who are the next players to have their jersey's retired ?

[Saran 1]

Draper and Chelly? What are we, the Avalanche?

Lidstrom is a lock to have his number retired. Had Fedorov stayed with the Wings, I think he would be as well. But since he left, it won't happen.

As far as everyone else, sorry. Thanks for playing, we appreciate all the help you gave us. We had some good times. But only the best of the best hang in the rafters at The Joe (or wherever the Wings move to in several years )

i agree, no way drapes or cheli would make it, i cant see another jersey being hung for along time after lidstrom.

[Guest LivingtheDream]

take a gander at the players whose numbers have been retired.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Red_W...Retired_numbers

the bar is set extremely high.

Absolutely. This is not something handed out to any player, even if he is a huge fan favorite. Getting your number up means you have truly earned Hockey Immortality and the only current Wing who ranks that high is Lidstrom. It is like the Congressional Medal of Honor for hockey. Sorry, but not even Shanny lives quite up to this standard. Being a super star is one thing, but your overall contribution, impact and dedication to the game AND the team is the true measure.

Edited February 7, 2007 by LivingtheDream

[redwinger4747 6]

If you are really wondering, take a look at Mike Ilitch's behavior concerning the Larry Aurie jersey. After the jersey was retired long ago, Ilitch refused to honor it officially and even demanded that it be removed from hockey books under Red Wings retired numbers. He understands that there is a difference between a star player and a franchise susperstar and only the best and the most loyal to the Wings receive the honor. Lidsrtom only. Period.

[dustin35 0]

I say Lidstrom, Shanny, and Osgood

I know there are alot of ozzie hater but he has the 2nd best wings number besides shawchuck.

as for shanny he was a leader and here for the most of his carrer and won 3 cups he will have it retired.

[Guest Crymson]

I say Lidstrom, Shanny, and Osgood

I know there are alot of ozzie hater but he has the 2nd best wings number besides shawchuck.

as for shanny he was a leader and here for the most of his carrer and won 3 cups he will have it retired.

Let me lay it out to you this way-- do you see how many numbers are hanging up in JLA? That's right, six. The Wings have been in action for almost 82 years. Going by simple mathematics, that's about one jersey per 14 years.

I know that this explanation is heavily simplified. However, it serves to show you that only VERY special players have their numbers retired. This team has a hollowed history, with many Stanley Cups and many great players. If all were to have their numbers retired, the team would hardly have enough numbers to meet the demands of the present team--they'd have to start using triple-digit numbers on jerseys.

Sawchuk played for the Wings for 14 seasons and was arguably one of the greatest goaltenders of all time.

Lindsay was a franchise player for 14 seasons.

Howe was a franchise player for 25 seasons, and one of the best of all time.

Delvecchio was a franchise player for 23 years.

Sid Abel was a franchise player for 24 years.

Stevie, of course, needs no explanation.

See what I mean?

[Jedi 1,865]

Guys, look back and see just how special that night was where we retired Stevie's jersey. Those of you who were lucky enough to be there ALL have said it is something that they will never forget, and that it has impacted their lives immensely.

Fans will be very appreciative to see Lidstrom's #5 go up to the rafters, for sure, but it will be in NO WAY comparable to how special Stevie's night was. (Not to say that Lidstrom isn't deserving of it, because he DAMN SURE is). But Lidstrom hasn't been the face, heart, and soul of the Detroit Red Wings for almost a quarter of a century.

But to go around and say that guys like Shanny, and Feds, and Ozzie, and Draper deserve to have their jerseys retired? You're only doing one thing. You're cheapening the memories given to us by the 6 guys who have their #'s up there right now. You're saying "Yeah, what they did was special way back then, but now it only takes a few years on a good team to get your number up there".

I, for one, would rather keep it the way it is, and only retire the jerseys of players who have made a profound impact on this team, day in and day out, for their entire career. Darren Pang wasn't kidding when he said that retiring Stevie's jersey was the "Highest recognition the Red Wings can bestow on a player". Do we really want to say that someone like Chelios is as deserving of that honor for his few seasons with the Wings?

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

players come and go , what according to you only players who play their whole career for the wings can have their numbers retired ?? fedorov and shanahan were HUGE contributers with the wings , fedorov had 953 pts as a wing , won the hart , 2 selke's had some great games for us in the playoffs during the avs - wings rivalry

shanahan was a wing for 9 yrs and had 336 regular season goals and helped us win 3 cups

what does a player have to do to have their numberes retired ?

Actually, a player doesn't have to do too much to have his jersey retired in Detroit. All he has to do is be as great and as popular as Gordie Howe or Steve Yzerman. And that's it. Simple, really.

[eva unit zero 271]

Lidstrom is a lock.

The next most likely player is Osgood.

Osgood can determine over the next couple years whether that one is a yes or no---he's borderline and with a few more wins piled on, some more shutouts, etc. he could reach that level.

Most likely it will only be Lidstrom though.

BTW...the last retired number was Sawchuk in 1994. Before that was and Delvecchio (re-retired), Abel, and Lindsay in the early 90s.

Starting in around 1950, it seems there's a retired number or two every ~20 years.

Also BRTD...Lindsay and Abel apparently weren't 'obvious' choices for jersey retirement as the numbers were hung about 20 years after their retirement; yet there are few that would argue against their selection for the honor.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Lidstrom is a lock.

The next most likely player is Osgood.

Osgood can determine over the next couple years whether that one is a yes or no---he's borderline and with a few more wins piled on, some more shutouts, etc. he could reach that level.

Most likely it will only be Lidstrom though.

BTW...the last retired number was Sawchuk in 1994. Before that was and Delvecchio (re-retired), Abel, and Lindsay in the early 90s.

Starting in around 1950, it seems there's a retired number or two every ~20 years.

Also BRTD...Lindsay and Abel apparently weren't 'obvious' choices for jersey retirement as the numbers were hung about 20 years after their retirement; yet there are few that would argue against their selection for the honor.

Interesting points about the timing of the jersey retirements, but there's still no way Ozzy's should hang from the rafters.

He's not even a strong candidate for a hall of famer, let alone jersey retirement.

If the Wings hang his number, they have clearly changed the standard, and then we might as well hang Draper's, and Shanny's, and Cheli's, and Fedorov's, and Larionov's and Fetisov's...

[betterREDthandead 58]

Lidstrom is a lock.

Also BRTD...Lindsay and Abel apparently weren't 'obvious' choices for jersey retirement as the numbers were hung about 20 years after their retirement; yet there are few that would argue against their selection for the honor.

Few if any. Doesn't that make them obvious enough? At the time they retired, nobody at all was having their jerseys hung up.

[Guest LivingtheDream]

Osgood's number retired? Are you on ******* crack? I am not a Osgood basher, but how in Gods name does Osgood even compare to an Yzerman, Howe or even Lidstrom.

Any way, it isn't worth my getting excited about (other than to marvel at the lack of thinking going on here), it will never ever ******* happen because smarter people make these decisions.

P.S. After Lidstrom, the only other current Wing even remotely close would be Chelios.

Edited February 8, 2007 by LivingtheDream

[arnoldbuck 0]

Boyd.

[BlakChamber 8]

P.S. After Lidstrom, the only other current Wing even remotely close would be Chelios.

Maybe with the Blackhawks. Not with the Wings.

If Fedorov and Shanny aren't hanging in the rafters, and I don't believe they should, there's no way in hell Chelios does.

[chelios4eva 0]

Well I have another question. IF Lidstrom doesn't finish out his career in Detroit, sould his number still be retired?

[Rice 42]

The next most likely player is Osgood.

Osgood can determine over the next couple years whether that one is a yes or no---he's borderline and with a few more wins piled on, some more shutouts, etc. he could reach that level.

You're kidding, right?

[betterREDthandead 58]

Well I have another question. IF Lidstrom doesn't finish out his career in Detroit, sould his number still be retired?

Absolutely.

[Lidstrom Rules 1]

with the exception of lidstrom, i can't really see anyone on this team who could even be mentioned in the same breath as howe, sawchuk, lindsay, yzerman et al. i mean seriously. when all is said and done chelios will be considered among the great American players but his career is spread out over three teams so i can't see the wings retiring cheli's number.

[Guest Crymson]

You're kidding, right?

This guy is an absolute Osgood apologist. As we all know, there are several Ozzie fanatics who frequent this board. However, this guy takes it one step further, making outrageous claims about Osgood and going out of his way to insult Ozzie's competitor for the starting job, whomever that might be.

[daniel1 32]

Osgood's number retired? Are you on ******* crack? I am not a Osgood basher, but how in Gods name does Osgood even compare to an Yzerman, Howe or even Lidstrom.

Any way, it isn't worth my getting excited about (other than to marvel at the lack of thinking going on here), it will never ever ******* happen because smarter people make these decisions.

P.S. After Lidstrom, the only other current Wing even remotely close would be Chelios.

I have to agree with this. Osgood has been a good team guy, when he was actually with Detroit. Where are his Vezina's? Where are his Conn Smythe's? Where are his Hart trophies? Zilch in the hardware department folks. I believe that to have your number retired by a franchise, the following three requirments must be met.

1. Individual accomplishments. Your peers/pundits/fans have had to have acknowledged you specifically for your outstanding play over the years. NHL awards, all-star appearances and voting, player's choice awards, etc.

2. Dedication and loyalty to the team which bestows upon you the honour of forever recognizing your sacrifices, hard work and contributions. I can't really put a definitive "number" of years here because there are contributing factors which may have been out of that players control, trades or age of the frachise for example. Did Stevie ever "hold out"? Did he ever sign an offer sheet somewhere else? Did he ever once make public his desire to have his contract "renegotiated"? Heck did he ever once even complain to the press about Bowman or playing time or player personnel moves? No to all the above. Same goes for Lids. Datsyuk on the other hand... well we're getting a little ahead of ourselves with him, he's got a LOT to prove before I would ever consider him for something like this. Zetterberg has a nice start going though, in the team loyalty department he showed his character by signing for the amount that he did and the amount of years that he did. (Dats and his agent could learn a thing or two from him)

3. Team success. I'm not saying the team has to win 3 Cups in 6 years or anything like that, but the team has to have enjoyed some success as part of that player's contribution. Whether it's playoff rounds, Presidents Trophies, Stanley Cups, whatever. The playoffs are where I feel a player truly earns his reputation.

If all three of these requirements are satisfied then that player should definitely be considered for jersey retirement.

Who off the current Wings do I think deserves it now? Lidstrom. Only Lidstrom. Drapes, Ozzie, Homer, etc, these guys are what you call "supporting cast", not franchise players.

Who from the entire NHL now? Stevens in Jersey. (if they haven't already, I don't follow them real close) MaCinnis in Calgary. Messier in Edmonton. (again this might have already happened)

Who has the best chance of having their number retired in the future by the Wings. Zetterberg. A couple Selke's, maybe a Hart or Conn Smythe and one or two Cups combined with his current unselfish play and leadership would make a strong point for him. He's 27 now... let's dig up this thread in 10 years time and see if my prediction comes true. As a side note, it will be tougher for him than it was for Stevie or Lids due to the cap. We won't be having anymore Stevie/Feds/Shanny/Hull/Robitaille/Larionov/Kozlov type lineups to help Zets win a Cup.

[eva unit zero 271]

Interesting points about the timing of the jersey retirements, but there's still no way Ozzy's should hang from the rafters.

He's not even a strong candidate for a hall of famer, let alone jersey retirement.

If the Wings hang his number, they have clearly changed the standard, and then we might as well hang Draper's, and Shanny's, and Cheli's, and Fedorov's, and Larionov's and Fetisov's...

Shanny and Fedorov are the only guys on your list who, like Osgood, were among the best at their position for several seasons as a Wing.

And yes, if Ozzy's jersey goes up, those two probably would hang there as well.

I find it amusing that several posters have quoted me, yet failed t ocomprehend this sentence:

Most likely it will only be Lidstrom though.

Does that sound to any of you that I am calling Osgood's number for retirement?

I simply said he was the 'NEXT MOST DESERVING'. That's SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT from saying 'His number belongs in the rafters.'

Try reading the COMPLETE post before launching on a member-bashing spree next time.

This guy is an absolute Osgood apologist. As we all know, there are several Ozzie fanatics who frequent this board. However, this guy takes it one step further, making outrageous claims about Osgood and going out of his way to insult Ozzie's competitor for the starting job, whomever that might be.

WTF?

While I do not argue the point that I tend to back Ozzie, I don't go out of my way to insult Osgood's competitor. Ask a Hasek slappy whether I have gone out of my way to insult him.

I always supported Legace until statements like 'when will this guy get a shot' were being said in Spring 2006--after Legace had already failed once in the postseason and had two full years as the Wings' starter.

Go ahead. Show me these 'outrageous claims' about Osgood and the apparently unwarranted insults against his competition.