”He left an indelible mark in the Red Wings organization during his 27-year long career – first as a prominent center and team captain and later as head coach and general manager”, the club writes on its website.
Delvecchio made his NHL debut in 1951 and just four years later he had won the Stanley Cup three times. When his player career was over in 1973, the forward had played a total of 1,550 matches for Detroit and been credited with 1,281 points.
Then he became the head coach of the club for four years, where he was also general manager for three of those years at the same time.
Alex Delvecchio will also be remembered for his behavior on and off the ice. Three times he received the Lady Byng Trophy, the "gentleman award" for the NHL's most sportsmanlike player.
”Delvecchio stood for everything that is good with hockey”, Detroit writes.
