Dallas Drake Dallas James Drake ( born February 4 , 1969 in Trail , British Columbia ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger in the National Hockey League who last played for the Detroit Red Wings . Previously , Drake played for the Winnipeg Jets / Phoenix Coyotes , and St . Louis Blues . Drake played his college hockey at Northern Michigan University . Playing career . Dallas Drake was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft in the 6th round , 116th overall . During his junior year at Northern Michigan , he was a key factor in the team winning the 1991 NCAA Men ' s Ice Hockey Championship . In the final game , NMU teammate Darryl Plandowski scored the winning goal as the Wildcats defeated Boston University 8 – 7 in triple overtime . Following a stellar four - year college career , Drake made the Red Wings roster out of training camp without playing in the minor leagues . He enjoyed a fine rookie season in 1992 – 93 , posting 44 points on 18 goals and 26 assists . The following season he was part of a trade that saw him shipped to the Winnipeg Jets along with goaltender Tim Cheveldae . The Red Wings received goaltender Bob Essensa and defenceman Sergei Bautin in return . The trade was generally a wash for the Wings , as Essensa appeared in only 13 games and was not a factor in the playoffs . Drake went on to have a successful role on the checking lines and penalty killing units of the Winnipeg / Phoenix Coyotes organization . Drake has become known as a tenacious skater and a tough customer in the corners . Although as a pro , he ' s never been the goal scorer he was in college , his knowledge of the game , leadership and fierce competitiveness allowed him to skate in 1009 NHL games . Since 1992 , he was sent to the minor leagues only once . In the 1993 – 1994 season , Drake skated one game in Adirondack on a rehab assignment , scoring two goals before returning to Detroit the following day and finishing with 10 goals and 22 assists . Drake signed with the St . Louis Blues for the 2000 – 01 season , and remained with the organization for six seasons . He achieved his career high in goals with 20 during the 2002 – 03 season , and was named captain for the 2005 – 06 and 2006 – 07 seasons . Drake was placed on waivers by the Blues on June 26 , 2007 with the purpose of buying out his contract . On July 9 , 2007 , he was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Detroit Red Wings to a one - year , $ 550 , 000 contract . He had considered ending his professional career with other NHL teams , but chose to return to Detroit in hopes of winning a Stanley Cup with the club that had drafted him over 16 years prior . On June 4 , 2008 those dreams were realized when Detroit defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins to win their 11th franchise Stanley Cup championship . During the on ice post - game celebrations Detroit captain Nicklas Lidström passed the Stanley Cup to Drake first . On July 15 , 2008 Drake announced his retirement from the NHL . Coach Mike Babcock recently was quoted saying , " The thing that stands out in my mind is he ' s a family man ; he was totally committed to our team . He drove us with his passion [ and ] his physicallity . He was a true professional , and the guys wanted to win for him . You can never replace the will of a quality , quality man and quality veteran . "