Howe played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Quakers, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Eagles and Detroit Red Wings.

Howe played in the NHL from 1929–30 to 1945–46 primarily with the Detroit Red Wings where he would enjoy his greatest personal and team successes.

When Ottawa suspended operations for the 1931–32 season, Howe was picked up by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the dispersal draft, but he appeared in just three NHL games, spending most of his time on the farm with the Syracuse Stars of the International Hockey League.

[1] On March 19, 1940, Howe scored 25 seconds into overtime to give the Wings a 2–1 victory over the New York Americans in game one of the quarter-finals.

Howe was an all-around player, shifting between left wing and centre as needed, killing penalties and dropping back to play defence in a pinch.

Those who watched the team closely reported that Howe's ice time with the Red Wings would constitute an amazing total.

Syd Howe was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965, and died eleven years later on May 20, 1976, of throat cancer at age 64.