Our NHL Saturday journey takes us to Detroit this weekend to look at the best players in Red Wings organizational history, dating all the way back to 1926 in the Original Six. All these guys are legends; they’re all Stanley Cup winners; and 8 of them are in the Hall of Fame—the other 2 should be soon, we suspect This may be the most star-studded list we’ve had for one of these listicle entries; enjoy it for what it is … we did!

No. 10: Ted Lindsay, LW—90 PS (1944-1965)

Start this roll call with the accolades: 9-time All Star (1948-1954, 1956-1957), league scoring champion (1950), league goals champion (1948), league assists champion (1950, 1957), league penalty minutes king (1959), and, of course, a 4-time Cup champion, too (1950, 1952-1954-1955). All this put him in the Hall of Fame, even though he never cracked the Top 3 vote for the Hart. Oh well, you can’t have it all, right? Right.

No. 9: Sergei Fedorov, C—104 PS (1990-2003)

Due to Soviet Union origins, he was just a 4th-round pick in 1989, but the gamble paid off for Detroit: a Hart win in 1994, strangely his only All-Star season. He also topped the NHL that year in even-strength goals (39). He was a key member of Cup-winning teams in 1997, 1998, and 2002, as well. He posted 954 points in 908 regular-season games for the Red Wings, while adding 163 points in 162 postseason games. That’s sharp.

No. 8: Henrik Zetterberg, C—109 PS (2002-2018)

He was good enough to make the Hall of Famer right above here expendable: 1-time All Star (2008), the 2008 Conn Smythe vote winner, and a clutch scorer who topped the league in game-winning goals in 2007. Winning the Cup in 2008 was the capper for him, and while he may yet see the Hall of Fame, it’s hard to ignore 960 career points in a Detroit uniform. He certainly was a fan favorite in his Red Wings career.

No. 7: Pavel Datsyuk, C—111 PS (2001-2016)

Another reason the organization chose to part ways with a player above in 2003, this guy won 4 straight Lady Byngs (2006-2009) and 3 consecutive Frank Selkes (2008-2010) while also winning 2 Cups (2002, 2008) and making 1 All-Star team (2009). That’s a Hall of Fame slate, right? Not yet, evidently. He also topped the NHL in plus/minus rating once (2008) and compiled 918 regular-season points in his career.

No. 6: Red Kelly, D—115 PS (1947-1960)

This Hall of Famer is interesting: he made 8 straight All-Star teams (1950-1957), played on 4 Cup winners, won 3 Lady Byngs (1951, 1953-1954), and also won the Norris once (1954). He led the NHL in short-handed goals twice (1952, 1955), as well. These accomplishments alone would have gotten him into the Hall, but he later had a second career as a center in Toronto that led to 4 more Cup victories and a unique hockey legacy.

No. 5: Alex Delvecchio, C/LW—124 PS (1950-1974)

Seems crazy he could have played 24 seasons with one team, but that’s what he did: 3-time Cup winner, 3-time Lady Byng winner (1959, 1966, 1969), and a 2-time All Star (1953, 1959). He topped the NHL once in shorties (1966), too. Three other seasons, he finished in the Top 3 voting for the Lady Byng, as well. He played in a whopping 1,550 regular-season games for Detroit, and he also saw the ice in 121 playoff games.

No. 4: Terry Sawchuk, G—142 PS (1949-1955, 1957-1964, 1968-1969)

In 3 different stints with the organization, he won 350 games in net, while also piling up other distinctions of note: 7 All-Star nods (1951-1955, 1959, 1963), 3 Vezinas (1952-1953, 1955), 1 Calder (1951), and 3 Cup titles (1952, 1954-1955), too. He also topped his peers in wins 5 straight years (1951-1955) in addition to goals-against average twice (1952-1953). He was an all-time great with a very complicated personality, for sure.

No. 3: Steve Yzerman, C—167 PS (1983-2006)

The Wings went 40-plus years without a Cup title, but this was the guy who brought the Hockeytown magic back: the No. 4 overall pick in the 1983 Draft, he ended up making just 1 All-Star team (2000), oddly, despite stellar play for a long time. We gave him our Calder (1984), and he won the Conn Smythe once (1998), too. He also led the NHL in EV goals once (1989) and SHGs thrice (1990, 1992-1993). He wore the “C” for 19 seasons.

No. 2: Nicklas Lidström, D—212 PS (1991-2012)

Arguably the greatest modern-day Red Wing, he won 4 Cups with the team among other accomplishments: 12-time All Star (1998-2003, 2006-2011), 7-time Norris winner (2001–2003, 2006-2008, and 2011 at age 40), our Calder nod (1992), and the Conn Smythe once (2002), too. Interestingly, he posted just 1 season in the negative plus/minus rating (2011, minus-2). The superlatives are endless, truly, and he is a deserving legend.

No. 1: Gordie Howe, RW—215 PS (1946-1971)

Not a lot to clarify here, of course, but we have to try: 21-time All Star (1949-1954, 1956-1970), 6-time Hart winner (1952-1953, 1957-1958, 1960-1963), 6-time scoring champ (1951-1954, 1957, 1963), and a 4-time Cup winner, too. He was the top goal scorer 5 times (1951-1953, 1957, 1963), and he also led the NHL in assists 3 times as well (1951, 1953-1954). Oddly, no Conn Smythe … go figure! He’s generally accepted as No. 2 ever.