Ted Lindsay, hall of famer from Red Wings’ famed ‘Production Line’, dies Monday at 93

Ted Lindsay, hall of famer from Red Wings' famed 'Production Line', dies Monday at 93
CHEK

Photo courtesy CBC.

Photo courtesy CBC.

Ted Lindsay, a hard-nosed star winger who formed Detroit’s famed Production Line with Gordie Howe and Sid Abel, has died.

He was 93.

The N-H-L Alumni Association confirmed his death Monday morning.

Lindsay’s impact on hockey was felt both on and off the ice.

The nine-time all-star was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966 and is considered one of the greatest left-wingers in the game.

His influence in hockey is still felt today.

Lindsay spearheaded the drive for a players’ association and was its first president.

The N-H-L Players’ Association honoured him in 2010 by renaming its M-V-P award the Ted Lindsay Award trophy.

While just five foot eight and 160 pounds, Lindsay cast a huge shadow on the ice.

The native of Renfrew, Ont., was hard-working, skilled and able to antagonize opponents.

In a 2015 interview with The Canadian Press, Lindsay said “There’s only one reason I played. That was to win.”

Beloved in Detroit, he was seen as a villain everywhere else in the N-H-L.

But he welcomed their boos, saying “I loved it, I loved it, I loved it.”

Howe said Lindsay played the game “like a holy terror.”

Lindsay said “I hated every guy I played against” calling it a wonderful way to play hockey because no coach ever has to get you up.

Lindsay, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966, played 17 seasons in the NHL from 1944 to 1965 with a four-year break.

He scored 379 goals and added 472 assists in 1,068 games, while collecting 1,808 penalty minutes.

He is credited with starting the tradition of players skating around the ice with the Stanley Cup after winning it.

Lindsay did it spontaneously after the Wings won the Cup in 1950 so fans could share in the experience.

Files from The Canadian Press.

The Canadian PressThe Canadian Press

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