Encyclopedia Of Detroit
Lindsay, Ted
Detroit Red Wing and all-time hockey great Ted Lindsay was a nine-time All-Star and four-time Stanley Cup champion who played left wing on Detroit’s famous “Production Line” with right winger Gordie Howe, and center Sid Abel. Lindsay served as Red Wings team captain from 1952-1956. He was born on July 29, 1929, in Renfrew, Ontario.
Lindsay played amateur hockey as a teenager and was skilled enough to join the Red Wings in 1944 at age 19. He would earn the nickname “Terrible Ted” for his scrappy playstyle. After playing 13 years for the Red Wings, in 1957 he was traded to Chicago in retribution for leading the effort to establish the NHL Players’ Association, a union that would be officially initiated a decade later. In 1964 he was coaxed out of retirement at age 39 to play one last season in Detroit. In 1966, Lindsay was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame but refused to attend the men-only event since he was not allowed to bring his wife. As a result, the rules were changed the following year to allow women to attend. Lindsay temporarily left his successful business to serve as the Wings’ general manger from 1977 to 1980 and briefly as head coach.
In his honor, the Ted Lindsay Award is presented annually to the National Hockey League’s “Most Outstanding Player” as selected by the players. His number 7 was retired by the Red Wings and a statue of his likeness is installed at Little Caesars Arena. In 2001 he co-founded the Ted Lindsay Foundation which has raised over $4.5 million in support of autism research and programs. He is also credited with starting the tradition of hoisting the Stanley Cup and skating around with it for the fans. Lindsay died in 2019 at age 93.
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