Let's face it; the city of Detroit is bleeding like a stab wound (both economically and literally) and could use a little pick-me-up, something to stop the bleeding.

In case you have never seen a sports movie; when the going gets tough and the townspeople get down on their luck, the factories shut down, and the houses get foreclosed, it's the sports teams that pull through to raise the spirit. Thanks to Johan Franzen and the Wings, Detroiters have a little something to live for these days, as another cup looks plausible.

Unfortunately, despite the 'Hockeytown" moniker, Detroit needs a true hero to pick up the collective morale. Thus, given our penchant for the making of lists, let's go back through the annals of time (or at least our childhoods) and look at the great beloved Detroit sports personas of all time.

1) Steve Yzerman - Yzerman is and always will be the embodiment of Detroit. Stevie "Y" led Hockeytown to the Cups, played every single game of his pro career with the Wings, and played an inspired pro career spanning 24 years. To cap it off, the NHL fans voted Stevie the NHL's greatest captain. Damn straight.

2) Barry Sanders - Undeniably the biggest star ever to play a sport in Detroit and by far the most beloved, Barry exhibited the sportsmanship, the skill, and the swerve to inspire legions of youngsters to wear #20. Unfortunately, he now sits at number two on the list as he ended his career with a big diss of his franchise, but still, he never did play for any other town or ask to be traded. He just walked away when he'd seen enough. And can you blame him, it's the Lions? We'll always love him and know he'll always be the best.

3) Joe Dumars - Growing up a Pistons fan in the Bad Boys heyday, most kids sported Isiah jerseys or the savvier, hipster kids rocked a Worm jersey, because that was when Rodman was still cool and wore the shortest shorts in the NBA. Everybody appreciated Dumars for his smart reliable play and marksmanship from behind the arc, but rarely did he steal the highlight reel. Still, when MJ came to town, guess who would shut him down? When the Pistons needed a big game, guess who dropped 40 and gave the net a nasty case of leather burn? And when the Pistons franchise was stuck in expansion team blue uniforms with "horsepower" logo, guess who came into the front office to right the ship and win one more title? Yup, Joe D.

Ok fine: The jury is still out on his career as the GM. We forgive you for Darko, but you've gotta rebuild the engine from the bottom up to usher in a new era of DETROIT BASKETBALL. Our tip, hold off on spending until next season. I fear Carlos Boozer signs for a max deal and sits half the season with a swollen ego, er knee.

4) Chauncey Billups - Nobody is singing Cinderella in Detroit about the Billups-Iverson trade this year, believe me. Us Detroit fans knew we had a special player. Don't believe me, check out this old post where we rallied all the Detroit blog friends we could round up to sing our praises and try to convince Mr. Big Shot to stay put the last time the trade rumors surfaced. Go win a championship in Denver, Chauncey. You deserve it.

5) Robocop - Technically not a professional athlete, but he gave his all to the mean streets of Detroit. Plus, Murphy was a specimen. He ran a blazing "40" and could have gone pro in any number of sports, but rather chose to devote his life to putting criminals behind bars. He will always be revered in Detroit. "Dead or Alive...you're coming with me."

6) Sparky Anderson - "Bless you Boys." The lovable manager by the name of Sparky assembled the team that changed the world for my generation of Detroit sports fans (the '84 Tigers). While Sparky arguably experienced his best years as a Cincinnati Red in the 1970s, his cartoonish face and World Series crown earn him an easy place on the list. Plus, he shares a nickname with Clark Griswold.

7) Bill Laimbeer - Despite winning multiple titles with the Pistons and leading the orchestra of the Shock for however many more, Laimbeer stuck fear into his opponents. Make no mistake, people claim to have hated Laimbeer and made fun of his white boy gumpy style, but they were scared. Laimbeer was the enforcer on that team and taught Detroit that we like teams to hate us. Bring it on.

8) Nicklas Lidstrom - Arguably the best NHL defenseman of the past twenty years, Nik also lasted his entire career in Detroit. Nicklas is best summed up by looking at his assists, 769 total. He was nominated for the Norris nine out of the past ten seasons and winning six of the past seven. Yeah, he's pretty good. More importantly though, Lidstrom is a team player. Never the biggest guy weighing in at just 190 pounds, Lidstrom racks up endless minutes and plays through pain, missing just 17 games in 13 seasons. Not too many guys stick to the same team for their whole careers, so when a star like Lidstrom comes to town and stays for good, we should all be thanking our lucky stars.

9) Herman Moore - A personal favorite in Lions history, Herman Moore (before the hand injury) was one of the great - and most underrated - wide receivers in NFL history. You can't always measure the impact of a guy like Moore on a stat sheet. Oh wait nevermind, he once caught 123 balls in a single season (an NFL record at the time). He also tallied three 100+ catch seasons and notched 62 touchdowns. Herm dominated the red zone, perfecting the corner toss up and is largely responsible for the popularity of the huge wide receiver. Catching a touchdown pass for Herman Moore was more about dominating his opponent and getting position, rather than making an athletic diving grab. It didn't hurt that he also set the University of Virginia record for the high jump. I used to wonder if his gloves were smothered in Big League Chew, because the ball just stuck to those hands. Once Herman got near the corner and the ball left the QB's hands (even if it was Scott Mitchell, Eric Kramer, Dave Krieg, or Rodney Peete), you could mark six on your score sheet. God Bless Wayne's Run and Shoot.

10) Kirk Gibson - A former MSU Spartan and duel sports star, Gibby ruled the world back in the day. ****, we all felt like he hit that homerun and gimped around the bases for Detroit in the 88 World Series, not the Dodgers. He was still a part of us.

Honorable Mentions: Ben Wallace, Allan Trammel, Lou Whitaker, Paul and Gary Gait, Jerry Ball, Chet Lemon, Jack Morris, Darrell Evans, Dave Bergman, and Darren McCarty.

Oh yeah, feel free to chat up all those that we missed. We are only human.Subscribe to us