Thankful for time with Red Wings, Datsyuk set to take his place in Hockey Hall of Fame 

TORONTO -- Pavel Datsyuk, speaking during the 2024 Induction Class press conference and ring ceremony at the Esso Great Hall inside the Hockey Hall of Fame last Friday, started telling the story of how he was hard at work in the gym when he got the call from the Hall.

Then the former Detroit Red Wings forward cracked a smile and laughed.

“Just kidding,” Datsyuk said. “I was visiting the doctor to check if I needed surgery for next year. [The Hockey Hall of Fame] called me and surprised me. That’s my small story.”

Datsyuk --- along with fellow inductees in the Player Category Jeremy Roenick, Shea Weber Krissy Wendell and Natalie Darwitz, and Builders David Poile and Colin Campbell -- will be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night.

“I would like to congratulate Pavel on his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame,” Red Wings Governor and CEO Christopher Ilitch said in a statement. “Pavel was one of the most talented players in league history and had Red Wings fans around the world on the edge of their seats every time he touched the puck. Throughout his career, he was consistently recognized for his stellar defensive play, a testament to how great of an all-around talent he truly was. The ‘Magic Man’ created so many incredible memories for our fans and played an integral part in bringing two Stanley Cup championships to the city of Detroit. Congratulations again, Pavel, on this tremendous achievement.”

Elected in his first year of eligibility and celebrated for his two-way game and highlight-reel moves, Datysuk took home a lot of hardware across a storied 14-year NHL career he spent entirely with the Red Wings.

“Congratulations to Pavel on this extremely well-deserved honor,” Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement. “Pavel’s world-class skills made him one of the best one-on-one players of all time, but his high-end compete and work ethic separated him from his peers. He was a dynamic force who excelled at both ends of the ice and in all situations.”

Selected by Detroit in the sixth round (171st overall) of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Datsyuk recorded 918 points (314 goals, 604 points) in 953 games from 2001-16. A four-time NHL All Star, he won the Stanley Cup championship twice (2002, 2008), the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship four consecutive times (2005-06 to 2008-09) and the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward three straight seasons (2007-08 to 2009-10).

Datsyuk, who was recognized as one of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players in 2017, also becomes the 10th player on Detroit’s 2002 Stanley Cup-winning club to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“I’m happy to have only played on one team in the NHL,” Datsyuk said. “It’s like my family.”

Datsyuk said he certainly learned about the competitiveness of the NHL after lifting the Stanley Cup as a rookie in 2002.

“I thought hockey was so easy,” Datsyuk said. “You just come, and you have a Cup. But after I enjoyed it, it took seven years to win another Cup –- and not one more. I recognized I was lucky to always be making the playoffs, then how hard it was to win a Cup.”

Datsyuk, a native of Yekaterinburg, Russia, said he’s always enjoyed playing the game. But, as far as enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame, that was something he never envisioned.

“In the beginning, I just had fun and played hockey,” Datsyuk said. “When I started growing up, I just set specific goals for myself – make it on one team, then another. I wasn’t even thinking about this. When I was [elected to the Hall of Fame], I thought, ‘Is this happening to me or am I just watching some movie?’”

Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said Datsyuk rightfully belongs among the greatest who have ever played the game.

“It’s an uncanny ability to protect the puck, it’s world-class,” Lalonde said about Datsyuk. “I don’t know if we’ll ever see it again. Game changers of the game, his ability to protect the puck at his size. Even his keep-away game, that I wouldn’t say he invented, was a staple post-practice that’s mimicked throughout hockey now. Obviously a special player, but the personality to go along with it.”

Patrick Kane, widely regarded as a future Hockey Hall of Famer, added that Datsyuk was such a unique player during his era.

“I think most skill players aren’t that good defensively, and [Datsyuk] was unbelievable defensively with the ability to make you look foolish with the puck,” Kane said. “That’s the way he was so different from everyone else. You see players like that now, but back then it was kind of rare to have both traits.”