DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with Red Wings executive Jimmy Devellano and former Wing Nick Libett regarding the legacy of one Alex Delvecchio as Delvecchio turns 90 today:
For Red Wings senior vice president & alternate governor Jim Devellano, one of the people lucky enough to know the man, Delvecchio’s commitment to the team and the city of Detroit is the first thing that should be talked about more.
“Alex was somehow able to never leave Detroit as a player, as a coach, as a general manager and he remains here in Detroit some 70 years later,” Devellano said. “I know no other Red Wings player has ever done that. It’s impossible.”
The Fort William, Ontario, Canada, native spent his entire 24-year regular-season career with the Red Wings and missed just two games between 1957-58 and 1967-68. In Delvecchio’s first four seasons, he helped the Wings capture three Stanley Cups.
During his career, Delvecchio was surrounded, and often overshadowed, by some of the best to ever play the game. As the center on Detroit’s famous “Production Line,” he found himself slotted between wingers Ted Lindsay and “Mr. Hockey,” Gordie Howe.
“He tended to kind of play second fiddle in those days,” Devellano said. “But certainly, he was a very, very gifted player.”
