Sports
Mike Vernon
born 1963 · ice hockey goaltender
Goaltender who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1997 as the Red Wings ended a 42-year Stanley Cup drought.
- Born
Calgary, Alberta
age 63- Birth name
- Michael Vernon
- Detroit years
- 1994–1997
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Vernon had already won a Cup with his hometown Calgary Flames when Detroit acquired him in June 1994 for defenseman Steve Chiasson, expecting the veteran to steady the team and mentor young Chris Osgood. In 1994–1995 he helped the Red Wings win the Presidents' Trophy for the league's best record. His defining Detroit season came in 1996–1997. On March 26, 1997, in the "Fight Night at the Joe" brawl against Colorado, he fought Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy at center ice, a moment that became part of the Red Wings–Avalanche rivalry lore. In the playoffs he went 16–4 with a 1.76 goals-against average, and when Detroit swept Philadelphia in the Final he was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP. Because of the waiver draft, the Red Wings traded him to San Jose that August. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023.
Highlights
- Conn Smythe Trophy as 1997 playoff MVP
- Stanley Cup with Detroit in 1997, the first in 42 years
- Fought Patrick Roy in the March 26, 1997 brawl at Joe Louis Arena
- Played for the Red Wings 1994–1997
- Hockey Hall of Fame, 2023
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1994–1997
Joe Louis Arena
Demolished · 1979–2017
His home rink in Detroit and scene of the 1997 Cup clincher; closed in 2017, demolished in 2019–2020.