Marty Pavelich obit

Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup champion Marty Pavelich dies at age 96

 

He was not on the list.

Marty Pavelich, part of the Detroit Red Wings' heyday in the 1950s, has died at age 96.

Pavelich died in his sleep Thursday-into-Friday, according to his son, Andrew Hofley. Pavelich had been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) around May.

"We were watching baseball and I was holding his hand," Hofley said. "A peaceful end to an extraordinary life."

In early June, the four-time champion reflected on his career.

"I may not have been the most talented member of those teams but you were never going to outwork me," Pavelich said. "Nor could you ever have more desire to win than I did. I would like to think my legacy and what I am most proud of was my leadership in the locker room. I hated to lose — still do — and that is what I have attempted to pass on to all of the young people in sports and business I have met through the years."

In his prime, Pavelich was 5feet 11 and 168 pounds of determination. He was a perfect complement to a lineup that boasted Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay, providing a relentless drive to shut down the opposition's top players. He famously had a long-running rivalry with Montreal Canadiens star Maurice "Rocket" Richard.

One of Pavelich's favorite stories was the time he checked Richard so hard the Canadien suffered a cut above the eye.  Later in the game, Richard was going to run Pavelich from behind, but Bob Goldham yelled at Pavelich to watch out, and he escaped injury.

“On behalf of the entire Red Wings organization I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the Pavelich family,” Red Wings owner Christopher Ilitch said in a statement. “Marty was beloved by all those who knew him, including my parents, Mike and Marian Ilitch. He was an integral part of four Stanley Cup championship teams for the Red Wings in the 1950s and one of the hardest working players of his generation. He will be greatly missed.”

Pavelich recorded 93 goals among 252 points in 633 games.

Pavelich played three seasons (1944–47) of junior-league hockey with the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) Galt Red Wings in Galt, Ontario. He played 74 regular season games for the team, scoring 52 goals, with 66 assists for a total of 118 points.

Hockey journalist Stan Fischler, ranked him as the 4th best defensive forward of all time in his book Hockey's 100: A Personal Ranking of the Best Players in Hockey History. Considered one of the best "shadows" of his time, his role was to check other team's top scorers, including the likes of Maurice "Rocket" Richard.

 

areer statistics

                         Regular season              Playoffs

Season Team            League            GP            G            A            Pts            PIM            GP            G            A            Pts            PIM

1944–45            Galt Red Wings            OHA-Jr.        21            8            12            20            10            9            7            5            12            6

1945–46            Galt Red Wings            OHA-Jr.        25            22            26            48            18            5            2            1            3            5

1946–47            Galt Red Wings            OHA-Jr.        28            22            28            50            32            9            4            5            9            6

1947–48            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            41            4            8            12            10            10            2            2            4            6

1947–48            Indianapolis Capitals            AHL            26            3            14            17            21            —            —            —            —            —

1948–49            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            60            10            16            26            40            9            0            1            1            8

1949–50            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            65            8            15            23            58            14            4            2            6            13

1949–50            Indianapolis Capitals            AHL            6            2            3            5            2            —            —            —            —            —

1950–51            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            67            9            20            29            41            6            0            1            1            2

1951–52            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            68            17            19            36            54            8            2            2            4            2

1952–53            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            64            13            20            33            49            6            2            1            3            7

1953–54            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            65            9            20            29            57            12            2            2            4            4

1954–55            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            70            15            15            30            59            11            1            3            4            12

1955–56            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            70            5            13            18            38            10            0            1            1            14

1956–57            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            64            3            13            16            48            5            0            0            0            6

NHL totals            634            93            159            252            454            91            13            15            28            74