Delvecchio’s mentor played in the first game at the Old Red Barn on Grand River and Delvecchio’s statue sparkles at the state-of-the-art arena on Woodward. He had ties to the earliest days of Detroit’s franchise, when it was owned by a grain and shipping magnate, and he relished its rebirth as Hockeytown, when it was owned by a pizza baron.

Playing with stars Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay, he helped lead Detroit to three Stanley Cup titles, later serving as the Red Wings’ coach and GM.