29 Days Until Red Wings Opening Night: Detroit's Best No. 29

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With 29 days remaining until the Detroit Red Wings open the 2026-27 season, we take a look at the top player to have worn jersey No. 29.

Just as it was with Chris Osgood and No. 30, it wasn’t a hard choice for who the top player in Red Wings history to have worn jersey No. 29.

That title easily belongs to goaltender Mike Vernon, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player during the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs, leading Detroit to their first title in 42 years.

Vernon, who was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames, would spend the first several years of his career with the franchise, helping them upset the Montreal Canadiens and win the Stanley Cup in 1989.

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But his time with the Flames came to a close in the summer of 1994, as he was traded to the Red Wings in return for defenseman Steve Chiasson.

With Vernon in goal, the Red Wings advanced to the 1995 Stanley Cup Final, but were swept in stunning fashion by the New Jersey Devils. Vernon then helped the Red Wings win a record 62 games the following season, though Chris Osgood got the bulk of the starts in the postseason.

Vernon forever endeared himself to Red Wings fans for his role in the infamous “Fight Night at the Joe” on March 26, 1997 when he fought Colorado Avalanche rival Patrick Roy.

While Osgood also got the bulk of the starts for Detroit in the 1996-97 season, head coach Scotty Bowman turned to Vernon’s experience in the 1997 postseason, and it paid off in spades.

30 Days Until Red Wings Opening Night: Detroit’s Best No. 30With 30 days remaining until the Detroit Red Wings open the 2026-27 season, we take a look at the top player to have worn jersey No. 30.

With a 16-4 record, a 1.76 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage, Vernon was the obvious choice to be named postseason MVP.

Detroit then stunned fans by shipping Vernon to the San Jose Sharks in August of that summer, where he would play the next two and a half seasons before being traded to the Florida Panthers.

Upon completion of his time in Florida, Vernon would play the final two years of his NHL career where it all began – with the Flames. He then retired, having won 385 career games, and would later be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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