Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff weighed in on the Red Wings’ next potential retired numbers this morning, and this afternoon, MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses the same topic:
It figures to be Pavel Datsyuk’s 13 or Henrik Zetterberg’s 40, perhaps both together, which would seem fitting. Each spent his entire NHL career in Detroit, and their careers overlapped considerably – Datsyuk from 2001-02 to 2015-16 and Zetterberg from 2002-03 to 2017-18, and their statistics are similar.
Datsyuk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024, his first year of eligibility. All nine Red Wings who’ve had their numbers retired, including Fedorov, are in the Hall. Zetterberg has not yet been selected to the Hall of Fame but appears to have a good chance.
Zetterberg ranks sixth in games (1,082) and fifth in goals (337), assists (623) and points (960) in franchise history. Datsyuk ranks ninth in games (953), eighth in goals (314), sixth in assists (604) and seventh in points (918) among Red Wings.
Both were top-notch defensive players; Datsyuk won the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward three times (from 2008 to 2010).
Goaltender Chris Osgood’s No. 30 is another jersey the franchise might consider retiring. Osgood ranks second to Sawchuk in games (565) and wins (317 of his 401) in club history. He won two Stanley Cups as a starter (1998 and 2008) and another as a back-up (1997).
Continued (paywall); I’m still a big believer in a “Ring of Honor” or Red Wings Hall of Fame to give players who were important to the franchise but aren’t quite headed to the rafters.
