Lindsay makes the Red Wings as a 19-year-old in 1944; by the late 1940s, Lindsay, center
Sid Abel
and right wing
Gordie Howe
form one of the most famous trios in NHL history. Though Lindsay is listed at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, he also earns the nickname "Terrible Ted" for his self-proclaimed willingness to do anything to win.
Lindsay is an NHL First-Team All-Star in 1947-48, when he leads the League with 33 goals. He begins a streak of five consecutive seasons as a First-Team All-Star in 1949-50, when he wins the
Art Ross Trophy
as the NHL's top scorer, and is again a First-Team All-Star in 1955-56 and 1956-57, when he has an NHL career-high 85 points.
But Detroit general manager Jack Adams, angered by Lindsay's efforts to help form a players union, trades him to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1957; he plays three seasons with Chicago before retiring. However, after four years off the ice, he returns to the Red Wings for the 1964-65 season and scores 14 goals at age 39.
Lindsay finishes his NHL career with 851 points (379 goals, 472 assists) in 1,068 games and plays on four Stanley Cup-winning teams. He is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. The award given to the most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players' Association is renamed the
Ted Lindsay Award
in 2010. He
dies at age 93
on March 4, 2019.