Detroit Red Wings to retire Red Kelly's No. 4

[Fenway]

Way overdue

Detroit Red Wings to retire Red Kelly's No. 4

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[Sentinel]

Finally!

 

[Canadiens1958]

About time.

 

[Panthera]

If they hadn't done so I probably would have gone on forever assuming they already had

 

[ChiTownPhilly]

Personal reflection:

On my one (and only) visit to the Hockey Hall-of-Fame-- back when it was in the ol' Shopping Mall, there was a Q & A with The Man Himself. Gracious, pleasant, personable... and filled with interesting and insightful anecdotes about life in the O-6 NHL.

Praise the Hockey Gods that this distinction is awarded while he still lives. Bravo!

 

[Felidae]

What took so long?

 

[The Panther]

Jumping the gun a bit on this one, aren't they...?

 

[rfournier103]

Congratulations!

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

it wasnt already?

 

[JackSlater]

I saw this on sportscentre this morning and was very pleased. It always annoyed me that Detroit hadn't retired his jersey. Well deserved and long overdue.

 

[Nick Hansen]

Well deserved.

 

[dr robbie]

Seems a tad bit late. I thought it was already retired.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

What took so long?

He and the Wings departed on bad terms after Kelly publicly disclosed an injury that they wanted him to keep hidden.

Glad they FINALLY got over it.

 

[overg]

On the one hand, I've always been a big fan of just how high Detroit sets the bar for retiring numbers.

On the other hand, until today, the bar was on the wrong side of Kelly.

 

[Eisen]

should have been done 40 years ago.

 

[steve141]

On the one hand, I've always been a big fan of just how high Detroit sets the bar for retiring numbers.

On the other hand, until today, the bar was on the wrong side of Kelly.

This. It's not like they've retired Raymond Bourque and Milan Hejduk instead. They're just really restrictive. I like the fact that it's not a given that they'll ever retire Fedorov. Datsyuk and Zetterberg might have to wait a while aswell, they're not franchise players on the same level as Yzerman and Lidstrom.

 

[TheMule93]

This. It's not like they've retired Raymond Bourque and Milan Hejduk instead. They're just really restrictive. I like the fact that it's not a given that they'll ever retire Fedorov. Datsyuk and Zetterberg might have to wait a while aswell, they're not franchise players on the same level as Yzerman and Lidstrom.

Holland already confirmed Z's number is getting retired

 

[Sentinel]

So who is the best eligible player who's number hasn't been retired yet? Fedorov?

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

So who is the best eligible player who's number hasn't been retired yet? Fedorov?

Norm Ullman, probably, but he never won the Cup, so it's tough to retire his number.

 

[MXD]

As a comparison, I'm trying to come up with the best Hab (whose number isn't retired) and...
Well, Toe Blake's number isn't retired.

Strictly on topic : He was the best player whose number wasn't retired, unless I forgot someone really obvious.

 

[VanIslander]

This is the franchise that retired Larry Aurie's number #6 (by Norris more than 75 years ago) but in 1982 when the team started the practice of raising banners, Mike Illitch decided to pan the player.

The franchise pretends it had no great players pre O6 era. No Aurie. No Barry. No Syd Howe! Heck, at least Marty Barry, Syd Howe and Herbie Lewis were inducted into the HHOF.

Aurie, the equivalent of a Shane Doan or Trevor Linden to the franchise (though Aurie was a top line player on multiple Stanley Cups for Detroit), with a retired number, but... unlike the others,... Aurie gets no banner, no press, nothing but a footnote for history books.

 

[Killion]

Huh. As an old Leaf Fan.... never occurred to me as I dont care. What have you done for me lately?

Also..... know what? Detroit can go suck an egg. Like Chicago with Hull, with whom Im in agreement.... you treated Kelly like Shiite when it MATTERED. Too little too late.