‘I’m very, very thankful for all the opportunities I had’: Woods looks back on 40 seasons in the radio booth with Red Wings

DETROIT – Paul Woods, the Detroit Red Wings’ radio color analyst since 1987-88 and former captain who appeared in 501 regular-season NHL games with them from 1977-84, called his final game behind the microphone exactly one week ago today.

But before going on the airwaves last Wednesday night, Woods shared a quick story with DetroitRedWings.com at Amerant Bank Arena. The 71-year-old later repeated the same story while delivering his final farewell to Red Wings fans after the club’s 2025-26 regular-season finale.

“A couple of weeks ago, I was in Philadelphia having dinner with a sweater that had a small Red Wings crest on it,” Woods said. “A guy comes up to me with his family and asks me, ‘Do you like the Detroit Red Wings?’ I looked at him for a little while, then said, ‘No, to tell you the truth, I love the Detroit Red Wings.’ And that’s really my feeling. I’ve been with the organization now for almost 50 years. That’s really something, and I’m very, very thankful for all the opportunities I had.”

The longest-serving radio color commentator in Detroit sports broadcasting history, Woods helped voice over 3,000 Red Wings games, four Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008) and countless memories. But after decades in the grind of the NHL schedule, Woods said his decision to retire at the end of this season was driven by a desire to spend more time with family.

“It was a good job for me too in a way,” the Hespeler, Ontario, native said. “Going back when I first was getting started, it was good because I could spend the summers with my kids and stuff like that. But I have grandkids now, and I want to spend more time with them. They’re doing all sorts of different things, like playing hockey and baseball. I’m looking forward to watching them do all of that because I’ll have a lot more time on my hands now.”

Even all these years later, Woods still remembers his first in the booth.

“I was just going to do it for a year, but then it grew on me and I just kept doing it,” Woods said. “Then it was another year, another year, another year and it all added up. It’s just been a great experience. The one thing I learned from it was that there was way more to it than I thought. Bruce Martyn and Ken Kal both made everything a lot easier.”

Kal, who replaced the retired Martyn in the play-by-play role in 1995, described Woods as an excellent teacher.

“When I came out of college radio and doing hockey, all I thought about was play-by-play. But with the Red Wings job, you have to know more than just calling the game. With Paul’s experience as a player and broadcaster having seen so many games, he helped me along as far as understanding the really intricate details of the game as far as what players have to do in different situations and things like that. Once I understood the game from his point of view, I could see it translate on the ice.”

There’s a special bond between Woods and Kal, stemming from a friendship and professional relationship that started 31 years ago.

“You never know how things are going to be with a new partner,” Kal said. “I worked in Michigan with two or three different partners, but the NHL is the big time. Our first regular-season game was in Colorado, and right from the pregame show all the way through until the end of the game we never stepped on each other. That’s pretty rare, so we had that instant chemistry as a team right off the get-go. There were some bumps and bruises along the way though, with certain things we both had to get adjusted to. That all ironed out really quickly, so it was great to work with him and made my calling of the game a lot easier.”

Woods reflected warmly on the voices who were alongside him for so long, expressing how much he valued working alongside both Martyn and Kal.

“Bruce told me a couple things,” Woods said. “First, he told me one time that I wasn’t talking enough and that I was just listening too much to him. I was really just trying to be respectful for when he was trying to talk…He gave me some good advice that way. And then when Ken came in, it was only a little bit of a change from Bruce because they both had exciting calls. It was seamless when Ken came in. We had no problem. We just started talking and developing chemistry. They’re two of the best to ever do it, so I was very fortunate that way."

The qualities of gratitude and positivity have long defined Woods and are exactly what stand out most to those, like Kal, who know him best.

“He’s an honest guy,” Kal said. “He’s got a great personality and is a great person. You get those three qualities, and that’s a great human being there…He was a leader when he played and was well respected amongst his teammates. That’s why he became a captain. Even looking around the National Hockey League, people came up to him over the last few months and congratulated him on his accomplishments and his long career. Everyone respects him. He’s a genuine person, just a really good guy. That’s hard to find sometimes.”

Echoing that admiration, Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan emphasized just how significant Woods’ impact has been on the organization.

“I’ve been very, very fortunate to spend two stints with Paul,” McLellan said. “Very short, but his impact on the game, the ability to sell the game to Michigan for the past 40 years and the seven that he played is remarkable. Everybody can recognize his voice. You maybe don’t recognize him at the grocery store or wherever it is, but what I can tell you is for as good a hockey man as he is, he’s an even better human being and always positive. He means a ton to the Red Wing family and to the game.

"I was just telling Ken Kal that we recognize players, coaches and managers, and they put statues up of people. I’m not saying that Paul Woods needs a statue, but 48 years in one organization, we definitely have to acknowledge that.”