Redmond Enshrined into Michigan Sports Hall of Fame

For someone who makes a living by speaking, when the subject is himself, Detroit Red Wings broadcaster Mickey Redmond is a man of few words.

On the weekend, the legendary former Red Wings player who’s grown into a larger than life figure as the club’s TV analyst, was officially enshrined into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies conducted Saturday in Detroit at the Sound Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel.

Special shoutout to Mickey Redmond, who was inducted into the @MSHOF tonight!

Well-deserved. Congrats, Mick! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/B4avobhEsq

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 11, 2022

Redmond, 74, played with the Red Wings from 1971-76. His acquistion by Detroit was part of a blockbuster trade with the Montreal Canadiens. The same deal was seeing Hall of Famer Fank Mahovlich go to the Canadiens. Redmond was a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Canadiens.

A right-winger, he became the first Detroit player to record a 50-goal season when he tallied 52 times during the 1972-73 season. In 1973-74, he did it again, netting 51 goals.

Fifty years ago, Redmond was helping Team Canada defeat the Soviet Union 4-3-1 in the epic 1972 Summit Series.

Redmond Became Red Wings Broadcaster in 1985

After playing days, Redmond joined Hockey Night Canada as an analyst in 1979.

“I got a Harvard education in hockey playing for two Original Six teams,” Redmond said. “Then I got a Harvard education in broadcasting from Hockey Night In Canada.”

In 1985, Redmond came home ot be part of the Red Wings broadcast team, and he’s been the Detroit booth ever since. Redmond wrote the foreword for If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Red Wings. That’s the book I co-authored with Ken Daniels in 2017.

In it, Redmond described whe he felt his role was in the broadcast booth.

“It’s an entirely different role as a broadcaster when you work with one team,” Redmond explained. “I think when you get close to a team like we do and you’re traveling with them, it’s a different hockey world.

“As broadcasters, we need to maintain our credibility with the fans. But at the same time we don’t want to embarrass the players on the team or the organization. Still, we have to be reasonable with what we are calling. That’s because the majority of fans are educated about the game. We shouldn’t be trying to hide things and cover them up.

“The challenge as a team broadcaster is to know how to deliver that information and the message.”

It’s the second time that Redmond has been recognized for his work in the broadcast booth. in 2011, he won the Foster Hewitt Award and with it, induction into the broadcasting wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame.