In Larry Murphy’s 17th NHL Season, he was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Detroit Red Wings for their playoff run. The Defenseman had already been a Second Team All-Star three times, and when he was with Pittsburgh, he aided them in winning their first two Stanley Cups, so the Red Wings knew they had a veteran blueline who knew how to win.
Igor Larionov was one of Hockey's best players in the 1980s, but he was not a member of the NHL. This was because he was from the Soviet Union, and they were not permitted to play in North America. Larionov finally went across the world in 1989, playing for Vancouver, the Swiss League, and San Jose before he was traded to Detroit before the 1995-96 season.
Paul Coffey was one of the greatest offensive Defensemen in the history of Hockey, but it is fascinating how many teams he played for at an elite level.
An unheralded player who played most of his career with the Detroit Red Wings, Gary Bergman finally cracked the NHL at age 26 in the 1964-65 Season.