Detroit — To my young, learning eyes Bill Gadsby was The Defenseman.
Gadsby, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, died Thursday, at 88. He and his loving, gracious wife, Edna, remained in Metro Detroit for the five decades after his playing days with the Red Wings.
Tough and talented, Gadsby guarded the Wings blue line in days that were an echo of the magnificent 1950s, when they won four Stanley Cups.
Acquired by the team in 1961, after his 15 years with Blackhawks and Rangers clubs that chronically struggled, Gadsby hoped for his first Cup in Detroit, where Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio, Terry Sawchuk and Marcel Pronovost all still skated in a sixth season after the Red Wings’ last one.