Doing it Detroit Style: Numbers of the Stars Quiz

Answer: 5

Greenberg, or "Hammering Hank", was a huge star for the Detroit Tigers. He missed almost four full seasons in the 1940s as he signed up to fight for his country in World War II, but he returned and continued to delight fans after the war.

He missed most of the 1941 season, all of 1942-1944 and part of 1945 due to the war. He played two full seasons after his return.

He made his debut in 1930, playing in a single game, before becoming a full time major leaguer in 1933.

Answer: 6

Kaline was a Detroit Tigers star for 22 seasons across three decades. He made his debut in 1953 and played through the 1974 season, blasting 399 homeruns along the way.

Kaline was a 15-time all star, including his final season at age 39. Over his career he was a league leader in hits, batting average, doubles, slugging percentage and other categories.

Answer: 20

Barry Sanders was one of the greatest players, not only in Lions history, but in National Football League history.

He retired the number two rusher of all time, but he retired while still in his prime, well within striking distance of number one.

He retired with 15,236 career rushing yards and more than 18,000 yards from scrimmage. He scored 109 touchdowns in his career.

Answer: 37

Walker wasn't as flashy as some of the all-time greats, and his numbers don't put him on top of any career leaderboards. But he did play on two of the last three Detroit Lions championships in the 20th century. He was on the 1952 and 53 NFL championship teams.

Walker played just six seasons in the NFL, playing on offense and defense, as well as on special teams as the kicker and punter.

Starting in 1990, college football's top running back was given the "Doak Walker Award".

Answer: 4

Dumars was a key piece to the Detroit Pistons dominance in the 1980s and early 90s when they won back-to-back championships in 1989 and 90.

Dumars was a member of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team and six-time all-star. He played with the team from 1985 through 1999.

After retiring he became an executive with the team and was named 2003 NBA Executive of the Year, as well as being credited with building the 2004 NBA championship team. Under his leadership the team played in six consecutive conference finals.

Answer: 11

Isiah Thomas is one of the best remembered athletes in Pistons history. He was the team leader and superstar during the years when they first rose to prominence in the 1980s and 90s.

Thomas was with the team from 1981 through 1994 when injuries caused him to retire.

He was a 12-time all star.

Answer: 9

Mr. Hockey, arguably one of the greatest hockey players to ever live, spent most of his career in Detroit. He played from 1946 through 1971 with the Wings, retired for two seasons and returned to play another seven seasons, retiring in 1980. He then returned one more time in 1997 to play a minor league game with the Detroit Vipers.

Howe had 801 career NHL goals and 1,850 points in 1,767 games.

Answer: 5

Another Red Wings hockey legend, Nicklas Lidstrom played from 1991 through 2012, retiring as one of the best defensemen in the history of the game.

He was an 18-time all star, only missing the team once in a season where he didn't suffer an injury.

He was the team captain from 2006 until his retirement. He was an Olympic champion in 2006 and won four Stanley Cups with the Wings.

Seven times he was named the NHL's top defensemen and was the playoff MVP in 2002.

Answer: 19

Stevie Y, as he was known in Detroit, made his debut at age 18 in 1983. He put up 39 goals and 48 assists that year.

He had six consecutive seasons of 100 or more points, earned nine all-star game bids, three Stanley Cups, The Lester Pearson (later named Ted Lindsay) Award for the league's outstanding player, the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP, the Selke Award as the top defensive forward and the Masterton trophy as man of the year.

He retired as the longest serving captain in team history with 692 career goals.

Answer: 1

Sawchuck played 14 seasons with the Red Wings on three separate occasions. He played a total of 21 seasons in the league.

His stints in Detroit were from 1949-55, 57-64 and 68-69. He also played two years in Boston (55-57), three in Toronto (64-67) and one year each in Los Angeles (1967-68) and New York (1969-70).

He won 351 career games, was named the league's top goalie four times and was a seven-time all-star.