The Detroit Red Wings suffered a great loss on Thursday as former coach, Nick Polano, has passed away after battling Alzheimer's Disease.
Polano was instrumental in courting both Sergei Federov and Vladimir Konstantinov to join the Red Wings. We all know how that worked out, as the Wings would go on to win back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 1997 and 1998, snapping a 42 season drought.
Polano played in the American Hockey League and World Hockey Association, before beginning his coaching career with the Erie Blades in the Eastern Hockey League, where he would eventually go on to win three consecutive championships. His success with Erie would lead to a shot with the Buffalo Sabres where he took on an Assistant role, before joining the Red Wings just one season later.
Polano spent 10 seasons in Detroit as a coach, an assistant GM and the Director of Player Personnel. His career in the NHL spanned 34 seasons in total.
He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2015.
