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Alex Delvecchio
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1977
Alex Delvecchio Chex card.jpg
Delvecchio with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1960s
Born (1931-12-04) December 4, 1931 (age 93)
Fort William, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Centre/Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1951–1973

Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio (born December 4, 1931) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager who spent his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Detroit Red Wings. In a playing career that lasted from 1951 to 1973, Delvecchio played in 1,549 games and recorded 1,281 points. At the time of his retirement, he was second in NHL history in number of games played, assists, and points. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct three times and helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup three times. He is one of three NHL players to spend their entire career with one franchise and play at least 1,500 games with that team (the other two, Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidström, also played for the Red Wings). Upon retiring in 1973, Delvecchio was named head coach of the Red Wings and was also named the team's general manager in 1974; he served in both roles until 1977. Delvecchio was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977, and in 2017 was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.

Delvecchio is the last surviving member of the Red Wings' 1952 and 1954 Stanley Cup teams.

Playing career

In 1950-51 Delvecchio played for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and led the league in assists that year. He made his NHL debut on March 25, 1951, playing against the Montreal Canadiens in the Red Wings' final game of the season. In 1951–52 he spent six games with the team's minor league affiliate, the Indianapolis Capitals of the American Hockey League (AHL), for whom he scored nine points, before joining the Red Wings full-time. He helped the team win the Stanley Cup that year. He went on to excel both at centre and left wing for 22 full seasons and was notable as a member of the "Production Line" with linemates Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay.

In 1956–57 Delvecchio was laid up by a broken ankle for 22 games, but seldom missed a game thereafter, missing only 14 over the following 16 seasons of his career.

In NHL history Delvecchio is surpassed only by Nicklas Lidström in the number of games played in a career spent with only one team. Despite his impressive career, Delvecchio was never the Red Wings' leading point scorer in a season, primarily due to Howe's presence. The closest he ever came was in the 1969–70 NHL season, where he was just three points behind Howe for the team lead.

Post-playing career

Red Wings retired Banners
Delvecchio's #10 banner (third from left) hanging in Joe Louis Arena.
DelvecchioStatue
A large bronze statue of an ice hockey player in the act of shooting the puck. The player's hands and stick are shown numerous times to simulate motion. At the base of the statue is inscribed "Alex Delvecchio Born: December 4, 1931, Fort William, Ontario, Canada

Following his retirement as a player in 1973, Delvecchio served two stints as Detroit's head coach and one as general manager until leaving hockey in 1977 to go into business. Delvecchio is an "Honored Member" of the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association and is active in its efforts to raise money for children's charities in Metro Detroit. At the time of his retirement, he ranked second only to Howe in nearly every significant offensive category in Red Wings history. He has since been passed in most of those categories by Steve Yzerman and in assists by Nicklas Lidström, but he remains third behind Howe and Lidström in games played as a Red Wing.

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1947–48 Fort William Rangers TBJHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1948–49 Fort William Rangers TBJHL 12 16 8 24 53 1 2 0 2 0
1948–49 Port Arthur Bruins M-Cup — — — — — 5 2 2 4 1
1949–50 Fort William Rangers TBJHL 18 16 20 36 36 5 4 4 8 15
1950–51 Oshawa Generals OHA 54 49 72 121 36 5 4 10 14 5
1950–51 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1951–52 Detroit Red Wings NHL 65 15 22 37 22 8 0 3 3 4
1951–52 Indianapolis Capitals AHL 6 3 6 9 4 — — — — —
1952–53 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 16 43 59 28 6 2 4 6 2
1953–54 Detroit Red Wings NHL 69 11 18 29 34 12 2 7 9 7
1954–55 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 17 31 48 37 11 7 8 15 2
1955–56 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 25 26 51 24 10 7 3 10 2
1956–57 Detroit Red Wings NHL 48 16 25 41 8 5 3 2 5 2
1957–58 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 21 38 59 22 4 0 1 1 -
1958–59 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 19 35 54 6 — — — — —
1959–60 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 19 28 47 8 6 2 6 8 0
1960–61 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 27 35 62 26 11 4 5 9 0
1961–62 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 26 43 69 18 — — — — —
1962–63 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 20 44 64 8 11 3 6 9 2
1963–64 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 23 30 53 11 14 3 8
1964–65 Detroit Red Wings NHL 68 25 42 67 16 7 2 3 5 4
1965–66 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 31 38 69 16 12 0 11 11 4
1966–67 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 17 38 55 10 — — — — —
1967–68 Detroit Red Wings NHL 74 22 48 70 14 — — — — —
1968–69 Detroit Red Wings NHL 72 25 58 83 8 — — — — —
1969–70 Detroit Red Wings NHL 73 21 47 68 24 4 0 2 2 0
1970–71 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 21 34 55 6 — — — — —
1971–72 Detroit Red Wings NHL 75 20 45 65 22 — — — — —
1972–73 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 18 53 71 13 — — — — —
1973–74 Detroit Red Wings NHL 11 1 4 5 2 — — — — —
NHL totals 1,550 456 825 1,281 383 121 35 69 104 29

Citation:

Achievements

  • Third all-time in games played in a Red Wings uniform (behind Nicklas Lidström and Gordie Howe).
  • Retired as the overall leader in games played in a career spent with only one team; passed by Lidstrom in 2012, still a record for forwards.
  • Stanley Cup champion with Detroit in 1952, 1954 and 1955.
  • Named a Second Team All-Star in 1953 (at centre) and 1959 (at left wing).
  • Played in the All-Star Game 13 times (in 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1967), a total surpassed by only six players.
  • Served as team captain for twelve years, a mark surpassed only by Steve Yzerman.
  • Remains 11th all-time in NHL history in games played and 27th in points scored.
  • Third in points and goals, and fourth in assists, in Red Wings history.
  • Ranked number 82 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players in 1998.
  • Jersey number 10 retired on November 10, 1991
  • On October 16, 2008, The Red Wings unveiled a commemorative statue for him by artist Omri R. Amrany.
  • Named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history in January 2017.

NHL coaching record

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Finish Result
Detroit Red Wings 1973–74 67 27 31 9 63 6th in East Missed playoffs
Detroit Red Wings 1974–75 80 23 45 12 58 4th in Norris Missed playoffs
Detroit Red Wings 1975–76 54 19 29 6 44 4th in Norris Missed playoffs
Detroit Red Wings 1976–77 44 13 26 5 31 5th in Norris Resigned
Total 245 82 131 32

See also

  • List of Detroit Red Wings award winners
  • List of ice hockey line nicknames
  • List of NHL players with 1000 points
  • List of NHL players with 1000 games played
  • List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise
  • Production line (hockey)
  • List of Detroit Red Wings general managers
  • List of Detroit Red Wings head coaches
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