eventually move to New Mexico where he owned a ranch and served as a school bus driver . He also made other appearances as an actor . In 1989 he played an outlaw on the television mini - series " Lonesome Dove " , in 1990 he portrayed " Poe Possey " in the movie " Young Guns II " and he appeared in the 1997 television film " Last Stand at Saber River " starring Tom Selleck ] . He died on November 24 , 1999 at the age of 62 . Young appeared in 336 games over 8 seasons in the NHL , recording 12 goals and 62 assists for 74 points along with 851 penalty minutes . In 98 WHA appearances , he scored 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points , along with 109 penalty minutes .