Detroit Red Wings Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom ranked among top five NHL captains of all-time

By Brendan Savage of M Live

It will come as no surprise to Detroit Red Wings fans that two of the greatest captains in hockey history played in the Motor City, according to NHL.com.

NHL.com writer John Kreiser ranked the top 10 captains and two Red Wings – Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom – both cracked the top five.

Yzerman, who was the youngest captain in NHL history when the Red Wings put the "C" on his jersey in 1986 at age 21 – was ranked No. 2 while Lidstrom (Yzerman's replacement) checked in at No. 5.

Yzerman, now the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, is the longest-serving captain in NHL history with 1,303 games in 22 seasons. 

According to Kreiser, it was Scotty Bowman who made Yzerman not just one of the top offensive players in the NHL but one of the best players in the game's history.

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Tomas Holmstrom’s unlikely journey to 1,000 games

By Nicholas J. Cotsonika of Yahoo Sports

Of all the hilarious Tomas Holmstrom stories, the most famous is the one about his number.

In March 1998, late in his second season with the Detroit Red Wings, Holmstrom gave up No. 15 to newly acquired veteran Dmitri Mironov. He switched to No. 96 to honor the year he arrived in the NHL, but coach Scotty Bowman suggested something else.

The details have gotten hazy, and they depend on who you talk to. But the conversation went something like this:

“You should wear 98,” Bowman said.

“What do you mean?” Holmstrom said. “Why?”

“Because that’s the year you’ll be going home.”

You can read the rest of the article here: Tomas Holmstrom’s unlikely journey to 1,000 games

Howe Has Dementia, Of Course Is Fighting Back

By Chris of NightmareOnHelmStreet.com


Mr. Hockey has dementia.

Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe is battling the disease that killed his wife Colleen three years ago, according to a Canadian Press story.

"He's a little bit worse than last year, but pretty close to about the same," son Marty said. "He just loses a little bit more, grasping for words.   "The worst part of this disease is there's nothing you can do about it."

The good news is that it could be much worse.  Hit the jump to hear how he's fighting back:  

"He has what we call mild cognitive impairment," Murray said. "His brain power is not what it used to be. In terms of the prognosis and diagnosis, it's still wide open. He doesn't fall into what I would say is any particular category. He really doesn't seem to fall into the Alzheimer's dementia category because his disease is pretty stable."

You can read the rest of the article here: Howe Has Dementia, Of Course Is Fighting Back