Ranking the 5 Greatest Olympians in Recent Detroit Red Wings History

The Detroit Red Wings have had some great Olympians over the past two-plus decades, with many of those players going on to be first-ballot inductees into the NHL Hall of Fame as well.

But which players make the top-five list of greatest Red Wings Olympians in recent history?

Here are the top five greatest Red Wings Olympians in recent memory, with a guaranteed surprise at the No. 1 spot.

Recent history in this case is over the past three decades and "greatest" in this case means how much impact did the player have on his team's success in the given Olympics.

All statistics via hockey-reference.com.

Honorable Mention: Sergei Fedorov

KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/Associated Press

Numbers

Fourteen points in 16 games over three different Olympic Games.

Why He Is Here

Fedorov deserves an honorable mention for his efforts over his three Olympics to help Russia end up on the podium twice. 

Fedorov won silver at Nagano in 1998 and took home the bronze at Salt Lake City in 2002. He likely would have played in previous Olympics, but the NHL didn't allow players to play in the Games in 1988, 1992 and 1994.

5. Brian Rafalski

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Numbers

Thirteen points in 17 games over three different Olympic Games.

Why He Is Here

At the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Brian Rafalski helped Team USA do something that it had not done in 50 years. 

That "something" is beat Canada in a hockey game at the Olympics. The last time it had happened, per Amy Shipley of The Washington Post, was 50 years prior at the 1960 Olympic Games.

Rafalski wasn't just on the team, he contributed two first-period goals and added an assist to help secure the 5-3 victory over Canada.

Team USA would go on to lose the gold-medal game to Canada in overtime, but Rafalski secured momentary bragging rights and helped push the Americans further along in their quest to stay near the top of the international hockey world.

4. Brett Hull

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Numbers

Eleven points in 10 games over two different Olympic Games.

Why He Is Here

Brett Hull contributed three goals and five assists in the 2002 Olympic Games to help Team USA clinch their first podium finish since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.

Hull joined forces with Mike Modano and John LeClair to form the tournament's top scoring line, but the USA had to settle for a silver medal on home ice at Salt Lake City.

Anyone who knows anything about international hockey knows how big of a deal that silver medal was, though, as it really marked a turning point in recent success for the Americans in international hockey.

Hull would likely have played in more Olympics, but the NHL didn't send players to the 1988, 1992 or 1994 Winter Games.

3. Nicklas Lidstrom

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Numbers

Fourteen points in 20 games over four different Olympic Games.

Why He Is Here

Lidstrom was only on the podium once in his four different Olympic Games that he appeared in, but that one time was a big one as Sweden won the gold at Turin in 2006.

That Olympics saw Lidstrom put up six points in eight games, as Sweden took home their second Olympic gold medal in hockey.

2. Dominik Hasek

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Numbers

Sixteen appearances over four separate Olympic Games. A record of 9-5-1 with a 2.30 GAA and three shutouts.

Why He Is Here

Dominik Hasek is no stranger to podiums in his international career, but at the Olympics, Hasek has only been to the podium twice.

In 1998, Hasek took the Czech Republic to the top of the international hockey world, winning gold as Czech Republic defeated the USA in the quarterfinal, Canada in a shootout in the semifinal (Hasek stopped all five Canadian shooters) and shut out Russia by a 1-0 score in the gold-medal game.

Hasek also won bronze at Turin in 2006.

1. Viacheslav "Slava" Fetisov

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Slava Fetisov, pictured here with the Red Wings in 1996.

Numbers

Twelve goals, 21 assists over 21 games in three separate Olympic Games.

Why He Is Here

Slava Fetisov was part of the "Russian Five" for Detroit, but even though he won two Cups with the team in 1997 and 1998, Fetisov was already heralded for his domination in the Olympics.

Fetisov is the all-time leading scorer for defensemen in the Olympics for post-1952 Olympic scoring.

He won two gold medals with the USSR in 1984 at Sarajevo and 1988 in Calgary, and also played on the "wrong" side of the Miracle on Ice in 1980, where he took home a silver medal for his efforts. 

He is by far the best Red Wing to play in the Olympics in recent memory, if not ever.