Detroit Red Wings sign Stanley Cup Champion forward to one-year deal today in hockey history

The Centennial season in Detroit will be underway in a few months.

Meanwhile, we thought fans would appreciate looking back at players and moves that happened in the past 100 years of Red Wings history.

Exactly 40 years ago, the Wings signed three-time Stanley Cup champion from Ontario Mike McEwen

Drafted in 1976 by the Rangers, Mike McEwen established himself as a great offensive defenseman in the NHL early in his career, scoring 13 points in 18 games during the Rangers' 1979 run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

In his fourth season with the Rangers, he ended up getting traded to the Colorado Rockies, where he remained for two years, and then joined the New York Islanders.

In 1985, McEwen already had three Stanley Cups, all won with the Isles between 1981 and 1983.

After a season with the Washington Capitals, the defenseman signed a contract with the Detroit Red Wings, the first of the three teams he would play for in the 1985-86 season.

Indeed, after only 29 games in Detroit, he went back to the New York Rangers for 16 more games before moving to Hartford, where he played with the Whalers until the end of his NHL career.

During his 29 games with the Wings, he tallied 10 points, all assists, with a -8 +/-.

In total, he played in 716 NHL games between 1976 and 1988. He scored 404 points, including 108 goals over 12 regular seasons, and added 48 points in 78 playoff games.

After retiring, McEwen stayed close to the game, becoming the first coach of the Oklahoma City Blazers in the CHL.

While McEwen is mostly remembered for his time with the Islanders, his stint with the Red Wings is still an important part of his story.