10 Greatest Detroit Red Wings Players of All Time

To do one better than Zetterberg, we’ll say this: The Red Wings made the playoffs every season of Datsyuk’s career and after the first year he retired, they didn’t and haven’t since.

He played all 14 of his NHL seasons with the Red Wings, winning two Cups, four Lady Byng Trophies and three Selke Trophies, and was a staple on highlight shows for his ridiculous puck skills.

8. Ted Lindsay (1944-57, 1964-65)

The Ted Lindsay Award is given to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted on by the players. That should tell you something about how well-regarded he was during his days from 1944 to 1960 (plus a comeback season in 1964-65). With four Stanley Cup wins during his stint, Lindsay is a Red Wings icon.

7. Red Kelly (1947-1960)

Kelly played most of his career with the Wings alongside Lindsay, albeit from the back as a defenseman.

He won four Lady Byngs, a Norris Trophy and eight Stanley Cups, four of which came with Detroit and another four with Toronto after he drew the ire of Wings general manager Jack Adams in 1960. No player in NHL history has more Cups as a player who never played for the Canadiens.

6. Sergei Fedorov (1990-2003)

Injuries stymied a handful of Fedorov’s 13 seasons with the Red Wings from the 90s into the early 2000s and he was still one of the most feared players in the league.

His best season came in 1993-94 when he captured the Hart Trophy as the NHL Most Valuable Player, the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward and the Pearson Award (later named the Lindsay Award). For good measure, he captured three Stanley Cups, too.

MORE: Detroit Red Wings’ Best and Worst Coaches in History

5. Terry Sawchuk (1949-64, 1968-69)

Sawchuk is the best goalie in Detroit history and it isn’t even close. He won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, four Cups and four Vezinas in his 21-year career, 14 of which came with the Wings. With 350 wins with the franchise, he’s 33 ahead of the next closest player, Chris Osgood.

4. Alex Delvecchio (1950-1974)

Twenty-four NHL seasons, all with Detroit. C’mon. That’s crazy. Delvecchio started his career with the Red Wings as an 18-year-old in 1950 and didn’t call it a career until 1974.

Only three players in NHL history have played at least 1,500 games with one franchise and, incidentally, they’re the next two players on this list. And if you want numbers, how about 1,281 points in those 1,550 games?

3. Nicklas Lidstrom (1991-2012)

Only one player in NHL history has more Norris Trophies than Lidstrom. He captured seven, including three in a row twice, over an extraordinary 20-year career played entirely with the Red Wings.

Lidstrom is on the short list of the greatest defensemen to ever play the game, having also earned 12 All-Star selections and winning four Stanley Cups from 1991 to 2012.

2. Steve Yzerman (1983-2006)

Yzerman earned the Red Wings’ captaincy in his fourth season and held it for 18 seasons, setting the standard for Detroit leaders in the process.

While he never had a single season as the greatest player in the sport, he finished in the top 10 of Hart Trophy voting six times and won a Lindsay Award, a Selke Trophy and a Conn Smythe to go along with three Cups.

He later served as the team’s general manager from 2019 to July 2026.

1. Gordie Howe (1946-1971)

To some, Howe is the best player to ever lace up the skates. With six Ross Trophies, six Harts, 21 All-Star appearances and four Cups, it’s an argument that’s hard to top. Howe could skate, score, pass, fight.

He played an amazing 26 years in the NHL and another six in the WHA. In his truly final NHL season, as a 51-year-old, in 1979-80, Howe scored 42 points in 80 games. Just incredible.