The Detroit Red Wings have never been short on legends, which is exactly why the next number-retirement decision carries real weight. When a franchise has that kind of history, the bar is sky-high. By that standard, Pavel Datsyuk’s No. 13 and Henrik Zetterberg’s No. 40 belong in the rafters next.
These two were far more than star players. They were the Red Wings for a whole generation, the names that defined Detroit hockey from the early 2000s into the 2010s and helped keep the team among the NHL’s elite.
Datsyuk’s case starts with a career that reads like a Hall of Fame sales pitch. He spent all 14 of his NHL seasons in Detroit and piled up 918 points in 953 games, with 314 goals and 604 assists. That puts him inside the franchise’s top 10 all-time in games, goals, assists and points.
The hardware only sharpens the argument. Datsyuk won three straight Selke Trophies, four consecutive Lady Byng Trophies, earned four All-Star selections and was named one of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players. He also won Stanley Cups with Detroit in 2002 and 2008, then became a first-ballot Hockey Hall of Famer in 2024.
But numbers and trophies still don’t fully explain what made No. 13 so special. Datsyuk’s puck control, his defensive feel and his knack for making opponents look completely lost turned him into one of the most mesmerizing players the Red Wings have ever had.
Zetterberg’s résumé is every bit as strong, even if his path looked different. The seventh-round pick became one of the best players in franchise history and spent all 15 of his NHL seasons in Detroit. He finished with 960 points in 1,082 games, good for fifth in Red Wings history in goals, assists and points.
His signature moment came in 2008, when he put together one of the great Stanley Cup Final shifts, piled up 27 points in the playoffs, won the Conn Smythe Trophy and scored the Cup-clinching goal against Pittsburgh. Later, he took over as captain from Nicklas Lidstrom and guided the franchise through a tough transition.
Zetterberg’s impact wasn’t limited to the ice, either. He also won the King Clancy Trophy and the NHL Foundation Player Award.
That’s the real reason both numbers should be retired: Datsyuk and Zetterberg weren’t hired guns passing through town. They became Detroit Red Wings in the deepest sense, winning championships, carrying the post-Yzerman era and creating a long list of memories at Joe Louis Arena before the story moved to Little Caesars Arena.
Detroit shouldn’t hang a number just because a player was good. The honor should be saved for people who changed the franchise’s history.
Datsyuk and Zetterberg did exactly that. No. 13 and No. 40 deserve to sit among the greatest numbers in Red Wings history forever.
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