2001–02 Detroit Red Wings season

He quickly filled them by trading for future Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek and signing veteran All-Stars Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille.

These big names joined other future Hall of Famers such as Chris Chelios, Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman, as well as important supporting players in Jiri Fischer, former All-Star Steve Duchesne, Tomas Holmstrom, the "Grind Line" of Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, and Darren McCarty, and Pavel Datsyuk in his rookie season, and rounded out with legendary coach Scotty Bowman, who had decided to return for one more year.

[2] Only the players in the locker room knew what was said, but the Wings headed to Vancouver and won four straight games to win the series in a stunning turn of events.

After making quick work against their division rival, the St. Louis Blues, Detroit met their arch-nemesis, the second-seeded Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals, reigniting their long-storied rivalry.

With the two teams teetering on the brink of elimination, the Red Wings delivered a shell-shocking performance, overwhelming the Avalanche with an assertive offense and securing a resounding victory in the decisive game seven with a final score of 7-0.

[3] There was no All-Star game this year as the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City took place in February 2002 where eleven Red Wings players represented their countries.

The season was chronicled by Detroit Free Press sportswriter Nicholas J. Cotsonika's 2002 book, Hockey Gods: The Inside Story of the Red Wings' Hall of Fame Team.