Red Wings Icon Delvecchio Dead at 93

All that you needed to know about Detroit Red Wings legend Alex Delvecchio could be summed up in a conversation we had in the early 2000s. The Red Wings desired to do a tribute book about Delvecchio and commissioned me to co-author it with the longtime team captain.

After a few discussions on the subject, Delvecchio ultimately decided that no, he really didn’t feel like he wanted to do a book.

He didn’t feel his story was worthy of being published. That’s how humble Delvecchio was about what was an epic NHL career, entirely spent wearing the winged wheel.

A statement from the family of Red Wings legend, Alex Delvecchio: pic.twitter.com/a6Jve3aQ3r

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2025

In truth, Delvecchio, who died Tuesday at the age of 93, held an iconic status within the franchise that few in the history of the club could surpass.

Over his 24 seasons as an NHL player in Detroit, Delvecchio won three Stanley Cups. He was also a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy. During his NHL career, he would serve just 383 penalty minutes. That was 15 minutes less than the club single-season PIM mark set by Bob Probert in 1987-88.

Delvechio was selected to the NHL Second All-Star Team twice – as a center in 1952-53 and a left-winger in 1958-59.  The man playfully nicknamed Fats by his Detroit teammates played in 13 NHL All-Star Games.

Serving as club captain from 1962-73, he also won the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1974 and holds the Red Wings consecutive games record of 548. He was earning induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977.

Red Wings Delvecchio Third To 1,000 NHL Points

Delvecchio would also serve tenures as coach and GM of the Red Wings. “Well, we tried to be GMs,” he joked with me on Nov. 10, 1991, the night his No. 10 and the No. 7 of Ted Lindsay, another former Red Wings player, captain, coach and GM, were retired in a joint ceremony at Joe Louis Arena.

It was Delvecchio who would ultimately follow Sid Abel as center on the Production Line between Lindsay and Gordie Howe. Later, he’d center Mickey Redmond in 1972-73 as Redmond became Detroit’s first 50-goal scorer.

“Alex deserved a lot of the credit for any success I had,” Redmond said. “He got you the puck; he laid it right in there on your stick.

“He was terrific.”

Alex Delvecchio | 12.4.31 – 7.1.25

– Whole career, 24 seasons with #LGRW
– Cups: 1952, 1954, and 1955
– 12 year captain
– Missed only 43 games
– 548 consecutive games played from 1956 to 1964
– 1,549 games total
– 456 goals, 825 assists, 1,281 points
– 3x Lady Byng
– #10… pic.twitter.com/PhfSerV8eF

— Champagne Athletics (@champletics) July 1, 2025

He was the third player in NHL history accumulate 600 assists and also the third to reach 1,000 points. Delvecchio was the sixth NHL player to score 400 goals. On Nov. 26, 1972, he’d move into second on the NHL’s all-time scoring list, trailing only Howe.

With the Red Wings floundering in the standings, on Nov. 7, 1973, Delvecchio would announce his retirement as a player and immediately step behind the bench as coach of the team, replacing Ted Garvin.

“I’ve joined the ulcer department,” Delvecchio joked at the time.

While he was never able to achieve the same heights as Detroit’s coach or GM as he did as a Red Wings player, it never tarnished his sterling image among the club’s fan base.

“A great sports town,” Delvecchio once said of Detroit. “I’m surprised at how many people remember Alex Delvecchio.”