The Detroit Red Wings have featured not only some of the National Hockey League’s greatest teams in history, but also some of the greatest players to ever lace up the skates. From Gordie Howe to Steve Yzerman, Ted Lindsay to Nicklas Lidstrom, Sid Abel to Sergei Fedorov, and plenty of others in between, Detroit’s is a rich history of some of the biggest names in the game.
But like any team with a history as extensive as Detroit’s, there are plenty of players that fans can certainly be excused if they plain forgot about. Our latest countdown will explore some of those names, and maybe even bring back a few brief memories in the process.
Number 10: Goaltender Norm Maracle
Goaltender Norm Maracle was drafted 126th overall in the 5th round of the 1993 NHL Draft by the Red Wings, and went on to post respectable numbers in the American Hockey League as he awaited his shot in the NHL. He finally got his big break during the 1998-99 season, as he eventually beat out long-time backup Kevin Hodson for the full time backup position.
Going 6-5-2 in the regular season with a .918 save percentage, Maracle would make a few relief experiences for the newly acquired Bill Ranford against the Colorado Avalanche, posting a less-than-stellar 3.10 goals against average and a .864 save percentage.
He was left exposed during the 1999 NHL Expansion draft for the new Atlanta Thrashers, and was subsequently claimed by the new franchise. He would soon face his former team early in the 1999-2000 season, a 7-1 victory by Detroit.
He would spend the rest of his North American career in the minor leagues before heading overseas beginning in 2003.
