There really isn't a whole lot in recent NHL history that could top the summer of 2001 for the Detroit Red Wings, which ultimately set the stage for what would be the 10th Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Following their shocking loss in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Red Wings decided to re-tool rather than rebuild, and they signaled that they weren't going anywhere when they acquired Dominik Hasek from the Buffalo Sabres.
One day later, the Red Wings snagged Luc Robitaille, who had just helped the Kings beat them in the postseason. Right away, the Red Wings were once again the prohibitive favorites to be the last NHL team standing the following June.
Just when it appeared that the Red Wings were set with the roster as it was, an opportunity arose to acquire yet another future Hall of Famer – Brett Hull, who turns 61 years old today.
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The Red Wings made Hull's signing possible by asking players like Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahn, Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Chelios to defer some of their salary to accommodate Hull on the books, a request they all immediately replied in the affirmative.
While many expected Hull to play on a line with Yzerman or Shanahan or perhaps Sergei Fedorov or Igor Larionov, he was instead assigned to play with a young and shy Russian rookie who didn't speak English yet by the name of Pavel Datsyuk.
Years later, Hull would describe Datsyuk as "the sickest player I've ever seen".
“Going out to dinner, it’s Yzerman, Shanahan, Fedorov, Larionov… this is a Hall of Fame table,” Hull explained looking back on the legendary 2001-02 Red Wings roster. “And lo and behold, this kid shows up at training camp. Pavel Datsyuk. They put me with him.“He doesn’t speak English, but he is the sickest player I’ve ever seen in my life."
Datsyuk’s creativity and agility thrilled hockey fans in Detroit for more than a decade, ultimately earning him a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame and making him the 10th Hall of Famer from the Red Wings’ 2001–02 team.
Datsyuk played with Hull and fellow youngster Boyd Devereaux, forming what Hull famously referred to as the "Two Kids and a Goat" line. The following season, Devereaux was replaced on the line by another highly-touted rookie, future Red Wings team captain Henrik Zetterberg.
After playing against Detroit for years with the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars, Hull proved to be the final piece of the puzzle that resulted in the Stanley Cup being skated on Joe Louis Arena ice on June 13, 2002.
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