Encyclopedia Of Detroit

Former ice hockey All-Star and broadcaster Mickey Redmond has been a familiar face for Detroit Red Wings fans for over 40 years.  

Michael “Mickey” Redmond was born on December 27, 1947, in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada. With his hockey-playing dad showing him the ropes, Redmond has been involved with the sport from a young age. He served as “stick boy” for the Peterborough Petes junior hockey team (under future Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman) at age 12, and later played for that team at age 15.  When he was 20, Redmond made his National Hockey League debut playing right wing with the Montreal Canadiens in 1967. In his first two years with the Canadiens, the team achieved two consecutive Stanley Cup victories.  

The Detroit Red Wings acquired Redmond in a trade midway through the 1970-71 season. In his second full season with the team, he became the first Red Wing to score 50 goals in a season, besting his former teammate Gordie Howe’s record of 49. Unfortunately, a back injury dramatically reduced his time on the ice, which eventually led to his retirement from playing at the age of 28 in 1976. 

Redmond started his broadcasting career during the 1979-80 season covering the Red Wings for a premium subscription network. From there he went to the famed Hockey Night in Canada program on CBC for five years, before returning to Detroit in 1986. In 1997, Redmond’s color analysis was joined in the booth by play-by-play announcer Ken Daniels, the two of whom continue to be fan-favorite announcers for the Red Wings TV broadcasts on Bally Sports Detroit.  

His efforts are not only admired and appreciated by Red Wings fans, but he was also recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011 with the Foster Hewitt Award for his contributions to hockey broadcasting.