Datsyuk Rejoins Red Wings . . . Sort Of

Asked to put his finger on what made him such a success as an NHL, former Detroit Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk jokingly suggested “paycheck.”

Datsyuk was back in Detroit on Thursday and symbolically, he was also back with the Red Wings.

In town to be honored for his recent induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Datsyuk didn’t pick up a paycheck for his appearance, but he did sign a contract. Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was signing Datsyuk to one of those symbolic one-day contracts to enable the Magic Man to officially retire as a Red Wing.

It's Pavel Datsyuk Hockey Hall of Fame Night in Detroit! ✨ pic.twitter.com/x9svV3b7ja

— NHL (@NHL) November 21, 2024

In a rare moment of seriousness from the ever wisecracking Datsyuk, he got a bit emotional when discussing what it meant to him to play all of his NHL career  in Detroit.

“It’s awesome,” Datsyuk said. “It was a good 14 years. It’s a good memory. It’s a fun road.”

Of course, a cynic might suggest that had he not returned home to Russia a year prior to finishing out his contract with the Red Wings, Datsyuk would’ve already have retired as a Red Wings player. Instead, to alleviate salary cap space, the Wings would deal Datsyuk’s dead cap space to the Arizona Coyotes for a swap of 2016 first-round draft picks.

Former Red Wings Cholowski Also At LCA

Oddly enough, the player the Red Wings would claim with that first-round selection they got in the Datsyuk trade with the Coyotes was also at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, playing for the visiting New York Islanders. Dennis Cholowski was in the third defense pairing for the Isles with Scott Mayfield. It’s the first time he’s ever found himself facing the Wings as an opponent.

“I didn’t get told otherwise.”

How D Dennis Cholowski found out he'd made the #Isles out of training camp and how his season has progressed so far. He faces the Red Wings, the team that drafted him, for the first time tonighthttps://t.co/7Gr8knbcY6https://t.co/7Gr8knbcY6

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) November 21, 2024

Cholowski would play 104 games for the Wings from 2018-21. In 11 games with the Islanders this season, he’s showing 2-2-4 numbers and a plus-3 rating. That would tie him for the plus/minus lead among current Detroit defensemen.

Datsyuk may no longer be playing in the NHL, but he says he’s still playing the game. He indicated that he suits up in beer league hockey back home in Russia.