Im not sure how i feel about Draper's number going up because it would be weird not having Maltby on his side. That tandem has been great for 10+ years and i couldnt see one without the other

i say no to all of them, but only because it would lower the bar. i realize that the wings have won the cup 4 times recently because we have guys like this in the lineup, but if you retire 96, then you gotta retire all the other roll players that played over the years. draper, malts, d-mac...

doesn't toronto retire only a select few numbers but "honor" others? they're hanging up for all to see, but they can still be worn by another player. that would be a better way to go, but the rafters belong to yzerman, howe, abel and the like.

Honestly...out of those 4, the only one that would go up is Holmstrom. Yes, Draper has been as big, if not a more integral part of the Wings over the years...but no one else has sacrificed more than Homer. Ozzie? Sorry...but no...especially after the last two regular seasons.

Federov? Is this even a serious question?

Drapes? Ugh...I question it...so that may mean an automatic no...

Maltby? D-Mac? Yes they sacrificed for the Wings...but to this day, none have done it quite like, or nearly as much, as the Chipmunk has.

i don't agree with fedorov's 91 being retired, because of the contract holdout and bolting to the ducks after being swept by them. other then that, i say ozzie yes, draper/maltby/homer/mccarty yes, and shanahan definitely. any 4-time champ in the modern era deserves to have their number retired. ozzie is one of the - if not the - best goalie in wings history, and every wings fan knows shanny's impact on the dynasty.

eventually we'd run out of numbers if we kept retiring all the great players that we had.

I'm with Twig, I don't think any of them will be up there. Lidstrom for sure though.

Fedorov, Oz, Cheli for sure

There are plenty of "close': Hull, Shanny, Hasek who had great careers elsewhere but I'd rather see some "role" players like Homer or a guy like Ogrodnick who toiled on not-so-good teams

AND BY THE WAY - The Wings should correct an old horrendous omission & put up Red Kelly's jersey

Lidstrom is a lock because he is an automatic Hall of Famer. Every other jersey hanging in the Joe is also a HOFer. Unless Osgood and Fedorov make the Hall, they won't get retired. Homer, D-Mac, Malts are demigods in Detroit, but until the team rewrites their own gold standard, Lidstrom is the only jersey going rafter-ward in the foreseeable future.

I'm still holding pat on Holmstrom. He's the only one out of those 4 pictured that could and should go up. I know the Wings don't hang every Dick and Tom's number up...but Homer personifies what it takes to be a 'Great Red Wing'.

Wow, people have REALLY low standards for jersey retirement.

The next one that should be retired is 5. After that, maybe in a dozen years we consider talking about 13 or 40. Other than that? Yeah right.

Honestly... Fedorov? Osgood? Draper? Holmstrom? Give me a break. This isn't the hall of fame, this is saying that nobody should EVER be allowed to wear their numbers again. That's a joke. Why don't we just retire the whole 2002 cup winning team then? And hell, let's retire Kyle Quincey's number so we can bury the hatchet over him not getting a Stanley Cup ring.

I agree with Garth, but I honestly would feel bad not putting Homer's up there. From the first cup, I don't know if anyone has been more important in the playoffs than Holmstrom (other than 19 and 5), he is a lifetime Wing, and he is as hard working as they come. There are other grinders, scorers and good goalkeepers out there, but really Homer is one of a kind, other people play like him, but not nearly as well as him. In my opinon, he is the only one to even ponder at this point but to be honest, I don't know if he makes the cut or not.

Osgood, Yes, Federov, Yes, Holmstrom, No, Draper, No

I know that a lot of you are pissed at Fedorov for personal issues (holding out in 97-98, leaving the team after the '03 season, recent interviews where he said he and the other Russians were being held back, etc. But I think that's part of what makes this such an interesting question. It may be a simple 'no' for people like Garth (I appreciate your blatant honesty, as usual Garth), but check out Fedorov's accolades while he was with Detroit...

NHL All-Rookie Team (1991) NHL First All-Star Team (1994) Frank J. Selke Trophy (1994, 1996) Lester B. Pearson Award (1994) Hart Memorial Trophy (1994) Played in NHL All-Star Game (1992, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003)

He'll be in the hall of fame. At one point, he was the best player in NHL. Can we say that about any other player discussed (aside from Lidstrom)? No. How many kids around Michigan, as well as other places globally, wear #91 because of Sergei? I feel like that number will always belong to him, kind of like #68 will always be Jagr's.

Does he deserve to go up to the rafters and be counted among Lindsay, Howe, Yzerman and the rest? Honestly, I don't think so. But if he doesn't with all of his accomplishments, then maybe none of them do. They'll all probably be on the wall of fame at the Joe, but the rafters are only going to be plus one #5 banner within the forseeable future.

My $0.02

@waltdetroit1: Cheli has a better shot with #7 in Chicago

I have a serious man crush on Ozzie, but I'm on the fence about him getting retired. I think his loyalty is unquestioned. His stats say he belongs in the Hall of Fame and possibly in the rafters. ALL aging goalies start to trail off towards the end of their careers, so his play the last 2 years don't really sway my decision.

Fedorov can go fry an egg. Yeah, he had some great years in the D, but his attitude sucked, he held out for more money for almost an entire year and he constantly pissed and moaned about TOI only to leave for Anaheim where he averaged .... wait for it.... 13 SECONDS more ice time than in Detroit.

Chelios is a beast, but didn't really do enough in Detroit to warrant a banner. Same goes for Draper and Maltby.

Lidstrom ... given.

Holmstrom's name deserves some thought, but I doubt he'll get put up top. Although, they might just because who the hell else will wear #96 in the future?

written by HornzOverHalos, March 17, 2010

Holmstrom's name deserves some thought, but I doubt he'll get put up top. Although, they might just because who the hell else will wear #96 in the future?

Something tells me that it will be the same number of people who wear #16. Some jersey retirements, don't need a banner. Just something else to think about.

I have to say I'd do Shanny before Feds (er freudian slip there) but 96, 33, 30 are yes -or some other recognition ie take numbers out of circulation or a plaque or statue (can you imagine the Homer statue?). But then if you put 96, 33 and 30 up do you put 18 up? Personally no, but there is an argument based on the numbers above.

I have to agree on the comment regarding if you have Drapes up, you gotta have Maltby up there along with Homer. Ozzie? not sold on that. I realize everyone is entitled to a bad year here and there (drapers had them) but overall, I still don't think he's a lifer like the drapes and maltby are. side note: It was kinda weird watching maltby give some color commentary during the calgary game.

I love Drapes and Homer but the only one that seems right is Osgood. Chanting "Ozzie,"is one of the most energetic moments you can have at a Wings game. Although he has had a pretty poor year or two the majority of his career he has been highly underrated. I could, and would love to see a #30 going up alongside a #5.

How can you guys ditch shanny. Shanny was THE most emtionallu involved wings during our cup runs. He left us with style and no one has hard feelings on him. He helped us win Stanley Cups. Malts and Draps should be honoured not retired. Feds is a maybe, D-mac should be retired. Darren is my idol and I will never forget the goal agianst philly......

i just don't want to get into colorado territory where we lower the bar so far that we're retiring rentals.

save the rafters for the elites, but honor the grinders and role players. i say we should put a statue of holmstrom in front of something important, like the bathroom. that way at intermission when you really gotta go, you're saying "damn you, holmstrom! get out of the way! someone move this guy!" that way, his legend will live on and on...

I could see Darren McCarty at the very least having his own dictionary entry.


Darren McCarty
_______________

See: Badass

The rafters should probably remain for Hall of Famers. I give Ozzie and Shanny a shot at making it. While I don't care for Federov, if he's a HOF then yes.

Honor the Grind Line with some display around a new/revamped rink. Maybe not the statutes like they have now for Howe and Lindsay(?) but something else to honor their work.

I'm not sure what to do with Holmstrom. He deserves something, but what? I'm not sure. I think it would be awesome if he made the HoF, but the Hall wants the whole package - not just the ability to deflect any shot towards the goal. Give him a statute at least. I'm sure they could come up with a dramatic, simply awesome pose of him deflecting in a puck (including goalie and a defenseman brutalizing him in the process).

Statute = Statue, I know. Can you tell I'm in the law profession?

sid: you're right
cp432: you're most likely right

As for Fedorov, he had great years with the wings. Also being 1 of the 1st russians in the NHL who really could play, he was checked & hit unmercilessly by all of the opponents. I'd say he was hit more per shift than Ovi, Malkin, & Dats together are hit per game. I'd also take his attiyude over any whiney center.

i like the idea of honoring players like the leafs do, but then there'd be a ton of honorees from the past.

i mean, you definitely do not want to dilute the retiree pool. that means nixing just about everyone except lids. but having a special ceremony for the grind line - that would be a nice touch. and itd be fitting since those players mean so much more to the team as a unit than individually.

and fuck fedorov.

i say we should put a statue of holmstrom in front of something important, like the bathroom. that way at intermission when you really gotta go, you're saying "damn you, holmstrom! get out of the way! someone move this guy!" that way, his legend will live on and on...

Now that is beautiful.

I can see that this is an emotional decision for most here rather than looking at contribution to winning championships. The reasons for eliminating Federov are never about his play. They are about his attitude and the fact that he bolted. It is about some people getting all butt hurt.

I say that the names and numbers that you put in the rafters are all about performance. If you do not put Federov in the rafters then you have no business putting any of the other three up there either. Because they are all emotional choices, not a matter of actual performance. Should Ted Lindsey be in the rafters? Don't forget the Red Wings traded him because of his attitude also.

tuff - I agree except the part about performance only. Most don't like Feds but I saw a tough player who fought thru the euro-russo prejudice. While the press dis'd Feds, I don't remember his teammates ever complaining all that much in the media. I saw a player who was the best on either team many nights and who had a tough road to the top.

RETIRE RED KELLY'S JERSEY!!!!!

I went back and forth reading the comments. As much as I love the grind line (I have McCarty jersey) it is hard to put any of them up in the rafters. I do think they should honor the grind line, the rafters are for the super stars. I know the grind line and many others help to the cup wins, but you need to look at how they compare to the rest of the league. With the new stadium there should be enough room to honor the "small guys" to the history of the Wings. Don't forget we went 54 years without a cup.

Osgood: Yes (but, unlike what some douche said up earlier, he is NOT the best goalie in Detroit history. Sawchuck. Seriously... over Terry? He was awesome in a time where pads were rubberbanding cardboard boxes to your legs...)

Draper: HELL NO. Not even close. That would be like retiring Mike Ricci in Colorado.

Fedorov: Yes. He was great here for years even IF you want to be little bitches about him leaving for more money. It's his JOB. He's not playing for fame or fans, but for money. At one time, he was one of the top 5 players in the NHL (in the time of Gretzky, Lemeiux, Hull, Shanny, etc.) Shanny should be on the list, by the way.

That leaves Holmstrom. My answer is a resounding No. You should have thrown Holmer's stat line up there for reference. 209 Goals and 248 Assists in 866 games. About a point every other game. Not that great... And half of his goals come on the power play... which doesn't help his case. He's a career Red Wing, and a true warrior. But retired numbers should be held for players who dominate for a period, or someone who inspires the team (I still believe Konstantinov's number should be retired...). He did a better Ciccerelli than Dino could do. But the difference between those two guys is Dino had a great shot, could stick handle, and had some speed. Holmstrom is just a hippo with great hands. I love him as a role player, but he needs great players around him or he is worthless. It's got to be no to Holmer. And I'm going to miss him when he retires.

Maybe we could hang a pair of Homer's pants instead of his jersey in the rafters, as that's all opponent goalies see

I like the idea of a Ring of Honour around the building like some NFL teams do and like Toronto does. No one will ever wear Konstantinov's #, just like no one will wear Holmer's. Shanahan is my favourite player of all time, but I honestly can't believe we are talking about retiring his number. If they were going to do it, it would have been done already. Honest to god, Derek Fuggin Meech is wearing his number now. Is there a precedent for retiring a players # that is currently in use? Doubt it.

http://wingswineh.blogspot.com

None of them besides Lidstrom. Fedorov was a legitimately great player, but there is still animosity between him and the Red Wings and there's no reason to reward him. The others just aren't on the same level as the numbers already retired.

Rob B: I like the ring of honor bit a lot. What if the wings put up actual jerseys of players from all eras, Libitt,Polonich, Crozier, Proby, Pronovost,etc that made great impacts or were fan popular. You could have dozens. Keep the huge banners for the retired numbers. This wouldn't diminish their aura, only enhance it. All of the jerseys would be interesting, show history, and keep the memories of seasons past. For Homer, hang his pants

Lidstrom, Osgood, Shannahan, Fedorov for sure

Holdstrom and Drapper is theres room...you cant retire everyone

No to Hull he didnt play there long enough

I disagree with Fedorov just because of how he left. And even though Brendan Shanahan was my favourite player, I just don't think his career in Detroit was long enough to end up with a jersey retired. I don't want us to be compared to the Avalanches, ever. But Ozzy and Nicky are a definite must. Role players like Drapes and Homer, who are blue collar guys, won't be mind if we don't fit them on there. They've never asked for glory, they've just earned it. It would be nice to retire their numbers, sure, but it's just too much.

Mad props to Homer, by the way, for sticking with us all these years. Ryan Smyth who?