Game of Numbers: Detroit Red Wings Edition

The Game of Numbers is an exclusive THW series looking at upcoming milestones around the NHL. Each team will be looked at individually in three parts – individual player milestones, franchise player milestones, and players that rank in the top 100 in NHL history in any big statistical category.

The Detroit Red Wings have – for a while now – been arguably the best NHL franchise in terms of player development. The process of drafting well and turning those players into stars in the league is something that team has always prided itself on and it’s paid off. The Red Wings have found themselves in the playoffs every year for over two decades.

Holding players back a few years does hinder their career stats, but it also allows the select few become all-star calibre players during their NHL careers. Certainly the success they do have allows them to ignore the couple of seasons they might not have appeared in to start their careers. And while some have not seen the dividends in the form of Stanley Cup rings, it’s surely only a matter of time.

Detroit Red Wings Individual Milestones

With a team full of young up-and-comers, the Red Wings maintain a constant veteran presence with the likes of Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Kronwall. But both young and older players donning the Wings colours are in search of personal marks – with many players in search of milestones in top statistical categories.

Games Played:

• 900 games played: Pavel Datsyuk (859)
• 500 games played: Drew Miller (452)
• 400 games played: Jonathan Ericsson (371), Justin Abdelkader (366)
• 200 games played: Brendan Smith (160)
• 100 games played: Riley Sheahan (90), Tomas Jurco (73)

Goals:

• 300 goals: Henrik Zetterberg (293), Pavel Datsyuk (287)
• 200 goals: Johan Franzen (187), Daniel Cleary (165), Stephen Weiss (152)
• 100 goals: Niklas Kronwall (67), Drew Miller (53), Darren Helm (52), Gustav Nyquist (50)

Assists:

• 600 assists: Pavel Datsyuk (552)
• 500 assists: Henrik Zetterberg (468)
• 300 assists: Stephen Weiss (259), Niklas Kronwall (254)
• 200 assists: Johan Franzen (182)
• 100 assists: Kyle Quincey (97), Darren Helm (71), Justin Abdelkader (64), Jonathan Ericsson (62), Drew Miller (55)

Points:

• 800 points: Henrik Zetterberg (761)
• 400 points: Daniel Cleary (387), Johan Franzen (369)
• 100 points: Gustav Nyquist (95), Tomas Tatar (81), Jonathan Ericsson (77), Jakub Kindl (58)

Wins:

• 200 wins: Jimmy Howard (168)
• 100 wins: Jonas Gustavsson (58)

Detroit Red Wings Franchise Milestones

With the storied history that the Red Wings franchise carries, it’s no wonder no current player is even close to knocking off the franchise leaders in each statistical category. Guys like Steve Yzerman, Gordie Howe, and Sergei Fedorov stand atop the Red Wings offensive categories.

Zetterberg and Datsyuk are up there on the team’s all-time lists. While they still have a ways to go in chasing down the leaders of this Original Six franchise, they’ve made their mark in maintaining a place in Red Wings’ history.

Games Played:

• Pavel Datsyuk (859) needs 3 games played to pass Lynn Libett (861) for 12th on the team’s all-time list.
• Henrik Zetterberg (805) needs 42 games played to pass Red Kelly (846) for 14th on the team’s all-time list.
• Jimmy Howard (317) needs 8 games played to pass Harry Lumley (324) for 3rd on the team’s all-time goalie list.

Goals:

• Henrik Zetterberg (293) needs 17 goals to pass Brendan Shanahan (309) for 7th on the team’s all-time list.
• Pavel Datsyuk (287) needs 7 goals to pass Henrik Zetterberg (289) for 8th on the team’s all-time list.
• Johan Franzen (187) needs 2 goals to pass Syd Howe and Reed Larson (188) for 16th on the team’s all-time list.

Assists:

• Pavel Datsyuk (552) needs 3 assists to pass Sergei Fedorov (554) for 5th on the team’s all-time list.
• Henrik Zetterberg (468) needs 85 assists to pass Pavel Datsyuk (548) for 6th on the team’s all-time list.
• Niklas Kronwall (254) needs 7 assists to pass Gerard Gallant (260) for 17th on the team’s all-time list.

Points:

• Pavel Datsyuk (839) needs 116 points to pass Sergei Fedorov (954) for 5th on the team’s all-time list.
• Henrik Zetterberg (761) needs 79 points to pass Pavel Datsyuk (839) for 6th on the team’s all-time list.

Powerplay Goals:

• Henrik Zetterberg (94) needs 22 powerplay goals to pass Brendan Shanahan (115) for 5th on the team’s all-time list.
• Pavel Datsyuk (87) needs 6 powerplay goals to pass Henrik Zetterberg (92) for 6th on the team’s all-time list.
• Johan Franzen (69) needs 9 powerplay goals to pass John Ogrodnick (77) for 8th on the team’s all-time list.

Game-Winning Goals:

• Henrik Zetterberg (59) needs 5 game-winning goals to pass Brendan Shanahan (63) for 3rd on the team’s all-time list.
• Pavel Datsyuk (49) needs 11 game-winning goals to pass Henrik Zetterberg (59) for 4th on the team’s all-time list.
• Johan Franzen (44) needs 6 game-winning goals to pass Pavel Datsyuk (49) for 5th on the team’s all-time list.
• Daniel Cleary (23) needs 1 game-winning goal to pass Kris Draper (23) for 13th on the team’s all-time list.

Wins:

• Jimmy Howard (168) needs 150 wins to pass Chris Osgood (317) for 2nd on the team’s all-time list.

Shutouts:

• Jimmy Howard (20) needs 7 shutouts to pass Harry Lumley (26) for 3rd on the team’s all-time list.

‘Top 100’ Milestones

Drafted in 1999, nobody would’ve guessed that the 210th overall pick would turn into something special. However, Henrik Zetterberg proved otherwise. The 34-year-old has since played in 11 NHL seasons, making the playoffs in each of those seasons – a sure sign of success. Not only that, but Zetterberg has had a knack for coming through when his team needs him – scoring numerous game-winning goals.

• Zetterberg (59) needs 1 game-winning goal to pass Pavol Demitra, Pavel Bure, Milan Hejduk, Rick Middleton, Brian Propp, Pat LaFontaine, and John Bucyk (59) for 66th on the NHL’s all-time list.

Jimmy Howard was drafted by the Red Wings in 2003 by the Detroit Red Wings. Since then, he’s made a name for himself within the organization. He was named to the 2014 United States Winter Olympic team and has seen the NHL playoffs in five seasons with the Wings. When it comes to all-time wins, he’s among some of the greatest in NHL history.

• Jimmy Howard (168) needs 2 wins to pass Jaroslav Halak (169) for 96th on the NHL’s all-time list.

More from the ‘Game of Numbers’ series:

Eastern Conference: BOS | BUF | CAR | CLB | DET | FLA | MTL | NJD | NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | TBL | TOR | WSH
Western Conference: ANA | ARZ | CAL | CHI | COL | DAL | EDM | LAK | MIN | NSH | SJS | STL | VAN | WPG

NOTE: The ‘Game of Numbers’ series is subject to updates as the 2014-15 season progresses. Individual marks will only appear if the player is within 50 of the specific statistical milestone, while franchise marks only recognize the top 20 in club history.

For more, follow Andrew on Twitter at @AndrewGForbes or his THW column at @Tape2TapeTHW.