Ted Lindsay, Hockey Hall Of Famer And Gordie Howe Linemate, Dies At 93

Ted Lindsay was a Hall of Fame hockey player who made contributions on and off the ice. During his time with the Detroit Red Wings, he served as the muscle and meanness of their “Production Line” era during the 1960s. Off the ice, he helped build the first NHL Players Union. He passed away on Monday at age 93.

NHL Great Ted Lindsay Dead At 93

No official cause of death was given for Lindsay. The nine-time All-Star, nicknamed “Terrible Ted,” was one of the game’s best left wings of his time. He ended his career with four Stanley Cup Finals wins.  Lindsay, Sid Abel and Gordie Howe formed an offensive juggernaut of a line that made Detroit the first of the NHL’s great postwar dynasties.

Lindsay changed the game of hockey for the better. After being named the president of the players union, he was first stripped of his captaincy and then traded to the struggling Chicago Blackhawks. Then, Red Wings general manager Jack Adams spread fake rumors about Lindsay criticizing his teammates and even went so far as to show reporters a falsified contract between the organization and the player.

However, he was recognized for his role in the sport when he retired. The Hockey Hall of Fame waived its three-year waiting period when he was inducted in 1966. And after every Stanley Cup Final, when the winning team skates around the rink with the cup hoisted in the air, that is a tradition Lindsay started in 1950. Even though recognition came in, Lindsay was humble.

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“I saw it sitting there, and I thought, ‘I’ll just pick it up and I’ll take it over.’ … I just moved along the boards. I didn’t have it over my head. I had it so they could read it,” he said in 2013. “I wasn’t starting a tradition, I was just taking care of my fans that paid our salary.”

Perhaps the most meaningful tribute to Lindsay was when the NHL Players’ Association renamed its MVP award after Lindsay.

After his playing career, the Red Wings saved their relationship with an all-time great. The team retired his No. 7 jersey and he even became the GM of the team for three seasons.

“It didn’t matter that they traded me,” he said in 1995. “I have a Red Wing on my forehead and on my behind and on my heart. That will never change.”

No funeral plans have been announced for Lindsay.