Alex DeBrincat signed a contract extension with the Detroit Red Wings this week, and the Hockeytown faithful couldn’t be happier. Amidst the dysfunction that has affected the franchise since the end of last season, getting last season’s 41-goal scorer under contract for seven more years was cause for celebration.
The last time a Detroit 40-goal scorer grabbed for a bigger piece of the pie, Red Wings fans weren’t as enamored with the outcome. That was in 2009. After scoring 40 goals and helping Detroit reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, winger Marian Hossa left as a UFA.
A UFA, Hossa signed a 12-year, $63.3-million pact with the Chicago Blackhawks. Red Wings fans never forgave him. They booed Hossa lustily whenever he returned to Joe Louis Arena.
Today, enjoying retirement after winning three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, Hossa is still reaching for a bigger piece of the pie. Many pieces, in fact.
According to Forbes Magazine, the 41st-richest Slovak in the world, Hockey Hall of Famer Hossa operates a frozen potato pie business in Slovakia that is proving to be very popular, if not yet significantly profitable.
Hossa admits that running a business in the competitive processed frozen food industry is vastly more challenging than putting pucks past NHL goalies.
“It’s not easy,” Hossa told Czech website iSport. “Today I might have made a different decision.
“I believe it will get better. One has to survive difficult things in order to move forward.”
Alex DeBrincat became the fourth #RedWings player over the last 20 years (since 2005-06) with 40 or more goals in a single campaign.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 9, 2026
– Marian Hossa (40 in 2008-09)
– Henrik Zetterberg (43 in 2007-08)
– Brendan Shanahan (40 in 2005-06) pic.twitter.com/XLGmYNwyld
DeBrincat and Hossa are among four players to post a 40-goal season for the Red Wings over the past 20 years. And it’s been a big week for all four of them.
Former Red Wings Captain Receives Honor
As the Red Wings won their most recent Stanley Cup in 2007-08, Henrik Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He scored 43 goals for Detroit that season.
The man who succeeded Nicklas Lidstrom as Red Wings captain in 2012 will be honored Saturday. Timra, Zetterberg’s Swedish club, will retire his No. 20 and hoist it into the rafters.
“Of course it’s a little nerve-wracking,” Zetterberg told Swedish website Sportbladet. “That’s how it is, and I’m maybe not made for standing in front of people and talking. There might be a tear.”
Zetterberg serves as sports advisor for Timra, the club that employs top Red Wings prospect Eddie Genborg. Former Detroit teammates Niklas Kronwall and Johan Franzen will be on hand for the ceremony.
Shanahan Back In the Game
The fourth member of this unique club is Brendan Shanahan. He was a 40-goal scorer for the Red Wings in 2005-06.
Brendan Shanahan was named Kilmer Sports Ventures' new strategic adviser on the PWHL on Thursday. Kilmer is owned by Larry Tanenbaum, the former co-owner of MLSE where Shanahan was president and alternate governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs for 11 years: https://t.co/6v9GJk8jC6
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) October 15, 2026
This week, Shanahan, formerly the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was brought back into hockey. He’ll be serving as Kilmer Sports Ventures’ new strategic advisor on the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Kilmer Sports Ventures is operated by former Maple Leafs co-owner Larry Tanenbaum. The company became a PWHL capital partner earlier this year. The WNBA’s Toronto Tempo also fall under Kilmer’s umbrella.
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