Left Wing

Detroit Red Wings (2002-2018)

When Henrik Zetterberg arrived at his first Red Wings training camp in 2002, his hope was to make Detroit’s talented roster, but deep down believed there was the possibility he was going to end up playing in the minors. It never happened.  It was apparent very early on the 22-year-old rookie was ready for the NHL. He looked so comfortable on the ice, a few Red Wing beat reporters started calling him, “Z Man.” Looking back on it, Zetterberg, credits the Red Wings for letting him stay in Sweden to develop for two years after he was drafted in the in the 7^th round, 210^th overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. By the time he came to the NHL, he had gained confidence by playing against men for several seasons and had also earned a nice salary, so he didn’t put a lot of pressure on himself to make the team.  Zetterberg also clicked with another young Red Wing named Pavel Datsyuk. A tight bond on and off the ice was instantly formed. The pair were nicknamed the “Euro Twins” and during their 13 seasons playing together they factored in on the same goal 286 times during the regular season and 45 times during the playoffs. Only Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio - 560 goals regular season, 50 goals in the playoffs and Howe and Ted Lindsay – 379 regular season goals, 46 playoff goals have topped the Euro Twins numbers. Though Zetterberg often cites Datsyuk’s immense talent for making his career – they were linemates for most of his first five season – with Zetterberg playing left wing - it actually speaks to his humble and somewhat happy-go-lucky nature. He was so sure he wasn’t going to be drafted into the NHL, that during the weekend of his draft he was on vacation with five of his friends in Cyprus. When he was contacted by Haken Andersson, to inform him he had been drafted by the Red Wings, he found it hard to believe and when Andersson asked him to attend the Wings Development Camp in a few days, he politely declined, because he was already in Cyprus on vacation with his buddies. It’s that type of loyalty that has endeared Zetterberg to his teammates along with a relentless competitive drive, an unmatched passion for the game and a high tolerance to play through excruciating back pain for a large part of his career. But his legendary status among the Red Wings fanbase was cemented during the 2008 Stanley Cup Final when he shut down and frustrated Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, so much so, the young Penguins captain allowed his frustration to boil over onto the ice, throwing Crosby’s game completely off. Zetterberg says he learned a few tricks about playing a little dirty from the Grind Line and used them against Crosby. His defensive performance along with leading the playoffs in goals (13), points (27), plus/minus (+16) and in short-handed goals (2) earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP as well as being the captain of a Stanley Cup champion. On September 14, 2018, in Traverse City, at Red Wings training camp, Wings GM Ken Holland announced due to a degenerative back condition, Zetterberg could not continue his NHL career, though he still had three more years remaining on his contract. It was a devastating blow. Yet, through years of playing through unimaginable back pain and doing everything possible to get his back healthy again, it wasn’t meant to be. So, with little fanfare, one of the greatest Red Wings in history walked away from the game he loved while he could still walk away without pain.                             

Detroit Career totals: 2002-2018 

GP-1,082 G-337 A-623 PTS-960 PIM-401 GWG-64

Center

Detroit Red Wings (2001-2016)

When Red Wings super scout, Haken Andersson, first saw a young Pavel Datsyuk play, he was there to scout another player, but as he recalls, he couldn’t take his eyes off, “this little guy on the other team.” The little guy was Datsyuk and from that chance encounter, Andersson began to follow this unheralded and unknown Russian forward.  He scouted Datsyuk a second time and planned on seeing him for a third time, but bad weather cancelled his flight, which turned out to be a fortunate break for the Red Wings. On Andersson’s flight was a scout from the Calgary Flames and he was worried the NHL’s best kept secret was about to be revealed. Except Mother Nature stepped. So, when the Wings drafted Datsyuk, in the 6^th round (171^st overall) of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Andersson was the only NHL scout who had seen him play. Datsyuk was quickly labeled another Red Wings “late round gem” and he certainly lived up to the billing. Mentored by Igor Larionov as a rookie, Datsyuk became Larionov’s shadow and credits him with being his biggest influence on making him into an NHL player. But it was a game early in his rookie season in Los Angles, where he gained the confidence and learned how to become a premier NHL player. Datsyuk turned the puck over in the third period, allowing the Kings to tie up the game. In overtime, Ziggy Palffy intercepted his pass intended for Larionov and scored the game winning goal. After the game, an angry Datsyuk took his seat on the bus next to Larionov and was expecting to be told how badly he played. Except there was quiet. Nobody said a word, which puzzled him. Datsyuk finally asked Larionov why nobody had brought up his terrible game. Larionov told him to forget about it, move on and think about the next game; that’s what the other players were doing. On the spot, Datsyuk abandoned his Russian mindset and discovered in the NHL you learn from your mistakes, but you move on and leave them behind you. That one incident was the catalyst to his storied career. Considered one of the most skilled two-way players of all time - with a wicked sense of humor - his list of accomplishments is lengthy and impressive. Nicknamed, the “Magic Man,” because of his elite level of stickhandling, creativity, puck-thievery and defensive stick work, coupled with a high hockey IQ, Datsyuk routinely made the opposition look foolish whether he was stealing the puck or deking a goalie. His crafty play and nifty moves catapulted him to lead the NHL in takeaways four times between 2006 and 2013. He holds the NHL record for most takeaways in a season with 144, set in 2007-08 and is second in NHL history in career takeaways with 1,134 in just 953 games played. Among his countless accolades, Datsyuk won three consecutive Selke Trophies (2008-10), four consecutive Lady Byng Trophies (2006-2009) and was named one of the 100 Greatest Players of All-Time in 2017 as part of the NHL’s Centennial celebration. In 2024, Pavel Datsyuk was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He dedicated his induction to his late parents for teaching him the values of hard work and sacrifice.  

Detroit Career totals: 2001-2016

GP-953 G-314 A-604 PTS-918 PIM-228 GWG-51

Right Wing

Detroit Red Wings (2011-2019)

When Gustav Nyquist was not drafted in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, he thought his chances of becoming an NHL player took a major setback. It was his first year of draft eligibility and once he was passed over, he didn’t have high hopes he’d be selected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.  He was so convinced, he didn’t watch the 2008 draft and had no idea the Red Wings selected him in the fourth round, 121^st overall, until he received a call from Haken Andersson. It was a call Andersson was relieved to make, because not drafting Nyquist in 2007 didn’t sit well with the Wings super scout. “He actually had a hell of a year (in 2007),” recalled Anderrsson. “He was small when he played junior in Sweden. He had a good year in terms of points. I kind of regretted it (not drafting him).” After being drafted, Nyquist left his Swedish junior team (Malmo Redhawks) to play college hockey for the Maine Black Bears. Nyquist had an exceptional collegiate career; in 113 games he amassed 144 points (50-94-144). During his- sophomore season (2009-10) Nyquist led the NCAA in scoring with 61 points and was the National Assist Leader with 42. He was also, runner-up for the Hobey Baker Award to Wisconsin’s Blake Geoffrion. After his junior year, Nyquist left Maine and joined the Grand Rapids Griffins for the remainder of their season. From 2011-12 through 2012-13, he appeared in 40 games for Detroit (40-4-9-13), but played mostly for the Griffins, putting up 118 points in 114 games. It was during the 2013-14 when the 24-year-old Nyquist established himself as a regular in the Red Wings lineup. He had 48 points in 57 games, which tied him with Henrik Zetterberg for second on the team in scoring, he was also second with a +16 and led the Wings in GWGs with 6. Nyquist was the youngest Wing to lead Detroit in GWGs since 24-year-old Sergei Fedorov, notched 10 in the 1993-94 season.  Known as an extremely intelligent player, his high hockey IQ allows Nyquist to be a versatile, consistent and creative on-ice force with slick playmaking ability. He relies on his “heady” style of play instead of a speed or power game, which frustrates opponants.  A deft passer with dynamic puck-possession skills, Nyquist is effective in all situations. Whether it’s five-on-five, power play or penalty kill, his versatility makes him a valuable asset. With the Wings in a major rebuild and needing to acquire draft picks, Nyquist was dealt to the San Jose Sharks on February 24, 2019, for a 2^nd round pick in the 2019 Entry Draft and a 3^rd round conditional pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Being a Red Wing for eight seasons has Nyquist forever etched in the collective memory banks of most Detroit fans, however, Nyquist is also known internationally thanks to Windsor, Ont. native and Thoroughbred Racehorse owner, J. Paul Reddam. The Canadian businessman is a gigantic Red Wings fan, who has named several of his racehorses after Detroit players. In 2016, his Thoroughbred, “Nyquist,” won the Kentucky Derby, the most famous horserace in the United States and one of the most prestigious horseraces in the world. Suddenly, Nyquist became a household name! “It gets brought up a little bit more than you’d think,” Nyquist said. “Depending on where you’re at, a lot of horse fans. It’s bigger than you’d think. It’s funny. (Paul) named a lot of his horses after Red Wings players and mine just happened to turn out to be really good.”  So did the hockey player.

Detroit Career totals: 2011-2019

GP-481 G-125 A-170 PTS-295 PIM-124 GWG-19

Defensemen

Detroit Red Wings (1991 – 2012)

Today, it’s difficult to imagine when he was 18 years old, Nicklas Lidstrom was passed over in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. As a European player, he wasn’t taken in the first three rounds of the draft, so the rule was he had to wait another year before a team could select the talented but skinny teenager. A self-proclaimed late bloomer, Lidstrom realized he needed to become stronger if he was going to make it in the NHL. He spent the next year perfecting his game and building up his body while playing for the Swedish National Junior team and his hometown team Vasteras, in the Eliterien (Swedish Hockey League). A year later, 19-year-old, Lidstrom was taken by the Red Wings in the third round, 53^rd overall in the 1989 Entry Draft.  Lidstrom remained in Sweden for the next two years before making his Red Wings debut on October 3, 1991, in Chicago, a 3-3 overtime tie versus the Blackhawks. A rookie campaign where he finished with 60 points - 11 goals and 49 assists - was truly just the beginning of Lidstrom’s Hall of Fame career. In 20 seasons, Lidstrom won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman seven times, a feat more remarkable when you consider he didn’t win his first Norris until he was 30 years old. He was named to the NHL’S first All-Star team 10 times and the league’s second All-Star team twice. In 2002, Lidstrom won the Conn Smyth Trophy as the Playoffs MVP and in 2008, he became the first European-born captain to win the Stanley Cup. The Hockey News named Lidstrom the Best European-trained player ever. When he retired in 2012, Lidstrom was an astounding +450 and holds many regular season and playoff records for a Detroit defenseman including most games played, most goals, most assists, and most points. On March 6, 2014, the Detroit Red Wings retired Nicklas Lidstrom’s number 5.                            

Detroit career totals: 1991-2012

GP- 1564 G- 264 A-878 PTS -1142 PIM-514 GWG-35

Defensemen

Detroit Red Wings (2003 – 2019)

During the Detroit Red Wings illustrious history, not many players have made the on-ice impact of Niklas Kronwall. Considered one of the most feared open ice hitters of his generation, Kronwall’s back-peddling style of body checking would flatten opponents; leaving them dazed, extremely confused and in a tremendous amount of pain - much to the delight of the Detroit faithful. Fans were so eager to see Kronwall delivered one of his bone crushing body blows, the phrase “being Krownwalled” would be became part of every Red Wings fans vocabulary as a tribute to his devastating body checks. “I’ve always enjoyed that part of the game because hockey is a physical sport,” Kronwall said. “You hit and you get hit. That’s just the way the game is supposed to be played. It’s all timing. It really doesn’t matter how big guys are, if you have the right timing, it’s not going to be an issue. I think people in the media probably made more of it than it was. Because if you think about it, it wasn’t like it was every game. It wasn’t that many a year.” Kronwall’s fearless style contributed to a rash of injuries, which plagued him throughout his career, especially early on. Despite a broken leg, a fractured sacrum, a torn ACL and losing a slice of his nose, Kronwall always played the rough and tumble game. His commitment to get back on the ice led him to undergo stem cell therapy in 2017, to help alleviate the pain of his chronically injured (bone-on-bone) left knee. The stem cells did help with his knee pain, but he also knew his time as a player was winding down. On September 3, 2019, Kronwall retired and became a special advisor to GM Steve Yzerman. Currently, he’s in charge of the Wings European Player Development. Kronwall ranks third all-time in games played for a Detroit defenseman (953) and fourth all-time in points (432).  When asked why he constantly played through searing knee pain, Kronwall thoughtfully replied, “I think all the guys that have played for a long time, every single guy is the same in the sense that you have to do what you have to do. Find a way. It’s pretty simple, really. Find a way.”   Kronwall consistently found a way always delivering for his team and the fans.

Detroit Career totals: 2003-2019

GP-953 G-83 A-349 PTS-432 PIM-564 GWG-14

Goalie

Detroit Red Wings (2005 -2020)

On October 5, 2017, the Red Wings played their first-ever regular season game at Little Ceasars Arena, defeating the Minnesota Wild 4-2. The historic game was significant for starting goaltender, Jimmy Howard, who notched the 200^th victory of his Wings career, making him the third goalie in Detroit history - behind Terry Sawchuk and Chris Osgood – to reach the 200-win plateau. When asked what the milestone met to him, Howard quickly and tersely replied, “It should have been sooner.” The response was met with a laugh and Howard reiterated, “No, I’m serious, it should have been sooner.”  It’s easy to understand Howard’s perspective. From the 2005-06 season through the 2008-09 season, Howard was in Grand Rapids learning the pro game and appeared in only nine games for the Red Wings. He became Detroit’s number one netminder in 2009-10 and for next three seasons, he appeared in 183 games, with and overall record of 109 – 49 -19, with 11 shutouts, a 2.39 GAA, and a .917 SV%. However, it took another five full seasons for Howard to reach his 200^th career victory, which he found unacceptable. Yet, in those five seasons, he missed 64 games due to injury, had to battle for the net with Petr Mrazek and Detroit was also in the slow process of a major rebuild.  When he began his career, Howard was a butterfly-style goalie who was considered technically sound, with outstanding balance and a strong skater. Later in his career, he reinvented himself, playing deeper in the crease to improve his reaction time, which allowed him to better track the puck and focus on reading the plays. He often said he job was “making saves for the guys,” and once his 14-year Wings career was over, Howard faced more shots (15,313) and made more saves (13,970) than any other netminder in Red Wings history. He’s also among Detroit’s all-time career leaders in many goaltending categories, including third in total victories (246), third in SV% (.912), fourth in shutouts (24) and third in overall in minutes played (30,757). The sentiment has always been, “it’s tough to follow a legend.” In Howard’s case he followed two legends in Detroit, Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek. It wasn’t always easy, but in the end, Howard established his own place in Detroit’s goaltending hierarchy.    

Detroit Career totals: 2005-2020  

GP-543 W-246 L-196 T/0-70 GAA-2.62 SO-24