Gordon Howe, OC (born March 31, 1928) is a Canadian retired professional ice hoc key player who played

for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the Nati onal Hockey League (NHL), and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the W orld Hockey Association (WHA). Howe is often referred to as Mr. Hockey,[1] and i s generally regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Howe is most famous for his scoring prowess, physical strength, and career longe vity. He is the only player to have competed in the NHL in five different decade s (1940s through 1980s). A four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings, he won six Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player and six Art Ross Tro phies as the leading scorer. He was the inaugural recipient of the NHL Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. Howe's name and nickname, "Mr. Hockey", as well as his wife's nickname as "Mrs. Hockey", are registered trademarks.[2] Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Playing career 2.1 Detroit Red Wings 2.2 World Hockey Association 2.3 Hartford Whalers 2.4 Legacy 3 Retirement 4 Personal life 5 Awards and achievements 5.1 NHL/WHA 5.2 Other 6 Records 7 Career statistics 8 In popular culture 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Early life[edit] Howe was born to parents Ab and Katherine Howe in a farmhouse in Floral, Saskatc hewan one of nine children.[3] When Gordie was nine days old, the Howes moved to Saskatoon,[4] where his father worked as a labourer during the Depression. In t he summers, Howe would work construction with his father.[3] Howe was mildly dys lexic growing up, but was physically beyond his years at an early age. Already s ix feet tall in his mid-teens, doctors feared a calcium deficiency and encourage d him to strengthen his spine with chin-ups.[3] He began playing organized hocke y at eight years old,[3] then left Saskatoon at sixteen to pursue his hockey car eer.[4] Playing career[edit] Howe was an ambidextrous player, one of a handful of skaters able to use the str aight sticks of his era to shoot either left- or right-handed.[5] He received hi s first taste of professional hockey at fifteen years old when he was invited to a tryout for the New York Rangers in Brooklyn, but he did not make the team.[3] A year later, he was noticed by Detroit Red Wings scout Fred Pinkney; he was si gned by the Red Wings and assigned to their junior team, the Galt Red Wings. How ever, due to a maximum amount of Western players allowed by the league and the R ed Wings' preference to develop older players, Howe's playing time with the team was initially limited. In 1945, however, he was promoted to the Omaha Knights o f the minor professional United States Hockey League (USHL), where he scored 48 points in 51 games as a seventeen-year-old. While playing in Omaha, Frank Selke of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization noticed that Howe was not properly liste d as Red Wings property. Having a good relationship with Detroit coach Jack Adam s, he notified Adams of the clerical error and Howe was quickly put on the team'

s protected list.[3] Detroit Red Wings[edit] Howe relaxing at "Gordie Howe Hockeyland" in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, circa 1 966 Howe made his NHL debut on October 16, 1946 playing right wing for the Detroit R ed Wings, scoring in his first game at the age of 18.[6] For the first season he wore #17 as a rookie. However, when Roy Conacher moved on to the Chicago Black Hawks after the 1946 47 season, Howe was offered Conacher's #9, which he would wea r for the rest of his career; although he had not requested the change, Howe acc epted it when he was informed that "9" would entitle him to a lower Pullman bert h on road trips. He quickly established himself as a great goal scorer and a gif ted playmaker with a willingness to fight. In fact, Howe fought so often in his rookie season that coach Jack Adams told him, "I know you can fight. Now can you show me you can play hockey?"[3] The term "Gordie Howe hat trick" (consisting o f a goal, an assist, and a fight) was coined in reference to his penchant for fi ghting; however, Howe himself only recorded two such hat tricks in his career,[7 ] on October 10, 1953, and March 21, 1954.[8] Using his great physical strength, he was able to dominate the opposition in a career that spanned five decades. I n a feat unsurpassed by any hockey player, he finished in the top five in scorin g for twenty straight seasons. Howe also scored 20 or more goals in 22 consecuti ve seasons between 1949 and 1971, an NHL record.

Although famous as #9 during his long career, 18-year old Gordon Howe actually w ore #17 throughout his rookie season with the Detroit Red Wings in 1946 47. Howe led Detroit to four Stanley Cups and to first place in regular season play for seven consecutive years (1948 49 to 1955 56), a feat never equaled in NHL histor y. During this time Howe and his linemates, Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay, were known collectively as "The Production Line", both for their scoring and as an allusio n to Detroit auto factories. The trio dominated the league in such a fashion tha t in 1949 50, they finished one-two-three in league scoring. Howe had been in his prime during a defensive era, the 1940s and 1950s, when scoring was difficult an d checking was tight. As his career just started going, however, Howe sustained the worst injury of hi s career, fracturing his skull after an attempt to check Toronto Maple Leafs cap tain Ted Kennedy into the boards went awry during the 1950 playoffs. The severit y of the fracture was such that he was taken to the hospital for emergency surge ry in order to relieve building pressure on his brain.[3] The next season, he re turned to record 86 points, winning the scoring title by 20 points. As Howe emerged as one of the game's superstars, he was frequently compared to t he Montreal Canadiens' Maurice "Rocket" Richard. Both were right wingers who wor e the same sweater number (9), were frequently contenders for the league scoring title, and could also play rough if needed. During their first encounter in the Montreal Forum, when Howe was a rookie, he knocked Richard out cold with a punc h after being shoved.[9] The Red Wings and Canadiens faced off in four Stanley C up finals during the 1950s. When Richard retired in 1960, he paid tribute to How e, saying "Gordie could do everything."[10] The Red Wings were consistent contenders throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, b ut began to slump in the late 1960s. When Howe turned 40 in 1967 68, the league ex panded from six to twelve teams and the number of scoring opportunities grew as the game schedule increased. Howe played the 1968 69 season on a line with Alex De lvecchio and Frank Mahovlich. Mahovlich was big, fast, and skilled, and Delvecch io was a gifted playmaker. The three were dubbed "The Production Line 3" and at

forty years old, Howe reached new scoring heights, topping 100 points for the on ly time of his NHL career with 44 goals and a career-high 59 assists. Following his personal best 103-point season, however, conflict with the Red Win gs organization arose after Howe discovered he was just the third-highest paid p layer on the team with a $45,000 salary. Furthermore, while owner Bruce Norris i ncreased Howe's salary to $100,000, he blamed Howe's wife, Colleen, for the dema nd.[3] Howe remained with the Red Wings for two more seasons, but after twenty-f ive years, a chronic wrist problem forced him to retire after the 1970 71 season a nd he took a job in the Red Wings front office. At the beginning of 1972, he was offered the job as first head coach of the New York Islanders, but turned it do wn.[11] World Hockey Association[edit] A year later, Howe was offered a contract to play with the Houston Aeros of the newly formed World Hockey Association (WHA), who had also signed his sons Mark a nd Marty to contracts. Dissatisfied with not having any meaningful influence in the Red Wings' office, he underwent an operation to improve his wrist and make a return to hockey possible, and he led his new team to consecutive championships . In 1974, at the age of 46, Howe won the Gary L. Davidson Trophy, awarded to th e WHA's Most Valuable Player (the trophy was renamed the Gordie Howe Trophy the following year). Howe played with the Aeros until 1977, when he and his sons joi ned the New England Whalers. In the final season of the WHA, Gordie had the opportunity to play with Wayne Gr etzky in the 1979 WHA All-Star Game. The format of the game was a three-game ser ies between the WHA All-Stars against HC Dynamo Moscow. The WHA All-Stars were c oached by Jacques Demers, and Demers asked Howe if it was okay to put him on a l ine with Gretzky and his son Mark Howe.[12] In Game One, the line scored seven p oints, as the WHA All-Stars won by a score of 4 2.[12] In Game Two, Gretzky and Ma rk Howe each scored a goal and Gordie Howe picked up an assist as the WHA won 4 2. [12] The line did not score in the final game but the WHA won by a score of 4 3. Hartford Whalers[edit] When the WHA folded in 1979, the renamed Hartford Whalers joined the NHL. While the Red Wings still held his NHL rights even though he had retired eight years e arlier, the Whalers and Red Wings reached a gentleman's agreement in which the R ed Wings agreed not to reclaim him. Howe had experienced dizzy spells in the lat e part of the 1978 79 WHA season, and under went an extensive battery of tests befor e making his decision to play the 1979 80 season.[13] The 51-year-old Howe signed on for one final season playing in all 80 games of the schedule, helping his tea m to make the playoffs with fifteen goals. One particular honour was when Howe, Phil Esposito, and Jean Ratelle were selected to the mid-season all-star game by coach Scotty Bowman, as a nod to their storied careers before they retired. How e had played in five decades of All-Star Games and he would skate alongside the second-youngest to ever play in the game, 19-year-old Wayne Gretzky. The Joe Lou is Arena crowd gave him a standing ovation twice, lasting so long that he had to skate to the bench to stop people from cheering. He had one assist in the Wales Conference 6 3 win.[9] Legacy[edit] Howe was also referred to during his career as Power,[14] Mr. Everything, Mr. Al l-Star, The Most, The Great Gordie, The King of Hockey, The Legend, The Man, No. 9,[15] and "Mr. Elbows" (for his tough physical play). Over the years Howe became good friends with Gretzky, who had idolized Howe as a young player, and who would later break many of Howe's scoring records and mile stones. Another milestone in a remarkable career was reached in 1997 when Howe played pr

ofessional hockey in a sixth decade. He was signed to a one-game contract by the Detroit Vipers of the IHL and, almost 70 years old, made a return to the ice fo r one shift.[3] In doing so, he became the only player in hockey history to comp ete in six different decades at the professional level, having played in the NHL , WHA and IHL from the 1940s to 1990s.

Howe's #9 banner hanging in Joe Louis Arena. His most productive seasons came during an era when scoring was difficult and ch ecking was tight, yet Howe ranks third in NHL history with 1,850 total points, i ncluding 801 goals and 1,049 assists. When career regular season goals from both the NHL and the WHA are combined, he ranks first in goals with 975. At the time of his retirement, Howe's professional totals, including playoffs, f or the NHL and WHA combined, were first. He finished with 2,421 games played, 1, 071 goals, 1,518 assists, and 2,589 points. Wayne Gretzky has since passed him i n goals (1,072), assists (2,297), and points (3,369), but not games played or ga mes played with one team. Retirement[edit] Howe appearing at Gordie Howe Night as partial owner of the Vancouver Giants in 2008. In 1998, The Hockey News released their List of Top 100 NHL Players of All Time and listed Howe third overall, ahead of Mario Lemieux, but behind Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr. Of the list, Orr was quoted as regarding Howe as the greatest pla yer.[3] On April 10, 2007, Howe was honoured with the unveiling of a new bronze statue i n Joe Louis Arena. The statue is 12 feet tall and weighs about 4,500 pounds. The man who was commissioned to create the art was Omri Amrany. The statue contains all of Howe's stats and history. Another statue of Howe was erected in downtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on the corner of 20th Street and 1st Ave. He is depicte d wearing a Detroit Red Wings sweater. The statue has since been relocated to th e Credit Union Centre. In February 2011, various groups have proposed naming the New International Trad e Crossing bridge, a proposed bridge that will connect Detroit and Windsor by li nking Highway 401 in Ontario with Interstate 75 and Interstate 94 in Michigan, i n honour of Gordie Howe.[16] Personal life[edit] Howe met his wife, Colleen, at a bowling alley when she was 17 years old; and th ey were married four years later on April 15, 1953.[3] A middle school in Abbots ford, British Columbia, is named after Gordie and Colleen Howe, and a campground and football stadium are named after Gordie Howe in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Two of their sons, Marty and Mark, were his teammates on the WHA H ouston Aeros and the New England (WHA)/Hartford (NHL) Whalers. Mark would go on to have a long NHL career, playing 16 seasons for the Hartford Whalers, the Phil adelphia Flyers, and the Red Wings and was one of the dominant two-way defenseme n of the 1980s. He followed his father by being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fa me in 2011. Colleen was one of the founders of the Detroit Junior Red Wings and represented both Gordie and Mark financially during their careers.[3] Their third son, Murra y, is a radiologist in Toledo, Ohio. Colleen died in 2009, age 76, from Pick's d isease.[17] Retired, Howe lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Awards and achievements[edit] NHL/WHA[edit] 23-time NHL All-Star[18] 12-time NHL First All-Star Team 9-time NHL Second All-Star Team 4-time Stanley Cup champion (1950, 1952, 1954, 1955) 6-time Art Ross Trophy winner (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1963) 6-time Hart Memorial Trophy 1952, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1963 Lester B. Patrick Award winner (1967) Lionel Conacher Award (1963) Hockey Hall of Fame (1972) 2-time Avco World Trophy winner (1974, 1975) Gary L. Davidson Trophy winner (1974) 2-time WHA All-Star. Top 5 in NHL scoring for 20 consecutive seasons[4] Most games played for a single franchise (1,967, Detroit Red Wings) Most goals and points with a single franchise (786 and 1,809, respectively, Detr oit) Most NHL games played (1967) Oldest NHL player at time of retirement (52), and oldest player to play in an NH L game, also only player to play in the NHL after age 50 Only player to play in the NHL in five different decades (1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1 970s, and 1980s) Upon his retirement in 1980, the last NHL player to have played in the league in both the 1940s & 1950s (the latter shared with teammate Bobby Hull) NHL Lifetime Achievement Award winner (2008) His #9 has been honoured or retired by these teams: Detroit Red Wings #9 (retired; played from 1946 1971) New England/Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes (retired, played from 1977 1980 w hile franchise was in Hartford; Hurricanes honour his number but no banner hangs in the PNC Arena, as Howe never played there) Houston Aeros (AHL) (retired; Howe played for the Houston Aeros (WHA) from 1973 19 77) In 1998, he was ranked #3 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Pl ayers, the highest-ranking right wing on the list. In 2010, he was inducted into the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame as a mem ber of The Howe Family (including Gordie, Mark, Marty, and Colleen Howe). Other[edit] Howe's star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2009 Order of Canada (1971)[19] Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1975) Canada's Walk of Fame (2000) Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Saskatchewan (2010) Records[edit] Most NHL regular season games played: 1,767 Most NHL regular season games played with a single team: 1,687 Most NHL and WHA regular season games played: 2,186 Most NHL and WHA regular season and playoff games played: 2,421 Most NHL seasons played: 26 (tied with Chris Chelios) Most NHL and WHA seasons played: 32 Most NHL regular season goals by a right winger: 801 Most NHL regular season points by a right winger: 1,850 Most NHL regular season points by a father/son combo (with son Mark): 2,592 Most consecutive NHL 20-goal seasons: 22 (1949 1971) First player to score over 1000 goals (WHA and NHL, regular season and playoff c ombined) First player to reach 1,500 games played in NHL history. Most times leading NHL playoffs in scoring (six times)

Oldest player to play in NHL: 52 years, 11 days (no other player has played past the age of 48) First in Red Wings history in points, goals and games played, second in assists Most NHL All-Star Game appearances: 23 Career statistics[edit] Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1945 46 Omaha Knights USHL 51 22 26 48 53 6 2 1 3 15 1946 47 Detroit Red Wings NHL 58 7 15 22 52 5 0 0 0 18 1947 48 Detroit Red Wings NHL 60 16 28 44 63 10 1 1 2 11 1948 49 Detroit Red Wings NHL 40 12 25 37 57 11 8 3 11 19 1949 50 Detroit Red Wings* NHL 70 35 33 68 69 1 0 0 0 7 1950 51 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 43 43 86 74 6 4 3 7 4 1951 52 Detroit Red Wings* NHL 70 47 39 86 78 8 2 5 7 2 1952 53 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 49 46 95 57 6 2 5 7 2 1953 54 Detroit Red Wings* NHL 70 33 48 81 109 12 4 5 9 31 1954 55 Detroit Red Wings* NHL 64 29 33 62 68 11 9 11 20 24 1955 56 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 38 41 79 100 10 3 9 12 8 1956 57 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 44 45 89 72 5 2 5 7 6 1957 58 Detroit Red Wings NHL 64 33 44 77 40 4 1 1 2 0 1958 59 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 32 46 78 57 1959 60 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 28 45 73 46 6 1 5 6 4 1960 61 Detroit Red Wings NHL 64 23 49 72 30 11 4 11 15 10 1961 62 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 33 44 77 54 1962 63 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 38 48 86 100 11 7 9 16 22 1963 64 Detroit Red Wings NHL 69 26 47 73 70 14 9 10 19 16 1964 65 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 29 47 76 104 7 4 2 6 20 1965 66 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 29 46 75 83 12 4 6 10 12 1966 67 Detroit Red Wings NHL 69 25 40 65 53 1967 68 Detroit Red Wings NHL 74 39 43 82 53 1968 69 Detroit Red Wings NHL 76 44 59 103 58 1969 70 Detroit Red Wings NHL 76 31 40 71 58 4 2 0 2 2 1970 71 Detroit Red Wings NHL 63 23 29 52 38 1973 74 Houston Aeros WHA 70 31 69 100 46 13 3 14 17 34 1974 75 Houston Aeros WHA 75 34 65 99 84 13 8 12 20 20 1975 76 Houston Aeros WHA 78 32 70 102 76 17 4 8 12 31

1976 77 Houston Aeros WHA 5 3 8 11 1977 78 New England Whalers 14 5 5 10 1978 79 New England Whalers 10 3 1 4 1979 80 Hartford Whalers 3 1 1 2 1997 98 Detroit Vipers IHL NHL totals 1767 801 160 220 WHA totals 419 174 71 115 Minor league totals 52 1 3 15 * Stanley Cup Champion Bolded means led league

62 WHA 15 WHA 4 NHL 2 1 1049 334 22

24 76 58 80 0 1850 508 26

44 34 19 15 0 1685 399 48

68 62 24 26 0 157 78 53

57 96 43 41 0 68 28 6

11 85 51 42 92 43 2

In popular culture[edit] In The Simpsons third season episode, "Bart the Lover", Bart Simpson uses Howe's portrait in a series of fraudulent love letters sent to his teacher, Edna Kraba ppel. The episode closes with the portrait and a list of Howe's stats. In the 1986 comedy film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris' best friend Cameron Fr ye (Alan Ruck) wears a Howe #9 jersey for most of the film. In the episode 26 of Total Drama Island, the character of Owen mentions Gordie H owe when he states that he is tired. Canadian actor Michael Shanks portrayed Howe in the Hallmark movie Mr. Hockey: T he Gordie Howe Story. The film aired April 28, 2013 on CBC and on the Hallmark C hannel in the US on May 5. See also[edit] Gordie Howe hat trick List of Detroit Red Wings award winners List of family relations in the NHL List of famous ice hockey linemates List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame List of NHL players with 1000 games played List of NHL players with 1000 points List of NHL players with 500 goals List of NHL statistical leaders Power forward (ice hockey) Billy McNeill (ice hockey) References[edit] Jump up ^ "Players: Gordie Howe Biography". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 201306-26. Jump up ^ "Mr. Hockey". gordiehowe.com. Retrieved 2013-06-26. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m Dryden, Steve (1998). The Top 100 NHL Pl ayers of All Time. Toronto: Transcontinental Sports Publishers. pp. 26 32. ISBN 07710-4175-6. ^ Jump up to: a b c MacSkimming, Roy (2003) [1994]. "1". Gordie: a hockey legend (2nd edition ed.). Canada: Greystone Books. p. 14. ISBN 1-55054-719-4. Jump up ^ Diamond, Dan (2001). 'Hockey Stories on and off the Ice'. USA: Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 0-7407-1903-3. Jump up ^ "Gordie Howe, 'Mr. Hockey,' turns 85 years old". NHL.com. Retrieved Ja nuary 22, 2014. Jump up ^ Marek, Jeff (2007-11-02). "How many Gordie Howe hat tricks did Mr. Hoc key notch?". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-03-30. Jump up ^ Marek, Jeff (October 29, 2008). "The mystique of the Gordie Howe hat t rick". CBC. Archived from the original on 20 July 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2013. ^ Jump up to: a b [1]

Jump up ^ "Detroit Red Wings Legends: "Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe". Redwingslegends .blogspot.com. Retrieved 2011-06-07. Jump up ^ Jim Proudfoot (column), Toronto Star, January 8, 1972, p. 41 ^ Jump up to: a b c The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hoc key Association, p.221, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, ON, ISBN 0-7710-8947-3 Jump up ^ S-P Services (September 22, 1979). "Decision to play rest solely with Howe". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, page A12. Retrieved October 11, 2013. Jump up ^ McGourty, John (2008-03-30). "Detroit honors 'Mr. Hockey' at 80". Nati onal Hockey League. Retrieved 2008-04-07.[dead link] Jump up ^ Vancouver, The (2008-03-15). "Howe Gordie did it". Canada.com. Retriev ed 2011-06-07. Jump up ^ Kraniak, Dennis (February 4, 2011). "The Gordie Howe International Bri dge". Detroit: WJBK-TV. Retrieved February 5, 2011. Jump up ^ "Death of Colleen Howe". Ctv.ca. Retrieved 2011-06-07. Jump up ^ "All-Star Game individual records". USA TODAY (Gannett Co. Inc.). 2002 -01-31. Retrieved 2008-05-12. Jump up ^ "37 Canadians Feted, Including Gordie Howe". Windsor Star. 30 October 1971. p. 2. Retrieved 9 July 2012. External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gordie Howe. Gordie Howe's biography at Legends of Hockey Gordie Howe's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database More Career Stats Colleen and Gordie Howe Middle School Gordie Howe Biography Red Wings Legends Gordie Howe: Mr. Hockey CBC Digital Archives Preceded by Inaugural NHL Lifetime Achievement Award 2008 Succeeded by Jean Beliveau Preceded by Red Kelly Detroit Red Wings captain 1958 62 Succeeded by Alex Delvecchio Preceded by Milt Schmidt Jean Beliveau Andy Bathgate Jacques Plante Winner of the Hart Trophy 1952, 1953 1957, 1958 1960 1963 Succeeded by Al Rollins Andy Bathgate Bernie Geoffrion Jean Beliveau Preceded by Ted Lindsay Jean Beliveau Bobby Hull Winner of the Art Ross Trophy 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 1957 1963 Succeeded by Bernie Geoffrion Dickie Moore Stan Mikita Preceded by Maurice Richard

Jean Beliveau Bobby Hull NHL Goal Leader 1951, 1952, 1953 1957 1963 Succeeded by Maurice Richard Dickie Moore Bobby Hull Authority control WorldCat VIAF: 62789123 LCCN: n50029079 ISNI: 0000 0000 7868 7034 GND: 12416305X Categories: 1928 birthsArt Ross Trophy winnersCanada's Sports Hall of Fame induc teesCanadian ice hockey right wingersCanadian people of English descentCanadian ProtestantsDetroit Red Wings playersDetroit Vipers playersHart Memorial Trophy w innersHartford Whalers playersHockey Hall of Fame inducteesHouston Aeros (WHA) p layersIce hockey people from SaskatchewanLester Patrick Trophy recipientsLiving peopleNational Hockey League All-StarsNational Hockey League players with retire d numbersNew England Whalers playersOfficers of the Order of CanadaOrder of Hock ey in Canada recipientsOmaha Knights (USHL) playersPeople from Saskatoon