Mickey Redmond

Mickey Redmond
Born (1947-12-27) December 27, 1947 (age 76)
Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Detroit Red Wings
National team  Canada
Playing career 1967–1975

Michael Edward Redmond (born December 27, 1947)[1] is a Canadian former professional hockey player. He is currently a color commentator for Detroit Red Wings games on television for FanDuel Sports Network Detroit.

Playing career

Redmond played right wing for the Montreal Canadiens from 1967-1971, winning Stanley Cups with them in 1968 and 1969. He scored 27 goals for the Canadiens in the 1969–70 season.

Halfway through the 1970–71 NHL season he was traded to the Red Wings in a deal that sent superstar Frank Mahovlich to Montreal.[2][3] His promise was fulfilled the season following, when he scored 42 goals on a line centered by veteran star Alex Delvecchio.

In 1972–1973, Redmond became the seventh player in NHL history and the first Red Wing player to score 50 goals in a season. He finished a career year with 52 goals (surpassing Gordie Howe's team record of 49) and 93 points.[4] Redmond's record would stand until John Ogrodnick tallied 55 goals during the 1985 season. Delvecchio retired early in the 1973–74 season to become the team's coach, and Redmond was moved onto a line with budding superstar Marcel Dionne. Redmond's success continued, and he became only the third player (after Bobby Hull and Phil Esposito) to achieve back-to-back 50 goal seasons with 51 goals (including an NHL leading 21 power play goals).

In the 1974–75 season Redmond sustained a back injury and played only 29 games. His back woes continued the following year; after 37 games he retired early at the age of 28.[5] He had been named to the league's First All-Star Team in 1973, the Second Team in 1974, and he played in one All-Star Game in 1974.

Redmond's younger brother Dick was an NHL defenceman. He played thirteen seasons, primarily with the Chicago Black Hawks and the Boston Bruins.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1963–64 Peterborough Petes OHA 53 21 17 38 26 4 1 2 3 2
1964–65 Peterborough Petes OHA 52 23 20 43 30 12 1 9 10 11
1965–66 Peterborough Petes OHA 48 41 51 92 31 6 4 1 5 6
1966–67 Peterborough Petes OHA 48 51 44 95 44 6 2 5 6 14
1966–67 Houston Apollos CHL 5 3 2 5 2
1967–68 Montreal Canadiens NHL 41 6 5 11 4 2 0 0 0 0
1967–68 Houston Apollos CHL 15 9 8 17 9
1968–69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 65 9 15 24 12 14 2 3 5 2
1969–70 Montreal Canadiens NHL 75 27 27 54 61
1970–71 Montreal Canadiens NHL 40 14 15 29 35
1970–71 Detroit Red Wings NHL 21 6 8 14 7
1971–72 Detroit Red Wings NHL 78 42 29 71 34
1972–73 Detroit Red Wings NHL 76 52 41 93 24
1973–74 Detroit Red Wings NHL 76 51 26 77 14
1974–75 Detroit Red Wings NHL 29 15 12 27 18
1975–76 Detroit Red Wings NHL 37 11 17 28 10
NHL totals 538 233 195 428 219 16 2 3 5 2

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1972 Canada SS 1 0 0 0 0

Broadcasting

After his playing career ended, Redmond became a color commentator on television. His television stops include CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, NHL on ESPN usually with Dan Kelly, Mike Lange, or Sam Rosen,[6][7] NHL on Fox and for most of his broadcasting career, local television coverage of the Red Wings with play-by-play announcers Dave Strader, Mike Goldberg, and (currently) Ken Daniels. His catchphrases are referred to by fans as "Mickeyisms". In one memorable string, Mickey used the following to describe a scramble in the crease- "Ten hungry lumberjacks, one pork chop left on the plate, and who should come up with it but Brett Hull!"

Redmond was a frequent guest on Drew and Mike In the Morning on WRIF. Redmond provided in-studio pre- and post-game commentary for WXYZ when ABC broadcast NHL games that featured the Red Wings and currently does the same on NBC-broadcast Wings games for WDIV.

Redmond only does commentary for home games and away games with short trips, due to having coeliac disease, survived lung cancer twice[8][9] and having a lot of difficulty of finding gluten-free meals over an extended road trip. In those cases, his duties are covered by Chris Osgood and/or Larry Murphy.[10][11][12][13]

In 2011, Redmond was the recipient of the Hockey Hall of Fame's Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, named after Foster Hewitt and presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame to members of the radio and television industry who make outstanding contributions to their profession and the game of ice hockey during their broadcasting career. The award winners are selected by the NHL Broadcasters Association.[14][15]

In 2022, Redmond was part of the Class of 2022 inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in Detroit.[16][17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mickey Redmond Stats and News". NHL.com. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  2. ^ Dow, Bill. "Mickey Redmond, TV voice of Detroit Red Wings, was in life-altering trade 50 years ago". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Dow, Bill (March 3, 2023). "When the Wings Acquired Sharpshooter Mickey Redmond". Vintage Detroit Collection. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "March 27: Redmond becomes first 50-goal scorer for Red Wings". NHL.com. September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  5. ^ Dow, Bill (December 12, 2010). "The Life & Times of the Red Wings' Mickey Redmond". Vintage Detroit Collection. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  6. ^ Sarni, Jim (October 10, 1985). "Espn Breaks The Ice For Sports Fans With Caps-Rangers Game Thursday". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  7. ^ "Stockton, Walker Get a Break as Big Call Goes Their Way". Los Angeles Times. September 20, 1985. p. 3. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Hedger, Brian. "A unique game-calling style has helped Redmond voice a Hall of Fame career". NHL.com. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  9. ^ Malik, George (February 28, 2008). "Mickey Redmond says he's doing well, though he'll have to endure chemotherapy". MLive. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Khan, Ansar (September 9, 2013). "Former Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood joins Fox Sports Detroit as game and studio analyst". MLive. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  11. ^ Khan, Ansar (February 14, 2019). "Larry Murphy returns to FSD as Red Wings analyst". MLive Media Group. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  12. ^ Crawford, Kirkland. "Detroit Red Wings great Larry Murphy rehired by Fox Sports Detroit". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  13. ^ Bartkowiak, Dave Jr (February 14, 2019). "Larry Murphy returns to Red Wings broadcast team, replaces Darren Eliot". ClickOnDetroit. WDIV-TV. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  14. ^ Khan, Ansar (June 2, 2011). "Red Wings TV analyst Mickey Redmond will receive Foster Hewitt Award". MLive. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  15. ^ Zuidema, Michael (November 11, 2011). "Red Wings voice Mickey Redmond honored for outstanding contributions as a broadcaster". MLive. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Brown, Nate (June 18, 2022). "Red Wings Daily: Mickey Redmond to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame". Detroit Hockey Now. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  17. ^ Duff, Bob (September 11, 2022). "Redmond Enshrined into Michigan Sports Hall of Fame". Detroit Hockey Now. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  • Brudenell, Mike (January 22, 2008). "Bingo Bango! - Mick Lights It Up as Wings Broadcaster". The Detroit Free Press. p. 6D.
  • Kulfan, Ted (December 15, 1999). "Redmond's Mickeyisms Score with Fans: Expressions of TV Analyst for Wings Can Mean Lots of Things". The Detroit News. p. 1B.