Detroit Red Wings
Patrick Kane: One of Many Icons to Play for Red Wings
Patrick Kane is the latest of many star players to join the Detroit Red Wings past their prime for a shot at the Stanley Cup.
Kane, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, signed with the Red Wings this year because he believes in the young roster and the storied history of the franchise.
“I just always loved the organization and always thought it was a top-notch organization,” Kane said at the time of his decision. “When it came around to making the decision, like I said, I always kind of felt like it was in the back of my mind. I always felt, like, if I was thinking about another team, Detroit was that next team popping up.”
Kane was certainly not the first and most likely is not the last iconic player in NHL history to come to Detroit in search of a Stanley Cup.
Plenty of others have donned the winged wheel looking for a coveted championship.
Here are a few of them:
Mike Modano
After an illustrious career with the Dallas Stars where he scored 557 goals and 1,359 points in 1,459 games, Mike Modano signed a one-year contract with Detroit in the 2010-11 offseason.
His tenure with the Red Wings was short-lived, as he only scored four goals, 11 assists and 15 points in 40 games that season. He was not as good for Detroit as OHGamblers can be for you.
The end of his Detroit — and NHL career — came on a sour note, when bench boss Mike Babcock scratched Modano in what would have been his 1,500th NHL game.
After recording an assist in two playoff games that season, Modano retired from the NHL at 1,499 games played.
Marian Hossa
Before he became a three-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, Marian Hossa played for a shot at the Cup both for and against the Red Wings.
Hossa was first dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2008 trade deadline by the Atlanta Thrashers. His Penguins met up with the Red Wings in the Cup Final and lost despite a 12-goal, 26-point output from Hossa in 20 playoff games.
After taking the loss to Detroit, Hossa signed with the Red Wings and met up with his former Penguins in the Cup Final again. Only Pittsburgh got its revenge on Detroit and Hossa and took home the Stanley Cup in 2009.
Hossa had 40 goals and 71 points in 74 regular season games and six goals and 15 points in 23 playoff games before signing with the Blackhawks in the offseason and finally winning his first Stanley Cup in 2010.
Daniel Alfredsson
After putting up 426 goals and 1,108 points in 1,178 games with the Ottawa Senators yet falling just short of winning a Stanley Cup in 2007, Daniel Alfredsson took his talents to Detroit for the final season of his career in 2013-14 on a one-year, $5,5 million contract.
He scored 18 goals and 49 points in 68 games during the regular season before going without a point in three postseason games.
Back problems kept the 41-year-old from attending training camp the following season and he decided to hang up his skates that November.