Alex Delvecchio
Encyclopedia
Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio (born December 4, 1931) is a former ice hockey
player and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
.
After playing a single junior league season for the Oshawa Generals
of the OHA
(during which he led the league in assists) Delvecchio joined the Detroit Red Wings
of the National Hockey League
for the 1952 season, and helped the team to win the Stanley Cup
that year.
He would go on to excel both at centre and left wing for twenty-two full seasons and parts of two others, and was notable for his spot on the Production line
with linemates Gordie Howe
and Ted Lindsay
. No player in NHL history played more games with just the one team. One of the true gentlemen in the game of hockey, he was a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy for combining good sportsmanship with excellence on the ice. Despite his impressive career, Delvecchio was never the Red Wings' leading scorer in a season. The closest he ever came was in the 1969–70 NHL season, where he was just 3 points behind Gordie Howe for the team lead.
Following his retirement as a player in 1973—having, at the time, played the second most games and with the second highest assist and point totals in league history—Delvecchio served two stints as Detroit's head coach and then as General Manager, until leaving hockey in 1977 to go into business. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame
in that year.
Delvecchio is currently 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 in nearly every significant offensive category in Red Wings history behind only Howe. He has since been passed in most of those categories by Steve Yzerman
, but still ranks second all-time in games played as a Red Wing.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
.
After playing a single junior league season for the Oshawa Generals
Oshawa Generals
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League...
of the OHA
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
(during which he led the league in assists) Delvecchio joined the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
for the 1952 season, and helped the team to win the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
that year.
Production line (hockey)
The Production Line was a nickname for one of the most famous scoring lines in the NHL's history. The line consisted of Gordie Howe, Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay, all members of the Detroit Red Wings....
with linemates Gordie Howe
Gordie Howe
Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League , and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association . Howe is often referred to as Mr...
and Ted Lindsay
Ted Lindsay
Robert Blake Theodore Lindsay is a former professional ice hockey player, a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League . He scored over 800 points in his Hockey Hall of Fame career, won the Art Ross Trophy in 1950, and won the Stanley Cup four times...
. No player in NHL history played more games with just the one team. One of the true gentlemen in the game of hockey, he was a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy for combining good sportsmanship with excellence on the ice. Despite his impressive career, Delvecchio was never the Red Wings' leading scorer in a season. The closest he ever came was in the 1969–70 NHL season, where he was just 3 points behind Gordie Howe for the team lead.
Following his retirement as a player in 1973—having, at the time, played the second most games and with the second highest assist and point totals in league history—Delvecchio served two stints as Detroit's head coach and then as General Manager, until leaving hockey in 1977 to go into business. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in that year.
Delvecchio is currently 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
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
. At the time of his retirement, he ranked second in nearly every significant offensive category in Red Wings history behind only Howe. He has since been passed in most of those categories by Steve Yzerman
Steve Yzerman
Stephen Gregory "Steve" Yzerman is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and current general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League...
, but still ranks second all-time in games played as a Red Wing.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1950-51 | Oshawa Generals Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League... |
OHA Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the... |
54 | 49 | 72 | 121 | 36 | |||||||
| 1950–51 | Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1951–52 1951–52 AHL season The 1951–52 AHL season was the 16th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 68 games each in the schedule. The Pittsburgh Hornets won their first F. G... |
Indianapolis Capitals Indianapolis Capitals The Indianapolis Capitals was an American Hockey League professional ice hockey team based in Indianapolis, Indiana from 1939–1952. The Capitals were a farm team for the Detroit Red Wings. Indianapolis won the Calder Cup in 1942 and 1950... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
6 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | |||||||
| 1951–52 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 65 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 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 | 69 | 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 | 0 | ||
| 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 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 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 | 1549 | 456 | 825 | 1281 | 383 | 121 | 35 | 69 | 104 | 29 | ||||
Achievements
- Holds NHL records for seasons played and games played in a career spent with only one team; second all-time in games played in a Red Wings uniform (Gordie HoweGordie HoweGordon "Gordie" Howe, OC is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League , and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association . Howe is often referred to as Mr...
). - Won three Stanley Cups with Detroit, in 1952, 1954 and 1955.
- Delvecchio did not learn to skate until he was twelve years old, a remarkably late age for an NHL player.
- 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 five players.
- Served as team captain for twelve years, a mark surpassed only in Wings' history by Steve YzermanSteve YzermanStephen Gregory "Steve" Yzerman is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and current general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League...
. - Remains 8th all-time in NHL history in games played and 27th in points scored.
- Second in Red Wings history in games played; third in points, goals and assists
- In 1998, he was ranked number 82 on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
- On November 10, 1991 his jersey, number 10, was retired by the Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
. - On October 16, 2008, The Red Wings unveiled a commemorative statue commissioned by artist Omri R. Amrany.
See also
- List of famous ice hockey linemates
- List of NHL statistical leaders
- List of NHL players with 1000 points
- List of NHL players with 1000 games played
- Production line (hockey)Production line (hockey)The Production Line was a nickname for one of the most famous scoring lines in the NHL's history. The line consisted of Gordie Howe, Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay, all members of the Detroit Red Wings....
- Captain (ice hockey)Captain (ice hockey)In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...