Sports
Tomas Holmström
born 1973 · ice hockey left winger
Swedish winger who played his entire 15-season NHL career with the Red Wings, screening goaltenders in front of the net to help win four Stanley Cups.
- Born
Piteå, Sweden
age 53- Birth name
- Bengt Tomas Holmström
- Also known as
- Homer
- Detroit years
- 1996–2013
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Drafted in the tenth round in 1994, a low pick a Detroit scout championed after watching him with a Swedish club team, Holmström broke into the Red Wings' lineup in 1996 and never played for another NHL club. Nicknamed 'Homer,' he built his game on standing in front of the opposing goaltender, screening shots and tipping in rebounds, a physical style that made him unpopular with opponents but essential to Detroit's power play. He won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008, scoring 12 points in the 2008 playoff run alone. After Nicklas Lidström retired in 2012, Holmström was the last player left from Detroit's 1997 and 1998 champion teams. He retired in January 2013, hours before a Red Wings home opener at Joe Louis Arena.
Highlights
- Drafted 257th overall by Detroit in 1994; played his entire NHL career with the Red Wings
- Won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008
- Renowned as one of the NHL's best net-front screeners
- Retired in 2013 as the Red Wings' last active player from the 1997–98 champion teams
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1996–2013
Joe Louis Arena
Demolished · 1979–2017
Where he played his entire NHL career and retired in January 2013; demolished in 2019.