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.
No. 10: Goaltender Norm Maracle
No. 9: Forward Mark Mowers
No. 8: Defenseman Jesse Wallin
Our countdown continues with another defenseman that was a veteran of a few hundred NHL contests before coming to Detroit for the 2003-04 season.
No. 7: Defenseman Jamie Rivers
Jamie Rivers came to the Detroit Red Wings before the 2003-04 season, splitting time between Detroit and the Grand Rapids Griffins. He would see action in 50 games during 2003-04, and another 18 during the 2005-06 season.
(2:20 through 2:30)
He would be traded to the Coyotes in March of 2006 in exchange for a draft pick.
He later would play in Switzerland and then in Russia’s KHL. He survived a frightening incident in his final professional season when he suffered a ruptured spleen, which would require emergency surgery a few days later. His heart had to be electronically defibrillated after it stopped due to severe internal bleeding.
Thankfully, he’s alive and well to talk about it today, and currently resides in St. Louis.
