Detroit Red Wings All-Time Team and Line Combinations
Marcel Pronovost
The “Flying Frenchman” is perhaps the only player on this list match the toughness and intensity of Darren McCarty. An eleven-time NHL All Star, Marcel Pronovost was lauded for his offensive ability as a defender.
Over the course of his careeer, Pronovost has collected eight Stanley Cup Championships: five as a player, and three as a scout for the New Jersey Devils. Of his five player career cups, four are as a member of the Detroit Red Wings.
Although he never won a Norris trophy as the league’s best defenseman, Pronovost was held in very high regard around the league. Pronovost collected 297 points in 983 games over the course of 15 seasons with Detroit. Perhaps even more impressive than his point totals are the amount of injuries he sustained in his career. The fans in Detroit nicknamed Pronovost the Flying Frenchman due to his absolutely lack of self preservation on the ice, and he well earned it.
Over the course of his career, Pronovost became the recipient of over 200 stitches, as well as a broken vertibrae. Whereas most people would likely call it a career after such misfortune, Pronovost just accepted the injuries as an occupational hazard, and he never looked back. His involvement in the NHL spanned over 68 years, which is a record that will surely never be broken.