The Detroit Free Press has been examining the first 25 years of the 21st century in Detroit sports recently, discussing the all-star teams for the Tigers, Lions (offense and defense), Pistons, Michigan State University’s basketball and football teams (offense and defense), the University of Michigan’s basketball and football teams (offense and defense), and yet, the Detroit Red Wings’ “All-21st Century Team” as well.
Today, the Free Press’s Christian Romo was tasked with naming the “All-21st Century Team” for each and every one of Detroit’s four big sports teams (and the Michigan State and Michigan varsity basketball and football teams), and here are the Red Wings on his list:
First, Darren McCarty earned an honorable mention…
Darren McCarty (Red Wings, 1993-2004, 2007-09)
A four-time Stanley Cup winner and longtime enforcer for the Red Wings, McCarty is probably best known for his role during Fight Night at the Joe on March 26, 1997, where he forced Colorado Avalanche winger Claude Lemieux to “turtle” on the ice during a fight. (He also scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in Game 4 of the Finals that season.) But that’s so last century.
Nowadays, McCarty may be better known for his celebrity status around Detroit, with his involvement in the local wrestling scene and television commercials maintaining his popularity in the city.
Jimmy Howard and Dylan Larkin just made the cut…
24. Jimmy Howard (Red Wings, 2005-20)
Howard doesn’t have the same hardware as many of his former teammates, finishing in the top 10 in Vezina Trophy voting only twice (eighth in 2010, sixth in 2013) and minding the net in only two All-Star Games (2012, 2019). But his longevity makes him a Red Wings mainstay during must of their 25-season playoff streak.
Don’t sleep on his stats, either. Howard has more saves than any goalie in franchise history and also is third in wins (246) and games played (543), behind franchise legends Terry Sawchuck and Chris Osgood on both lists. His career save percentage (.912) is the highest of any Red Wings goalie with more than 200 games played, though he never played a big role on a Stanley Cup-winning team (not appearing in the playoffs during the 2007-08 championship season, his second in the NHL) and had a rough final season, with losses in his final 20 games as a Wing.
22. Dylan Larkin (Red Wings, 2015-25)
Born in Waterford, Michigan, the Red Wings captain has spent virtually his entire hockey career in the metro Detroit area (with his farthest excursions a one-year stint at Michigan, followed by six AHL playoff games with the Grand Rapids Griffins on the other side of the state). And though his time with the Red Wings hasn’t included much team success – their most recent playoff season, 2016, was his rookie campaign – he has risen as the undisputed face of the franchise.
Larkin has recently been a primary offensive force for the Red Wings, scoring at least 30 goals in each of the past four seasons. If he scores another 30 in the upcoming season, he’ll pass Nicklas Lidström to become one of the top 10 goal scorers in franchise history. At not even 30 years old (and signed through the 2030-31 season), Larkin has plenty of time to keep climbing the storied franchise’s decorated leaderboards.
No Wings made the 20-to-16 list, or the 15-11 list, but the Eurotwins crack the top 10…
10. Henrik Zetterberg (Red Wings, 2002-18)
It’s possible Zetterberg is an even bigger deal in Sweden, where he, Nicklas Lidström, Tomas Holmstrom, Mikael Samuelsson and Niklas Kronwall helped Sweden win just its second Olympic ice hockey gold ever at the 2006 Turin Games.
But he was a pretty big deal in Detroit, too.
Zetterberg played all 15 of his NHL seasons with the Red Wings, ranking fifth in career points (960), fifth in goals (337) and sixth in games played (1,082) for the franchise. (All those totals are also highs for the 21st century, despite being retired for seven years.) He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2008 as Stanley Cup playoffs MVP as he led the Red Wings to their most recent title.
8. Pavel Datsyuk (Red Wings, 2001-16)
“The Magic Man” certainly lived up to his reputation as one of the most spectacular players in Red Wings history. Datsyuk was an all-around star for the Red Wings, scoring at least 25 goals in half of his seasons with Detroit and winning the Selke Award (as the NHL’s top defensive forward) in three straight years (2008, 2009, 2010).
Those seasons marked a high point for Datsyuk, as he played a key role on Wings squads teams that made the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years (2008-09). Internationally, he also represented a Russian team that won a world championship in 2012 and Olympic gold in 2018, becoming one of 30 players in NHL history with both medals plus a Cup. Soon after he returned to Russia to play in the KHL, Datsyuk was named one of the 100 greatest players in NHL history during the league’s centennial celebration in 2017.
And while that’s certainly a big achievement, there is one more Red Wing on this list we haven’t gotten to yet.
And finally, the Perfect Human comes in just behind Miguel Cabrera in the top 5:
2. Nicklas Lidström (Red Wings, 1991-2012)
It’s a testament to Lidström’s virtual perfection that only the back half of his career we’re considering in this century still qualifies as one of the greatest runs for any Detroit athlete in the 21st century. But could you expect anything less from The Perfect Human?
One of the greatest defensemen of all time, Lidström’s career is overflowing with accomplishments: four Stanley Cups, 11 All-Star games, seven Norris Trophies, a Conn Smythe Trophy during the Red Wings’ 2001-02 Stanley Cup-winning season (the first true European to win the award) and, of course, the most perfect nickname in hockey history. Lidström was so good for so long that he made All-Star teams in three different decades and won his last Norris Trophy at age 40 – in 2011, a year before his retirement.
His greatness also blazed a trail for European hockey players today. After his Conn Smthye win, Lidström became the first European-trained player to captain a team to a Stanley Cup win and the first European to play in 1,500 NHL games. As a Hall of Famer, a member of the NHL’s 100th anniversary team and a bona fide Red Wings legend, he easily qualifies among the top three best Detroit athletes of the 21st century.
Given that Romo had to pick from eight teams’ worth of players (Tigers, Lions, Pistons, Michigan State basketball, Michigan State football, U of M basketball, U of M football and the Red Wings), I think that the Red Wings earning a fifth of the list is pretty fair.
I’m not certain whether I would have included Jimmy Howard on the list–I might have gone with a certain member of the Grind Line who wore #33 instead–but all in all, I’ve got no complaints with Romo’s list.
I will say this: along with #91, I believe that numbers 40 and 13 should be retired by the Red Wings….
And I would love to see the Grind Line (all four members thereof), Tomas Holmstrom and Chris Chelios be named the first inductees to the Detroit Red Wings Hall of Fame, which the Red Wings desperately need to honor their players that don’t quite make the rafters.
I don’t understand why the Red Wings have yet to honor their illustrious history of players from Mickey Redmond (for both his on and off-ice contributions) to Chris Osgood with enough theme nights to stuff a full season’s worth of honors.
While there is a Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association, I don’t think that being named an Alum alone is enough given the Red Wings’ list of players so very good-to-excellent that they just don’t make the cut in terms of their numbers going up high above Little Caesars Arena’s ice surface.
From both a marketing perspective and, more importantly, a recognition perspective, the Red Wings need to address their “Hall of Very, Very Good” as well as their all-time greats.
All of Kris Draper, McCarty, Kirk Maltby and Holmstrom won 4 Stanley Cups with Detroit (they’re all in the 4-Cup Club with Nicklas Lidstrom), for example, and that counts for something, and Chelios may be back in Chicago, reveling in his status as an All-Time Blackhawk, but the best moments of his career happened with Detroit.
Raise them up. If not to the rafters (I’d love to see a Grind Line banner), at least into a place that will permanently honor their contributions to the Winged Wheel over the team’s history.
I will say this: along with #91, I believe that numbers 40 and 13 should be retired by the Red Wings….
I’ve heard some rumblings that all three numbers will be retired soon. We’ll have to wait and see, but it seems to be coming from a reliable source.
As far as the list goes, no way you put Miguel Cabrera over Lidstrom for #1. Nick won 7 Norris Trophies, Conn Smythe and 2 Stanley Cups (one as captain) that could’ve been 3 with a game 7 loss. Miguel had the triple crown, 2 MVPs but had only 1 World Series appearance here where the Tigers got swept. Not even close if you ask me… then again this is coming from the Detroit sports media who would put Goff at the top of the list if the Lions just make a Super Bowl.