100 Greatest Detroit Red Wings of All-Time

Today, we’ll take a look at the top 100 Red Wings of all time. The rankings are based on contributions to the franchise—both offensive and defensive—with preferences for longevity and impact on overall team success. Let’s dive in.

Top 100 Red Wings of All-Time

Of the 973 players to suit up for the Red Wings, these 100 had the greatest impact on the franchise. 

1. RW Gordie Howe – Four-time Stanley Cup champion and top-five NHLer of all-time; face of the Red Wings for more than a generation.
2. C Steve Yzerman – Franchise icon and longest-serving captain; led Red Wings to three Stanley Cups.
3. LD Nicklas Lidstrom – One of the best defensemen of all-time and four-time Stanley Cup winner. 
4. G Terry Sawchuk – Best goalie in NHL history until Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy arrived.
5. C Alex Delvecchio – Hall-of-Famer who ranks third in points with the franchise; three-time Stanley Cup winner.
6. C Sergei Fedorov – The next Red Wing to have his number retired; all-world talent and three-time Stanley Cup winner. 
7. LW Ted Lindsay – Leader of men and four-time Stanley Cup winner; absolute nightmare to play against.
8. LD Red Kelly – Underappreciated today, but critical figure on elite 1950s teams; number retired in 2019.
9. C Henrik Zetterberg – Two-way force, captain, and Stanley Cup winner.
10. C Pavel Datsyuk – Creator of magic, two Stanley Cups, and a lifetime of highlight-reel plays.
11. C Sid Abel – Captain paused career to serve in WWII; centered the famed Production Line. 
12. LW Brendan Shanahan – Elite power-forward and three-time champion; 10th all-time in points. 
13. LD Marcel Pronovost – Stalwart blueliner was key figure on four Stanley Cup teams; ranks eighth in franchise history for games played.
14. C Norm Ullman – Eighth all-time in scoring; missed 1950s Stanley Cup window by a season, but helped Detroit reach five finals thereafter.
15. RW Larry Aurie – First Red Wing to have number (unofficially) retired; won a Stanley Cup in 1936 and was franchise’s first star.
16. RD Reed Larson – Second all-time in scoring among Red Wings defensemen; dependable blueliner with a cannon of a shot.
17. LD Gary Bergman – Two-way blueliner was Detroit’s go-to after Kelly and Pronovost departed; fifth all-time in games played by a Red Wings defenseman.
18. LW Syd Howe – Three-time Stanley Cup winner in the 1930s and 1940s; played 12 seasons in Detroit and still ranks 19th in scoring with the franchise.
19. LD Ebbie Goodfellow – Hall-of-Famer won Hart Trophy in 1940 and two Stanley Cups; played both forward and defense across 11 seasons in Detroit.
20. C Kris Draper – Heart-and-soul Selke winner; part of four championship teams and embodied the hustle of Detroit.
21. LW Tomas Holmstrom – Net-front extraordinaire and four-time Stanley Cup winner; seventh all-time in games played.
22. G Chris Osgood – Three-time Stanley Cup winner reinvented his game mid-career; only goalie to score a goal for the Red Wings.
23. RW Mud Bruneteau – Winger starred alongside Abel, Syd Howe, and Goodfellow in 1930s and 1940s; won three Stanley Cups.
24. RD Vladimir Konstantinov – All-around talent and accomplished bodychecker; career cut short by tragic limo accident in 1997.
25. LW Marty Pavelich – Glue guy and shutdown checker on four 1950s championship teams. 
26. LD Niklas Kronwall – Feared hitter and underrated two-way defenseman.
27. RD Chris Chelios – Gritty warrior patrolled Detroit’s blue line for 10 seasons and contributed to two championship teams.
28. G Roger Crozier – Only Red Wing to win Conn Smythe in a losing effort; last goalie to start every game of a season for Detroit.
29. C Igor Larionov – The Professor completed the Russian Five and helped Detroit to three Stanley Cups in six years.
30. LW Slava Kozlov – Two-time champion ranks 21st in scoring as a Red Wing.
31. C Dylan Larkin – Current Red Wings captain already has 11th-most points with the only franchise he’s ever known.
32. LW John Ogrodnick – Rode shotgun to Steve Yzerman in the 1980s; 13th-place for points as a Red Wing.
33. LW Nick Libett – Consistent, two-way winger was a team leader during 1970s transition years; 15th-most games played and 16th-most points in franchise history.
34. LW Kirk Maltby – Elite penalty killer and shot-blocker; key checking forward on four Stanley Cup teams.
35. LD Jack Stewart – Hard-hitting defensive stalwart was a key cog on two championship teams.
36. RW Darren McCarty – Fan-favorite grinder and fighter; scored several clutch goals en route to four Stanley Cups.
37. C Marcel Dionne – Hall-of-Famer began career in Detroit giving Detroit a true star after Howe retired.
38. RW Mickey Redmond – Detroit’s first 50-goal scorer; short, but impactful stint with Red Wings.
39. RW Gerard Gallant – Scored and fought through the 1980s alongside Yzerman, Ogrodnick, and Bob Probert; ranks 17th in scoring.
40. G Harry Lumley – Netminder backstopped Detroit to 1950 championship; tallied 163 wins across six seasons in Original Six era.
41. LW Herbie Lewis – Dual-threat scorer and playmaker was a critical figure on 1930s teams; won two championships.
42. RW Joe Carveth – Winger notched 0.73 points per game across eight seasons in Detroit; big part of 1943 and 1950 championship teams.
43. LW Bob Probert – Heavyweight champion of Hockeytown beloved by fans and feared by opponents.
44. LW Carl Liscombe – Early goal-scorer from 1930s and 1940s; won one Stanley Cup in nine-year Red Wings career.
45. C Dale McCourt – No. 1 pick in 1977 draft produced 337 points in 341 games with Red Wings; face of franchise during five-year stint.
46. G Dominik Hasek – Hall-of-Famer had short, but highly effective tenure in Hockeytown, including two championships. 
47. RD Moritz Seider – Budding two-way franchise defenseman with a bright future ahead of him. 
48. RW Lucas Raymond – Sniper is Detroit’s next star; his 254 points through four years already rank 40th in franchise history.
49. RW Martin Lapointe – Do-it-all power forward contributed to two Stanley Cup championships.
50. RW Joe Kocur – Fighter became veteran leader on 1997 and 1998 championship teams.
51. C Darren Helm – Speedster and elite penalty killer cut from the same cloth as Draper. 
52. G Mike Vernon – Champion and Conn Smythe winner reached two Stanley Cup Finals in three seasons; contributed to 62-win campaign in other year.
53. RD Larry Murphy – Veteran mentor and excellent partner for Lidstrom; two-time Stanley Cup winner. 
54. G Glenn Hall – Mr. Goalie played two highly effective years in Detroit after proving that he could take the reins from Sawchuk.
55. RW Shawn Burr – Fan-favorite and highly regarded teammate was a dual-threat scorer and fighter in 1980s and early 1990s.
56. C Metro Prystai – Two-time Cup winner was centerpiece in trade that sent Stewart and Lumley to Chicago in 1950.
57. RW Doug Brown – Versatile forward won two Stanley Cups and scored clutch goals alongside Fedorov and Kozlov. 
58. LW Johan Franzen – Power forward with lethal release was key member of post-Yzerman/Shanahan wave of talent; ranks 23rd in franchise scoring.
59. LW Johnny Wilson – Iron man winger and four-time Stanley Cup winner; played vital depth role on 1950s championship teams.
60. C Valtteri Filppula – Two-way center helped win 2008 Stanley Cup; 31st in franchise scoring.
61. LD Warren Godfrey – Ninth-most games played by a defenseman; hard-hitting stay-at-home blueliner spent 12 years in Detroit.
62. RW Bruce MacGregor – Mainstay in the 1960s; speedy forward helped Detroit reach the Stanley Cup Final three times.
63. LW Dan Cleary – Journeyman played vital all-situations role for 2008 champions and throughout his Red Wings tenure.
64. RW Dino Ciccarelli – Scorer and agitator helped Red Wings transition to true Stanley Cup contenders in 1990s; 0.94 points per game in Detroit.
65. LD Paul Coffey – High-flying all-star blueliner helped elevate 1990s Red Wings and aided Lidstrom’s development. 
66. G Normie Smith – Three seasons as a starter; won Stanley Cup during two of them.
67. C Keith Primeau – Hulking forward played six seasons in Detroit and was key contributor in 1995 playoff run and 1995-96 62-win campaign.
68. C Dutch Reibel – Two-time Stanley Cup winner; leading scorer on 1955 championship team.
69. LW Frank Mahovlich – The Big M played parts of four seasons with the Red Wings; scored 49 goals alongside Howe and Delvecchio in 1968-69.
70. G Jimmy Howard – Underappreciated netminder ranks third all-time in wins with the Red Wings.
71. LD Steve Chiasson – Power play quarterback and valued teammate on high-scoring late-1980s and early 1990s teams.
72. RW Brett Hull – Highly effective three-year stint in Detroit, which included major role on Hall-of-Fame 2002 Stanley Cup team.
73. RW Ray Sheppard – 50-goal scorer in 1994 lit the lamp frequently during four-plus seasons in Detroit.
74. C Vaclav Nedomansky – Five productive seasons in Detroit; ranks 41st in team scoring; first Czech to defect and play in NHL.
75. C Gerry Couture – Big-framed center was a strong goal-scorer and key member of 1950 Stanley Cup team.
76. RW Danny Gare – Leader on rebuilding Red Wings team; played with tenacity during five seasons in Detroit.
77. C Dennis Polonich – Fearless, diminutive forward fought and scored for Detroit during 1970s; would have stuck around longer if not for a brutal slash to the face.
78. RD Bob Goldham – Shot-blocking defensive defenseman won three Stanley Cups in the 1950s after Detroit acquired him in Lumley/Stewart trade with Chicago.
79. LW Paul Woods – Excellent skater and penalty killer during seven seasons in Detroit that spanned late-70s and early-80s.
80. RD Brian Rafalski – Complementary blueliner for Lidstrom on 2008 and 2009 teams; registered 204 points in 292 games.
81. LW Gustav Nyquist – Underappreciated two-way winger helped keep Detroit’s playoff streak alive in the later years; ranks 30th in franchise scoring.
82. RW Mikael Samuelsson – Elite shooter played vital depth role on 2008 championship team.
83. RW Petr Klima – Dynamic goal-scorer helped elevate 1980s team out of Dead Wings era.
84. LD Jiri Fischer – Smart, physical blueliner won Cup in 2002 before career was cut short after going into cardiac arrest during a 2005 game.
85. C Glen Skov – Checking center helped shut down opponents en route to three Stanley Cups in the 1950s.
86. LD Bill Quackenbush – Two-way defenseman played seven seasons in Detroit during 1940s; calling card was ability to play well without taking penalties.
87. LD Bill Gadsby – Hall-of-Famer played final five seasons in Detroit; helped Red Wings to three Stanley Cup appearances as go-to defenseman.
88. LD Brad Stuart – Hard-nosed defensive defenseman was missing piece on 2008 championship team.
89. C Adam Oates – Outstanding undrafted free agent began his career in Detroit and developed into top-tier playmaker.
90. C Marty Barry – Leading scorer in three of four 1930s seasons with the Red Wings; two-time Stanley Cup winner.
91. RW Danny Grant – Second 50-goal scorer in franchise history; offensive threat alongside Dionne, Redmond, and Libett in 1970s.
92. LW Tony Leswick – Grinding winger contributed to three Stanley Cup victories in the 1950s.
93. RW Hec Kilrea – Two-time Stanley Cup winner in 1930s; ended career early to serve in WWII.
94. LW Jiri Hudler – Talented winger was member of 2008 Stanley Cup team; similar career production as Goodfellow and Prystai.
95. LW Vic Stasiuk – Depth winger won two Stanley Cups with the Red Wings in the 1950s.
96. G Tim Cheveldae – All-star goalie and part of Detroit’s resurgence in the early 1990s.
97. G Jim Rutherford – First-round pick in the 1969 draft was a dependable goalie during the 1970s and early 1980s.
98. LW Justin Abdelkader – Piano-mover ranks 18th in games played in a Red Wings uniform.
99. RD Mathieu Dandenault – Versatile winger/defenseman was part of three Stanley Cup winners.
100. LD Danny DeKeyser – Undrafted free agent was a reliable blueliner for 10 seasons in Hockeytown.

Final Word

These are the rankings at this point in time. In the future, it would not be surprising to see Seider and Raymond rise higher or for Alex DeBrincat and Simon Edvinsson to be added. But that’s a discussion for another day. For now, there’s plenty to celebrate from the last 100 years of Red Wings hockey.