A Recap Of The Detroit Red Wings For The Past Decade

The Wings are probably the hardest team in this decade to culminate a roster for. There's two era's for the Wing's in this decade pre and post lock-out. Both are highly successful with a hint of letdown's for wing fans, other franchises they would be accomplishments. One thing about the wings have been no matter what they've been Stanley Cup contenders every single season this decade. One of the main reasons for this is they draft well and are careful to how they sign free agents. They don't go for the biggest name or one dimensional players. Every player they draft or sign they do it as they see that player would be a certain puzzle piece to the great picture, as well as if they level of skill fits into their system that has been very strict since Scotty Bowman became head coach in 1993-1994 to now 7 years after he retired from coaching.

If they don't win a cup, the season is considered a let down. There's more pressure to play in Detroit for the past 20 years than it has been in Montreal. While they're not as followed off ice in Detroit as they are in Montreal, there's a much higher level of competitiveness to play at every single year. One thing though, almost every year, critics have said this is the year of the downfall for the Red Wings. Sure they've had their upsets, first round loses to Los Angeles in 2001 (last time they made the playoffs by the way) Anaheim in 2003, and Edmonton in 2006. The Wings have had a lot of big names to wear the winged wheel in this decade but having a name won't get you on the list. Neither will a year or two of good seasons, or just numbers. This list is a compilation of the best and most important players to wear the Wing's jersey. This list goes by the best/important in each position by line, not point totals or Chemistry (Although the way Ken Holland Drafts or signs free agents all the lines here would work well together).

Line 1: LW Brendan Shanahan Center Steve Yzerman RW Brett Hull.

Brendan Shanahan is one of the best left wingers to ever play for the Red Wings, While I, myself hated Shanahan because he demanded a trade after one year from Hartford, I was still sad to see him leave at the end of the 2005-2006 season. I've been watching the Red Wings since I started playing hockey. I was distraught at the sweep in 95 and the failure in 96 to repeat to the finals after breaking the regular season record for most wins. But It was Shanahan who was the missing piece that won them their first cup in 42 seasons. That is why I was sad to see him leave. He was vital player from his whole stint from 96-07 to 2005-2006. He scored 210 goals from 1999-2000 to 2005-2006 in the regular season. That's very impressive when you consider that he was 31 years old when the decade started as well as 1999-2000 to 2003-2004 was the height of the dead puck era. No Red Wing has scored more goals in this decade than him, Shanahan was a very rare and unique player. He was a physical force, goal scorer, and a leader. While also having a plus 105 rating.

Steve Yzerman not only is the number 1 center for this decade, he is also all time. No player in Wings history besides Gordie Howe has done as much as Yzerman has. While this decade was the tail end of his career and his body was as well breaking down and playing very limited, he is still the best center on the decade. While he wasn't the force offensively as he was in the 80's and 90's, he still was the most effective overall. He was still one of the best two way centers and dominant in the face off circle. He played whatever role was needed of him. In the beginning he split much of his time on the right wing being centered by Sergei Fedorov with Shanahan on the left and towards the end of his career played on the checking line with Draper and Maltby. His leadership is matched by only a few in the history of the NHL. His presence would be enough to win games. He didn't need to score tons of goals or points, although at his age still managed 25 game winning goals in the decade. That's pretty good, seeing he wasn't playing top end minutes he once did or that he only had two seasons where he played more than 55 or more games ( 78 and 75). Yzerman was hampered with knee, ankle, and groin injuries for most of the end of his career. In 2001-2002 season, Yzerman played in the playoffs on a right knee that would keep most players from playing. He still recorded 23 points in 23 games, most on the team, to capture his 3rd and final cup. After the playoffs Yzerman had surgery and wouldn't return til the end of the 2002-2003 season appearing in only 16 games. Detroit owes all the success they have enjoyed from the 90's til now to number 19. Even the success they still enjoyed 3 years after he has retired.

Brett Hull- A Wing for only a short period, played three seasons with the Wings from 2001-2004. The Wings are weak on the right side as they have more left wingers and centers. Although he still was very important to the team. Although he had only one good year in the post season in 2002 where they won the cup, he scored 85 goals in his brief period in the dead puck era. The Wings were only three years removed from  winning a cup and they had the pressure to win another one in 2001-2002. In comes Hull, the result, a cup at the end of the season. Although he was 38 when signed as a free agent, he still was a force for them.

Second line: LW Henrik Zetterberg- Center Pavel Datsyuk- RW Mikeal Samuelsson

Henrik Zetterberg is a key reason why the Red Wings are still cup contenders and had won the cup in 2008. He signed a career contract this year, ensuring he'll be wearing only a Red Wings uniform in his career. While Zetterberg has switched back and forth from being the left wing on the first line with Datsyuk to second line center, he has spent most of his time on the wing. He is only of the best two way players to play in this decade and is a vital piece to the Wings. Winning the Conn Smythe in 2008 proves how meaningful he is. A player drafted in the 7th round, he has been a the brightest of diamonds in the rough for them. He has finished second in points behind only Datsyuk in each of the four seasons since the lockout and lead the team in goals in 2007-2008. He could very much be the next captain for this team after Lidstrom retires. 

Pavel Datsyuk is one of the best players in the NHL and has been consistent in every year since the lock out. In each season he was improved point wise or has matched the previous season. He has won the Frank Selke trophy two years in a row as the best defensive forward, as well as four straight Lady Byng trophies, on top of being a finalist for the Hart Trophy, which is a very big accomplishment to be nominated playing for a team like the Red Wings that is so stacked in depth. He is third in goals for the wings in the decade behind Shanahan and Zetterberg. Second in points and assists behind Nicklas Lidstrom. Like Zetterberg, he is very well possibly the next in line to wear the "C" for the Wings after Lidstrom retires. Pavel Datsyuk struggled for most of the playoffs this year but so did Hossa, who he fed the puck to all season long. That's no indication that Datsyuk's game will slip in anyway at all. He's is a very reliable and consistent force with some of best puck handling skills compared to anybody in the league. He is fast and very smart on the ice. Datsyuk's success will continue and just be as significant in the next decade.

Mikael Samuelsson is a very underrated player in the league. He is a great two way player and passer. He was very important to the Wings power-play spending most of his time playing the point with Lidstrom. He not only succeeded on the power-play but also was a vital part to the Wings Penalty Killing unit. I was more saddened to see him leave than I was Hossa. Samuelsson has been a great contributor to the Wings success post lockout. Before the lockout there didn't seem to be a place for him in the NHL, but after the lockout ended, the Wings signed him to a four year deal to fill the holes they had in their roster from having to shed half of their salary due to the cap. Many believed the Wings would struggle post lockout from having a smaller payroll and that the team was very aged. His style of play fit right into the Red Wings system of two way hockey and puck possession. He is skilled with the puck and has speed. While not a goal scorer, he is a play-maker and makes his line mates better. In 69 career playoff games, all with the Wings, he complied 35 points, which isn't too shabby when you consider the depth and how much Ice time a player can receive outside of the first line on the Wings. He is a very well rounded player, although he plays right wing, he often took important face offs both the offensive and defensive zones for the Wings.

Third Line: LW Johan Franzen Center Kris Draper RW Tomas Holmstrom

Johan Franzen has only had two good years with the Wings so far but he has signed a career contract to them and is a major contributor to their post lockout success. In the 2008 stretch and playoffs he averaged a goal per game and in the second round against the Avalanche he scored more goals (9) than the Avalanche did total. That post season he broke two franchise playoff records with most goals and most goals in a series. Not even Yzerman or Howe have done that. In 2008-2009 Franzen scored 34 goals and 12 in the playoffs, he was a major contributor for the wings to reach the Stanley cup finals as Hossa and Datsyuk were AWOL. Franzen can score in many different ways, he can fire a slap shot, take a slick wrist shot, bang in the garbage and make a sweet deflection in front of the net.

Kris Draper is a player I couldn't decide if I wanted to have him as the third or 4th line center. In the end I chose him over the 4th line because of his dedication, loyalty, and believe him to be a key component in their decade success. Although he has never been an offensive force, despite that he has been the core to the Wings success since being traded to them in 1993 from the Jets for One U.S dollar.  Kris Draper has been a part of all of Detroit's success and he has a big involvement to that. In 2003-2004 was his best season when he scored 24 goals and 40 points in 67 games while winning the Franke Selke trophy. He has spent his whole career with the Wings centering the 3rd and 4th line. He is very fast and great defensively. He wins almost every battle to the puck and he brings it every night. He has one of the biggest hearts not on the Wings but in the NHL. He is also one of the best face-off takers and usually is always the man picked to win a key face-off in their zone. The beginning of the decade his offensive stats rised each season and peaked in 2003-2004 and have been declining since but he is still very valuable to the team as a shut down checking center and the penalty killing unit.

Tomas Holmstrom is a born and breed Red Wing and will probably end his career as one. He is a very nice complement to Datsyuk and Zetterberg and this year's stint with Hossa. He gets defense men and others out of position creating more room for Datsyuk and others to move the puck and create scoring chances. As well as doing a great job creating traffic in front of the net by screening the goaltender or deflecting shots. If a player received an assist for screening then Holmstrom would have 20 or more assists a season.

Forth Line: LW-Kirk Maltby Center Sergei Fedorov RW Dan Cleary

Kirk Maltby has been a role player for the Red Wings full time since the 1996-1997 season. He has been very important to the Red Wings during this decade. He averages 10-20 points a season but his production has nothing to do with his great contributions to the team. Maltby is a great role player and checking forward. He plays smart defensive hockey and rounds out team every season for them. He has tons of heart and bleeds for them. He puts his body on the line every game whether its making a hit, drawing penalties or blocking a shot. No one one on the Wings gets in opponents heads or draws penalties like he does. He does all the little things that go unnoticed by people.

Sergei Fedorov is one of the greatest Wing players of all time but he ranks 4th on this decade because he only played 1999-2000 to 2002-2003. In his time this decade he scored over 30 goals three out of the four seasons but only managed one season to record more than a point per game, which was his last in a Red Wings uniform. He was an important member of the team that won the cup in 2002 and was consistent in every post-season but when he left after his contract was up in 2003 to the Anaheim Ducks for relatively the same amount that the Wings offered him, he left on bad terms with the fans. When Fedorov returned to play at the Joe, he was often booed by the fans for deserting them. Nonetheless Fedorov has left the fans in Detroit with some of their best memories with his tenure there.

Dan Cleary is another good player the wings signed after the lockout to fill the gaps made from having to buy out expensive contracts to get under the salary cap. Cleary was a kicked out of every city he's played for, for not ever living to the expectations put on him coming into the league. Yet, he's found a great home with Detroit has been a great secondary scorer. He's also a very good checking/defensive type winger as well. He has great speed, blocks shots, hits, and can put the puck in the net. In the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 season he scored 20 goals in each season despite missing a total 30 games. Although he was a non factor in the 2008 cup win, with posting only 3 points, he was a factor helping the wings reach the finals this past season scoring 9 goals, 3 game winners, and a total of 145 points in 23 games.

First line Defense Nicklas Lidstrom Chris Chelios

Nicklas Lidstrom is one of the best all time. Lidstrom took over the team after Yzerman retired and was their first new captain since Yzerman was given the reigns in 1986-1987 season. Lidstrom has been tremendous for the Wings in this decade, he leads all Wing players in games, assists and points this decade, as well as having won 6 Norris Trophies and nominated for the award every year. He also was the first European captain to win a Stanley cup in 2008. While in 2002, he won the Conn Symth trophy for playoff MVP. No defenceman in the league is as smart as Lidstrom is on the ice. He can make the most pefect passes and he doesn't need to throw his body around, as he can strip the opposition from the puck with his stick.

Chris Chelios is the only other defenceman on the Wings to play the entire decade and despite coming over to the team after his prime, he has been great for them. He has been a part of both 2002 and 2008 cup wins. He hasn't been a factor on the ice the past couple seasons but he is a great factor in the locker room. At age 46, he still is one of the NHL's toughest players. He is a great mentor for the younger Wings coming in on how to condition your body and has been a major influence on other Wing players in that aspect. His heart and dedication are unmatched. The best way to describe Chelios' play is he is like a pitt bull. He plays a very aggressive style and knows how to be dirty without being caught.

Second Line: Niklas Kronwall Jiri Fischer

Kronwall had many skeptics until the 2007-2008 season. But after being a force in the playoffs in 2008 and after playing a injury free season this year, people have backed off. He is the sandpaper of the Wings, he hits with the best of them and has an offensive upside. He had 15 assists in 23 games in the 2008 playoffs and 45 assists this past season in 80 games. He is the Swedish version of Scott Stevens. He sets the tone in games and playoff series with his devastating open ice hits and makes players nervous when they get the puck, to not put their head down for a split second while he's on the ice. When Lidstrom retires, he will be leaned on heavily to step up to fill the gap left by him.

Jiri Fischer would most likely still be wearing the red and white had he not collapsed in a game in 2005 with a irregular heart beat. He cracked the Red Wings roster at the age of 19, not an easy feat, considering the depth and the payroll the Wings had before the lockout to sign big free agents. He was never a big point producer but he was coined to be the next Vladimir Konstatinov. Like Kronwall, Fischer was also a tough physical defenceman. He was smart for such a young player defensively, as well. The Red Wings have hired his to be head of player development, that says something about the type of player he was, to be given that position so young.

Third Line Brian Raflaski Mathieu Schnieder

Brian Raflaski has only been a Red Wing for two seasons, but in his two seasons there he's help them to a cup and back to back cup final appearances.No matter his short tenure he's been a factor to their success since the lockout. In both seasons he's posted ten or more goals and over 55 points. Last season he had a career high in assists and points. He has also been a consistent producer for them in both playoff runs with a combine 26 points in 40 games. He is the perfect complement to Lidstrom on the blue line.

Mathieu Schnieder wasn't a part of any major success in Detroit but he was the complement to Lidstrom like Raflaski is now. The 2005-2006 season was his best in Detroit as he set a career high in goals (21) and points (59). In each of his three full seasons he scored over 40 points and twice scored over 50. He was a missing key player in the 2007 Western Conference Finals against Anaheim, as he was side lined with an injury. Although he wasn't a part of a Stanley cup winning team, he still was a major factor on the blue line for the wheeled wings.

Starting Goaltender: Chris Osgood. I might get some heat from picking him over Hasek but let's face it, Ozzie is a lot better than most give him credit. Most say he only has so many career wins because he's played almost his entire career in Detroit and has had some bad post seasons but he's been the starter for three Stanley Cup final appearances and two Stanley cup wins. In this decade casted off after a very disappointing first round exit to the lowly Los Angeles Kings in 2001. He came back in 2005-2006 to be the back up to Legace. In 32 games played he went 20-6-5. He played second fiddle to Hasek in 2006-2007 and was solid for them in 2007-2008 as Hasek missed a stretch due to an injury and stole the starter job from him in the first round and took the team to their forth cup in eleven years. He had his worst season this past year, yet when it mattered most he answered the call in the playoffs and took the Wings to the Finals for the second straight year. Like him or not, Osgood is possibly the best franchise goalie they have had. Not taking anything at all from Terry Sawchuk, but in 2008, Ozzie set a franchise playoff win record.

Back up: Dominik Hasek: The Wings have had a four starters in this decade, Joesph had his best chance to win a cup with the team but was awful for them in the playoffs, thus a buyout before the lockout ended. Manny Legace was to be their new starter and had a great year but in the playoffs he was terrible and the Wings were eliminated by the 8th seeded Oilers. Then came back Hasek for his third tour with the Wings. His best season, was his first in 2001-2002 marking his first Stanley Cup win. Hasek played amazing back stopping a team full of future Hall of Famers and was just as magnificent in the playoffs and out dueled Patrick Roy in a seven game series to make it to the Finals. Hasek, retired after that year, only to come back to the team in the 2003-2004 season but was injured and only played 14 games, thus Joesph played majority of the season and playoffs. His third time back, he was solid in 2006-2007 and took the injured Wings to 6 games in the Western Conference finals to the eventual Stanley Cup winners the Anaheim Ducks. He played phenomenal for them in 2007-2008 season but was shaky in the playoffs letting the Predators tie the series two a piece. He sat on the bench as Ozzie stopped them to the Cup and would retire for the second time. Although there's some black marks in his time there, he was essential to much of their success and is a far better than Joesph and Legace were.

Coaches: Mike Babcock: He gets the nod over Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman. Bowman coached the Wings for three seasons in this decade and coached them to the 2002 Cup. But Mike Babcock has took the team to new heights as many people said the Wings wouldn't be as competitive in the lockout era. So far in his four seasons as coach, he has coached them to four consecutive 100 point seasons, two President Trophies, three Western Conference appearances, two Stanley Cup Finals, and one Cup. Behind his coaching, the Wings are even more dominate than they were in the pre-lock of this decade. Despite many key players moving on or retiring, he has coached players to new heights to lead the team and be just as dominating with a salary cap as they were with the biggest payroll in the NHL.

Honorable mentions: Igor Larionov, Steve Duchesne, Luc Robitaille, Valtteri Filppula, Robert Lang, Jiri Hudler

Possible 2009-2010 to 2018-2019 decade team: Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg,  Darren Helm, Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula, Jonathan Ericsson, Justin Abdelkader, Ville Leino.

Dishonorable Mentions: Todd Bertuzzi, Marian Hossa, Jiri Hudler(for the way he left the team), Brendan Bell, Manny Legace, Curtis Joseph.

Biggest Losses: Kyle Quincy was put on waivers because the Wings had too many defenceman and were too close to the salary ceiling, the L.A Kings picked him up and he was their best defenceman. Another diamond in the rough drafted by the Red Wings that was enjoyed by another team. 

Jiri Hudler was tremendous point producer for the Wings considering the amount of minutes he was getting. It's a shame he signed a two year deal in the KHL, thus the Wings will no longer hold his rights when the contract is over as he'll be over 27 years old and a UFA.

Sergei Fedorov left the team because of ice time. He saw the Wings were having younger players that would be fighting him for ice time such as Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and others. He left to Anaheim for less money than the Wings offered him. Owner Mike Illitch and General Manager Ken Holland would have loved to have kept Fedorov a Wing for his entire NHL career.

Mikeal Samuelsson has left a gap on the power play for the Wings and on their second line. His play-making abilities, shot, and defensive upside will be missed.