Alex Delvecchio

Last updated
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 92)
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 19511973

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. [1] 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. [2] 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.

Contents

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. [3] 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. [3] He helped the team win the Stanley Cup that year. [4] 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. [3]

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

Delvecchio's #10 banner (third from left) hanging in Joe Louis Arena. Red Wings retired Banners.jpg
Delvecchio's #10 banner (third from left) hanging in Joe Louis Arena.
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 DelvecchioStatue.jpg
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. [5] 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 TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1947–48 Fort William Rangers TBJHL 10000
1948–49Fort William RangersTBJHL12168245312020
1948–49 Port Arthur Bruins M-Cup 52241
1949–50Fort William RangersTBJHL1816203636544815
1950–51 Oshawa Generals OHA 544972121365410145
1950–51 Detroit Red Wings NHL 10000
1951–52 Detroit Red WingsNHL651522372280334
1951–52 Indianapolis Capitals AHL 63694
1952–53 Detroit Red WingsNHL701643592862462
1953–54 Detroit Red WingsNHL6911182934122797
1954–55 Detroit Red WingsNHL70173148371178152
1955–56 Detroit Red WingsNHL70252651241073102
1956–57 Detroit Red WingsNHL48162541853252
1957–58 Detroit Red WingsNHL70213859224011-
1958–59 Detroit Red WingsNHL701935546
1959–60 Detroit Red WingsNHL70192847862680
1960–61 Detroit Red WingsNHL7027356226114590
1961–62 Detroit Red WingsNHL7026436918
1962–63 Detroit Red WingsNHL702044648113692
1963–64 Detroit Red WingsNHL70233053111438
1964–65 Detroit Red WingsNHL682542671672354
1965–66 Detroit Red WingsNHL703138691612011114
1966–67 Detroit Red WingsNHL7017385510
1967–68 Detroit Red WingsNHL7422487014
1968–69 Detroit Red WingsNHL722558838
1969–70 Detroit Red WingsNHL732147682440220
1970–71 Detroit Red WingsNHL772134556
1971–72 Detroit Red WingsNHL7520456522
1972–73 Detroit Red WingsNHL7718537113
1973–74 Detroit Red WingsNHL111452
NHL totals1,5504568251,281383121356910429

Citation: [6]

Achievements

NHL coaching record

TeamYearRegular seasonPost season
GWLTPtsFinishResult
Detroit Red Wings 1973–74 6727319636th in EastMissed playoffs
Detroit Red Wings 1974–75 80234512584th in NorrisMissed playoffs
Detroit Red Wings 1975–76 5419296444th in NorrisMissed playoffs
Detroit Red Wings 1976–77 4413265315th in NorrisResigned
Total2458213132

See also

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References

  1. Shots, Tom Annelin, Net. "Delvecchio gets his due among NHL greats". The Chronicle-Journal. Retrieved November 30, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners". ESPN. June 14, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Hackel, Stu (January 2, 2017). "Alex Delvecchio: 100 Greatest NHL Players". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  4. "Stanley Cup Champions 1950-1959". National Hockey League. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  5. "Detroit Red Wings Alumni: Alumni Roster". Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  6. "Alex Delvecchio Stats and News".
  7. "100 Greatest NHL Players". National Hockey League. January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
Preceded by Detroit Red Wings captain
196273
Succeeded by
Nick Libett
rotating captaincy begins
Preceded by Head coach of the Detroit Red Wings
1973–1975
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Preceded by Head coach of the Detroit Red Wings
1976
Succeeded by
Preceded by General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings
1974–77
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1959
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1966
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Preceded by Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1969
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