The summer before Pavel Datsyuk’s rookie season with the Detroit Red Wings, Ken Holland showed him around an empty Joe Louis Arena after development camp and delivered a simple message. “He goes, ‘If you practice hard,

Detroit — Pavel Datsyuk does have one particular memory of coming to Detroit and joining the Red Wings' organization. And when Datsyuk tells it now, it's staggering to think exactly how far Datsyuk has come.

This just in, the Detroit Red Wings have signed Hockey Hall of Famer Pavel Datsyuk to a one day contract, enabling him to go down in history as a member of the team. Check it out: Kudos to GM Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings for doing this.

Datsyuk, 46, gained entry his first year of eligibility after retiring in 2021 following five seasons in the KHL. His credentials include two Stanley Cup championships and three Selke Trophies as the NHL’s top defensive forward. He is a member of the elusive Triple Gold Club, having won a Cup, Olympic gold medal and World Championship.

Before the Red Wings honoured Datsyuk's Hall of Fame induction with a pre-game ceremony, the now 46-year-old unretired and signed a symbolic one-day contract with the only NHL franchise he ever knew.

Andersson said the deicing machine made him nervous, a “huge ring of fire” rattling the plane and coming a little too close to the wings full of jet fuel. Perfect metaphor. A scout from the Calgary Flames was on the same plane.

Red Wings honor Pavel Datsyuk's Hall of Fame induction