Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager who spent his entire National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings. In a playing career that lasted 24 seasons, Delvecchio played in 1,549 games, recording 1,281 points. At the time of his retirement, he was second in NHL history in games played, assists and points. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct three times, and helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup three times. Delvecchio's 1,549 games with the Red Wings, is only one of three to play at least 1,500 games with one team. Immediately after retiring in 1973, Delvecchio was named head coach of the team and was also named the team's general manager in 1974, serving in both roles until 1977. Delvecchio was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977, and in 2017 was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.
Playing career
After playing a single junior league season for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey Association and six games with the Indianapolis Capitals of the American Hockey League, Delvecchio made his NHL debut on March 25, 1951, playing against the Montreal Canadiensin the Red Wings' final game of the season. He spent six games with the team's minor league affiliate, the Indianapolis Capitals of the AHL, scoring nine points, before joining the Red Wings full-time in the 1951–52 season. He helped the team to win the Stanley Cup that year. He would go on to excel both at centre and left wing for 22 full seasons and parts of two others, and was notable for his spot on the "Production Line" with linemates Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. A broken ankle kept Delvecchio out of 22 games in 1956–57, but other than that, he hardly missed games, only missing 14 games over the final 16 seasons of his career. No player except Nicklas Lidström in NHL history played more games in a career spent with only one team. Despite his impressive career, Delvecchio was never the Red Wings' leading point scorer in a season, primarily due to Howe's presence. The closest he ever came was in the 1969–70 NHL season, where he was just three points behind Howe for the team lead.
Post-playing career
Following his retirement as a player in 1973, Delvecchio served two stints as Detroit's head coach and one as general manager until leaving hockey in 1977 to go into business. Delvecchio is an "Honored Member" of the 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, and in assists by Nicklas Lidström as well, but only Howe and Lidström have played more games as a Red Wing.
Career statistics
Achievements
Third all-time in games played in a Red Wings uniform.
Retired as the overall leader and held record for 32 years for games played in a career spent with only one team, since passed by Lidstrom, still a record for forwards.
