Lindsay, Red Wings legend, fondly recalled through anecdotes

DETROIT --Ted Lindsay retired for good as an NHL player after a last hurrah with the Detroit Red Wings in 1964-65. But the Hockey Hall of Famer and four-time Stanley Cup champion with Detroit remained a presence around the Red Wings and in the community.

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He died Monday at age 93, and Red Wings past and present gathered at his visitation at Little Caesars Arena on Friday. Here are some of the stories they told about the legendary forward:

Red Berenson, former Red Wings forward

The Red Wings traded Lindsay to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1957 as he fought to found the NHL Players' Association. Berenson said one reason the St. Louis Blues traded him to the Red Wings in 1971 was because he wouldn't resign as president of the NHLPA. By coincidence, Berenson wore No. 7 in Detroit as Lindsay did.
"We had a lot on common, more than just No. 7," Berenson said. "We always hit it off. I wanted to get his autograph the first time I met him, because I'd read about him before I ever came to Michigan."
Lindsay was not employed by the Red Wings in the early 1970s. Still, he was often at Olympia Stadium.
"He came down and took his vitamins and rode the bike and lifted weights, and he interacted with the players and whoever was the coach," Berenson said. "He had a nice comfortable role in the organization without being official."
Berenson later became the coach at the University of Michigan. Once, he invited Lindsay to speak to the team. He told the players the award for most outstanding player as voted by the NHLPA was named for Lindsay.
"Well, that got their attention," Berenson said. "Ted loved to talk about hockey and life and school, and he applauded the fact they were going to school and they wanted to be hockey players. And at the end, he said, 'And remember one thing: Always be on time.'
"About a month later, I said, 'You remember that old player that we had come in and talk to our team?' 'Oh, yeah. Ted Lindsay.' And they'd all looked him up. They'd Googled him. 'What do you remember about his talk?' 'Always be on time.' Sometimes it's not the first thing you say; it's the last thing you say."
Berenson said he ran into Lindsay at all kinds of hockey banquets and charity events, and Lindsay was always humble and respectful.
"You would never know that he was the giant of a player when you met him off the ice," Berenson said.

Kirk Maltby, former Red Wings forward

Early in 1996-97, his first full season in Detroit, Maltby was injured and arrived at Joe Louis Arena early to work out.
"I could hear the weights banging around back in the weight room at the Joe," said Maltby, now a scout for the Red Wings. "I went and changed, went in there, thought it was the trainer or something. But no, it was Ted back there getting a good workout in early in the morning to start his day.
"For a hockey player like me, obviously I never got to see Ted play live or anything like that, but knew what he was all about, knew what he did, knew what he did for the Players' Association. I didn't want to interrupt his workout and get him mad at me. But afterwards, he would always come and sit down.
"It didn't matter who it was. You didn't have to be a star guy. He would talk to anybody. Those are the things you appreciate now. You really get to look back on it and think about it. You wish you could do it one more time."

Kris Draper, former Red Wings center

The Red Wings were underdogs entering the 1997 Stanley Cup Final against the Philadelphia Flyers and their "Legion of Doom" line. But not to Lindsay, whose 5-foot-8, 163-pound frame didn't stop him from becoming one of the best players in NHL history.
"Apparently Philly was bigger, stronger and faster, and it wasn't going to be much of a series," said Draper, then a Red Wings center, now special assistant to general manager Ken Holland. "And here we have Ted Lindsay talking about, 'Don't worry about the size of them.' And he's talking about our hockey team and what we've done and how fast we are and how competitive we are.
"'Don't worry about the size.' This is "Terrible Ted" Lindsay telling you this. So we believed him. And everyone obviously knows what happens."
The Red Wings swept the Flyers and won the Cup for the first time since 1955, Lindsay's last championship in Detroit.
"To be able to walk into that dressing room and just the opportunity to talk to Ted at those critical moments is something that was amazing," Draper said.

Ken Holland, Red Wings general manager

What's one moment Holland will always remember?
"I can't speak to one moment," he said. "Every moment. Whenever Ted walked in the room, he was always upbeat. He was always positive. Loved to talk hockey and was really up to date on what was going on. So he'd walk in, and he'd watched the games the night before or games night after night after night after night, and he had his views and thoughts on our team and on the game and what we needed to do to be better.
"He was always fun to talk to because his passion for the sport came out. He was upbeat. He was positive. He was an incredible, incredible man."

Jeff Blashill, Red Wings coach

Blashill was preparing for training camp at Joe Louis Arena one year when Lindsay walked in.
"He said, 'Coach, you just tell them, if they go into the corner with another guy and they don't come out with the puck, they're a [horrible] hockey player,'" Blashill said. "And I thought that was awesome.
"It was true in 1950, and it's true today. And actually, that was my first message to our team. Sometimes when people with Ted's stature pass away, you're involved in it but you don't really know them. I was lucky enough to get to know Mr. Lindsay.
"He was so genuine. That's a great word. I think he really helped carry on that part of the Red Wing tradition, that era of the Red Wing tradition, when he was around as much as he was around. And to see the respect he had from everybody, it just brought those championships from the '50s to life. It just makes this organization that much more special."

Henrik Zetterberg, former Red Wings captain

Lindsay never called Zetterberg's cellphone. He always called his landline. So when the landline rang, Zetterberg and his wife, Emma, knew it was his parents, her parents or Lindsay.
Sometimes Emma would answer, and she would talk to Lindsay instead of handing the phone to Henrik. Sometimes she would speak to Lindsay's wife, Joanne, too.
"In the end, I got the chance to speak to Ted," Zetterberg said with a smile.
Over the years, Zetterberg grew closer to Lindsay. When Zetterberg had back surgery, Lindsay was among the first to call the hospital. He asked Emma how Henrik was doing before Henrik had even woken up. Before Zetterberg played his 1,000th NHL game in the finale at Joe Louis Arena on April 9, 2017, Lindsay presented him the gift from the NHL, a crystal.
"That was very special," said Zetterberg, who cannot play anymore because of his back problems and was visibly emotional talking about Lindsay. "That picture is blown up both in my home and in my parents' home back home in Sweden. That was a cool memory."

Niklas Kronwall, Red Wings defenseman

"The greatest thing that will always stand with me is how he came into the room and he would always call everyone by their first name -- full first name," Kronwall said. "For myself, it wouldn't be Nik. It would always be Niklas.
"And he always took the time to talk to each and every player. It didn't matter if you were [Nicklas] Lidstrom or you were someone barely playing. He really took the time to make sure everyone got their time and made everyone feel great about themselves."
Kronwall said the Red Wings talked about Lindsay in the locker room Friday morning.
"It's unfortunate that you don't celebrate until someone's gone," he said. "You really get to understand the true meaning of what someone's done and the legacy that they leave behind. All the things that he stood for, all the things that he fought for, and still being able to be just a great, great person, that's something. He's going to leave a lot of long-lasting memories for people."
Main photo courtesy: Detroit Red Wings