Alex Delvecchio

Alex Delvecchio
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1977
Born	(1931-12-04) December 4, 1931 Fort William, ON, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Detroit Red Wings
Playing career	1950–1974

Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio (born December 4, 1931) is a former ice hockey player and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

After playing a single junior league season for the Oshawa Generals of the OHA (during which he led the league in assists) Delvecchio joined the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League for the 1952 season, and helped the team to win the Stanley Cup that year.

Delvecchio's #10 banner hanging in Joe Louis Arena.

He would go on to excel both at centre and left wing for twenty-two full seasons and parts of two others, and was notable for his spot on the Production line with linemates Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. No player in NHL history played more games with just the one team. One of the true gentlemen in the game of hockey, he was a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy for combining good sportsmanship with excellence on the ice. Despite his impressive career, Delvecchio was never the Red Wings' leading scorer in a season. The closest he ever came was in the 1969–70 NHL season, where he was just 3 points behind Gordie Howe for the team lead.

Following his retirement as a player in 1973—having, at the time, played the second most games and with the second highest assist and point totals in league history—Delvecchio served two stints as Detroit's head coach and then as General Manager, until leaving hockey in 1977 to go into business. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in that year.

Delvecchio is currently an "Honored Member" of the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association and is active in its efforts to raise money for children's charities in Metro Detroit. At the time of his retirement, he ranked second in nearly every significant offensive category in Red Wings history behind only Howe. He has since been passed in most of those categories by Steve Yzerman, but still ranks second all-time in games played as a Red Wing.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1950-51	Oshawa Generals	OHA		54	49	72	121	36
1950–51	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1951–52	Indianapolis Capitals	AHL		6	3	6	9	4
1951–52	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		65	15	22	37	22		8	0	3	3	4
1952–53	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	16	43	59	28		6	2	4	6	2
1953–54	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		69	11	18	29	34		12	2	7	9	7
1954–55	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		69	17	31	48	37		11	7	8	15	2
1955–56	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	25	26	51	24		10	7	3	10	2
1956–57	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		48	16	25	41	8		5	3	2	5	2
1957–58	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	21	38	59	22		4	0	1	1	0
1958–59	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	19	35	54	6		—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	19	28	47	8		6	2	6	8	0
1960–61	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	27	35	62	26		11	4	5	9	0
1961–62	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	26	43	69	18		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	20	44	64	8		11	3	6	9	2
1963–64	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	23	30	53	11		14	3	8	11	0
1964–65	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		68	25	42	67	16		7	2	3	5	4
1965–66	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	31	38	69	16		12	0	11	11	4
1966–67	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	17	38	55	10		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		74	22	48	70	14		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		72	25	58	83	8		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		73	21	47	68	24		4	0	2	2	0
1970–71	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		77	21	34	55	6		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		75	20	45	65	22		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		77	18	53	71	13		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		11	1	4	5	2		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				1549	456	825	1281	383		121	35	69	104	29

Achievements

• Holds NHL records for seasons played and games played in a career spent with only one team; second all-time in games played in a Red Wings uniform (Gordie Howe).
• Won three Stanley Cups with Detroit, in 1952, 1954 and 1955.
• Delvecchio did not learn to skate until he was twelve years old, a remarkably late age for an NHL player.
• Named a Second Team All-Star in 1953 (at centre) and 1959 (at left wing).
• Played in the All-Star Game 13 times (in 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1967), a total surpassed by only five players.
• Served as team captain for twelve years, a mark surpassed only in Wings' history by Steve Yzerman.
• Remains 8th all-time in NHL history in games played and 27th in points scored.
• Second in Red Wings history in games played; third in points, goals and assists
• In 1998, he was ranked number 82 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
• On November 10, 1991 his jersey, number 10, was retired by the Detroit Red Wings.
• On October 16, 2008, The Red Wings unveiled a commemorative statue commissioned by artist Omri R. Amrany.

See also

• List of famous ice hockey linemates
• List of NHL statistical leaders
• List of NHL players with 1000 points
• List of NHL players with 1000 games played
• Production line (hockey)
• Captain (ice hockey)

External links

• Alex Delvecchio biography at Legends of Hockey
• Alex Delvecchio career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database