11 Best Detroit Red Wings Players of All Time

The Detroit Red Wings are undoubtedly one of the most successful franchises in North American sports. 

Only the Montreal Canadiens have won more Stanley Cups than the Red Wings, and only three teams (the Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, and Pittsburgh Penguins) have hoisted the cup more than Detroit since the NHL first expanded in 1967.

With so many successful seasons, it wasn’t easy to whittle down this list to the 11 greatest Red Wings players of all time.

Take a look below.

11 Best Detroit Red Wings Players of All Time

11 Greatest Red Wings of All Time

1. Gordie Howe

You can argue that Gordie Howe was the first face of the NHL. Heck, there’s a reason he’s dubbed “Mr. Hockey.”

Howe’s career defies belief. He played in the NHL in five decades, tallied 1,850 points (good enough for fourth all-time), and is the franchise record-holder in points, games played and goals.

The numbers speak for themselves, but Howe’s impact on the NHL and, more specifically, the city of Detroit can still be felt today. There will only ever be one “Mr. Hockey.”

2. Steve Yzerman

It’s hard to believe for fans who came of age in the 1990s when the team was always near the top of the Stanley Cup odds, but there was a time when the Detroit Red Wings suffered through a 42-year Stanley Cup drought.

The player who gets the most credit – and deservedly so – for ending that drought is Steve Yzerman.Yzerman was the fourth pick of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, and it only took three years to become the youngest captain in franchise history. 

It turned out to be a great decision. Yzerman posted massive numbers through the prime of his career and ticked every box you look for in a leader. 

Yzerman would deliver on his promise to bring Lord Stanley back to MoTown in 1997 and was centre stage as the Red Wings dominated the NHL in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Stevie Y holds the record for most assists in franchise history and trails only Howe in goals and points.

3. Nicklas Lidstron

If the NHL was ever to rename the Norris Trophy for a defenseman in the modern era, the smart money would be on it being dubbed “The Nicklas Lidstrom Trophy.”

That’s because the silky Swede won the award seven times in his career – including as a 41-year-old in 2012 – and holds a myriad of NHL records. 

Perhaps none more impressive than the fact that no player has skated in more regular-season wins (900) than Lidstrom.

4. Ted Lindsay

Sometimes, numbers do the talking in sports. Other times, it’s the story that knocks you off your feet.

Standing 5-foot-8 and playing in an era defined by rough, physical play, “Terrible Ted” defied the odds to become one of the most influential players of his era – both on and off the ice.

Lindsay’s on-ice accomplishments included four Stanley Cups and an Art Ross Trophy as a member of the “Production Line” with Howe and Sid Abel, but it was his pioneering efforts to create a union for NHL players that made him one of the most important figures in the history of the sport.

5. Pavel Datsyuk

The Red Wings had several Russian stars come through their ranks, but none were more elegant and consistent than Pavel Datsyuk.

A sixth-round draft pick, Datsyuk rose to prominence in 2003 and never looked back. 

Although he is best known for his silky playmaking abilities (hence his “Magic Man” nickname), Datsyuk was also an elite defensive forward and won the Frank J. Selke Trophy three times for his two-way acumen.

6. Alex Delvecchio

A symbol of longevity and consistency from a bygone era, Alex “Fats” Delvecchio played his entire 24-season NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings.

Only Howe and Yzerman played more games and amassed more points than Delvecchio did in Detroit.

7. Terry Sawchuk

The owner of one of the great “hockey names,” Terry Sawchuk backstopped the Red Wings to more wins (350) than any other netminder. 

Sawchuk’s Hall of Fame numbers speak for themselves, but he may be best remembered for his feature in Life Magazine when a make-up artist drew stitches and scars on his face to show all the injuries he sustained over his career. 

The artist allegedly ran out of room.

8. Henrik Zetterberg

Another late-round draft pick, Henrik Zetterberg combined with Pavel Datsyuk to give the Red Wings one of the best 1-2 punches in the league during the 2000s.

Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy when Detroit won the Stanley Cup in 2008, and his 960 points are fifth in franchise history.

9. Sid Abel

An early icon for the Detroit Red Wings, Sid Abel also had one of the best monikers in the history of the NHL. The man dubbed “Old Bootnose” had two successful stints with the Wings as a player and coached the club from 1957 to 1970. 

Abel was a three-time Stanley Cup champion and won the Hart Trophy during his illustrious career.

10. Sergei Fedorov

The NHL marketed itself as “The coolest game on earth” in the 1990s, and you could argue that Sergei Fedorov was the poster boy for the slogan.

A fast, dynamic player with long, flowing locks, Fedorov was everything great about sports in the 1990s, right down to his skillset.

Fedorov won the Hart Trophy in 1994 and twice eclipsed the 100-point mark with the Red Wings during an era that saw scoring plummet. 

The Fedorov-Yzerman-Lidstrom Red Wings were always near the top of the hockey odds to win the Stanley Cup.

11. Red Kelly

A precursor to Lidstrom, Red Kelly was a rock for the Red Wings on their blueline during one of the club’s most successful eras. 

The Red Wings would win four Stanley Cups and eight Presidents’ Trophies during Kelly’s 12-year stint.

Kelly would eventually get into politics – while still actively playing in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs.