The Detroit Free Press’s Gene Myers wrote an incredibly long obituary of Red Wings legend Alex Delvecchio, who passed away yesterday at 93 years of age. We’ll start at the end:
On Nov. 10, 1991, in a 20-minute ceremony at Joe Louis Arena, [Jimmy] Carson, switching to No. 12, presented a No. 10 sweater to Delvecchio and captain Steve Yzerman presented a No. 7 sweater to Lindsay. Then banners bearing their names and numbers were unveiled and raised alongside Howe’s No. 9. The Free Press called it “an eye-dabbing double hanging.”
“This is a tremendous honor,” Delvecchio said at the podium with his family.
“What really counts,” Lindsay said, “is who we’re hung with — the greatest athlete in any sport that I’ve ever seen.”
The essence of Delvecchio’s Lady Byng-like life played out on Oct. 16, 2008, when his statue was unveiled at Joe Louis Arena.
Two nights later, when Lindsay’s statue was revealed, the colorful character known as Terrible Ted was front and center with statements like: “The one thing I love about my statue, it’s indoors. The pigeons are not going to get a chance to get at it.”
The even-keel, nice guy known as “Fats,” surrounded by family, friends and former teammates, said in a humble, straightforward fashion: “I had a lot of help from Gordie and Teddy. Get the puck to them and they’ll get the job done.”
He relished the work created by Israeli-born artist Omri Amrany, who also did the Tigers’ statues at Comerica Park and Michael Jordan’s in Chicago.
“Looks great,” Delvecchio said. “He did a hell of a job. Just to be here — doesn’t matter if it looks like anything. But it does look good.”
Continued; Myers also wrote a secondary article on Delvecchio, and he debates which Detroit sports franchises qualify as dynasties, too.
