2025 is turning out to be a nightmarish year for hockey fans. While this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs were definitely one for the history books, there have also been enough heartbreaking affairs in the first few months of 2025 to trade off the postseason glee entirely. From the former Capitals’ captain Shawn “Simmers” Simpson to the Maple Leafs’ ex-goalie Mark “Trees” LaForest, countless NHL icons have left us in this year alone. And now, just as the dust from the 2025 NHL Draft settles, sorrowful news emerging from the Detroit Red Wings’ camp once again plunges the community into mourning.

“Few athletes in any sport ever have been as synonymous with one franchise as Alex Delvecchio was with the Detroit Red Wings,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in an official statement following the iconic hockey center’s unfortunate demise on Tuesday. Delvecchio cemented his status as one of the all-time hockey greats over 25 seasons with the Red Wings. Justifiably, the fans were left with nothing but sadness.

The official Detroit Red Wings X account shared an emotional statement from the Hall of Famer’s family members via a post on July 1. “To our Red Wings Fans, Friends and Hockey Community, It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Alex Delvecchio, who left us peacefully on July 1, 2025, surrounded by his family at the age of 93 years old,” reads the brooding statement.

A member of Gordie Howe’s famous “Production Line”, Delvecchio played 1670 regular and postseason games, and will always be known for his thunderous scoring skills as a Red Wings star. However, his impact also goes beyond the skating rink. “Alex was more than a hockey icon, he was a devoted husband, loving father, grandfather, great grandfather, cherished friend, and respected teammate to so many,” the Delvecchio family’s statement went on, “While the world knew him as an incredible hockey player with numerous accomplishments on the ice, we knew him as someone whose humility, strength, competiveess, kindness, and heart were even greater than his professional achievements“.

And soon enough, fans started showing up with their final goodbyes for the fallen comrade. “Godspeed Alex Delvecchio. Legend of the game,” wrote one fan, waving adieu to the Red Wings’ icon, who made Howe’s time in charge of the team all the more memorable. Sending off the 3x Stanley Cup champion (1952, 1954, and 1955) to the great unknown wasn’t an easy task, but the fans did their best.

Fans take a moment to remember the Detroit Red Wings veteran

Numerous hockey legends have made their exits from the world within the first six months of 2025. Along with the names mentioned at the beginning of the article, Greg Millen, a former NHL stalwart who played for the Red Wings for one season, also passed away unexpectedly in April, leaving the fans long-faced. And now, with Delvecchio’s passing, it seems like those old wounds have been opened again.

“Hockey legends never die,” one fan made it clear that the ex-Red Wings star isn’t in fear of fading away from the community’s memory any time soon. “RIP Alex, a true ambassador of Red Wing hockey!” wrote another. An athlete’s true legacy is often created off the field: How much they manage to leave a mark, not just with their skills as a player, but as a member of the community. After all, memories are what we are left with after we lose our colleagues. And it seems like the Detroit clan has too many fond memories of Delvecchio to forget him.

“My dad used to take me to Olympia Stadium to watch the Wings play when I was a kid and I remember my dad specifically pointing out Alex Delvecchio when he was on the ice. He was a big fan!” yet another Red Wings loyalist recalled how he got to learn about the icon at an early age. However, Alex wasn’t known to his fans only for his on-ice antics.

One fan shared how they came across the Detroit center way off the ice. “I met Alex when he owned a sign company and he actually installed our indoor signage at the City-County Building in downtown Detroit. A class act that I will remember forever,” the fan commented, hailing Alex as “A legend.” Makes you smile, even in sadness, doesn’t it?

Do you have any memories of your own about the great Alex Delvecchio? Share them with us in a comment!