Mac Makes It Official

By Adam W Parks

A jersey bearing the #25 may never be raised to the rafters at Joe Louis Arena, but Darren McCarty still had a legendary career in Hockeytown. On Monday Mac, 37, announced his retirement officially ending his 15-season NHL career, 13 of which he spent as a fan favorite in Detroit. With a face that only his mother, family, and fans could love, McCarty will always be remembered as a fan-favorite and one of the best all-around Red Wings of the past couple of decades.

Whether using his fists or his stick, McCarty had a propensity for making a big play and changing the momentum of a game with a timely goal or a powerful punch. He was a central figure during the mid-1990s when Detroit returned to glory. No other Red Wing epitomized the grit and intensity and emotion of that era for Detroit more than Mac, and he continued to bring that fire to the ice for nearly another decade after. He, along with Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom, Kris Draper, and Kirk Maltby, are the only players to receive four rings from all four of Detroit's recent Stanley Cup Championships (97, 98, 02, and 08).

“I’m very proud to have played for as long as I did, with so many great teammates and to have been a part of all those strong teams, especially the four Stanley Cup-winning teams in Detroit,” said McCarty. “Playing with and against the best players in the world for the past 15 years has been an amazing experience. I’d like to thank my family, teammates, coaches, the Red Wings and Flames organizations, and the fans for helping me realize my dreams.”

McCarty played in 758 NHL games and racked up 127 goals, 288 points, and 1,477 penalty minutes, but he saved some of the best hockey of his career for the postseason. Mac collected 49 points and six game-winning goals in 174 playoff games. His best season came in that 96-97 championship season when he scored a 19 goals with 49 points, both career highs. He scored three goals in the playoffs that year and clinched the Stanley Cup with his spectacular game-winning score in Game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers.

On a personal level, McCarty is one of the greatest Detroit sports figures in the past 20-30 years. He may not have had the speed or the flash or the skill of some, but his determination to win and protect his teammates combined with his unbridled passion for Hockeytown and the fans puts him up there with everybody else. His story both on and off the ice is an emotional and bittersweet tale of defeat and triumph, heartbreak and redemption. Here are my three favorite Darren McCarty moments in chronological order:

1) March 26, 1997: The greatest game I have ever seen. The summit of a blood-splattered rivalry, and McCarty was the guy to plant the flag directly into the faces of the Colorado Avalanche. This was the game when all Wings fans fell in love with Mac. He enacted revenge on Claude Lemieux's face for the blind-side hit on his best friend, Kris Draper, and he scored the overtime goal for a win that propelled the Wings into and through the playoffs towards the Cup, including a six-game Western Conference series against Colorado. There are several videos of this game on the web, some with much better quality of picture, but I love the editing to the music on this one. Prepare for goosebumps.



2) June 7, 1997: It was one of the greatest goals I have ever seen. McCarty turned Janni Niinimaa inside out and put a move on Ron Hextall that froze the Flyers' goaltender solid. Mac capped an incredible season for himself and his team by by ensuring that the Stanely Cup would return to Detroit for the first time in 42 years, the longest drought in the NHL at the time. When he scored that goal, it was the first moment that I was certain the Wings were going to win it all, even though they were already up 1-0 in the game and 3-0 in the series. The goal brought me to tears then, and it still does today.



3) After Mac left Detroit in 2005, his life both on and off the ice began a steady and drastic downward spiral. Eventually his playing career derailed, his wife divorced him, and he became disconnected with his children when he hit rock bottom with alcohol abuse and gambling addiction. If that's not low enough, he had to pawn his first three Stanley Cup rings to help pay off his debt. McCarty was able to turn around his personal life and made a triumphant return to his family and the Wings in 2008 for one more Stanley Cup championship. Along his comeback trail, Mac spent some time in Grand Rapids, and I was in attendance for his first game at Van Andel Arena when he scored a hat trick with the Griffins. The unlikely comeback to hockey could not have been scripted any better. The game was halted after the third goal and a McCarty montage was played on the screens at the arena. Even the opposing team stood and banged their sticks against the boards throughout the entire celebration.



Please share your memories of Darren McCarty by posting your comments below.

Peace. Thanks for the memories Mac.