Datsyuk ended up playing 14 seasons in Detroit, winning the Stanley Cup in 2002 and 2008. He became one of the best two-way players in the NHL.

Known as the Magic Man, he had now-you-see-it, now-you-don't moves and produced 918 points (314 goals, 604 points) in 953 games. Three times, he won the Selke Trophy, voted as the NHL's best defensive forward. Four times, he won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and playing ability.

"Playing against Pavel Datsyuk was probably one of the most frustrating things for any player, whether it was a forward, defenseman or goaltender," said Jeremy Roenick, a fellow member of the Hockey Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 and former forward who played against him from 2001-09. "Not many people have the brains, the talent, the creativity of a Pavel Datsyuk. You look like you can catch him, and the next thing you know, you're embarrassed watching him go right past you.

"Detroit has a lot of those guys, but Pavel kept an amazing, a really amazing, tradition in Detroit of great hockey players alive, so it's pretty cool to be going in with one of my idols too in Pavel."

Shea Weber, a fellow member of the Hall's 2024 class and former defenseman, entered the NHL with the Nashville Predators in 2005-06, when they were in the Central Division with the Red Wings.

What was it like to defend Datsyuk?

"It wasn't fun, to be honest," Weber said with a laugh. "Especially as a young guy coming into in the League and a defenseman trying to earn your way.

"He's one of the hardest guys. His puck protection. His takeaways, stripping you going back up the ice. Not to mention, you obviously want to make a physical presence known on a guy like that, but his reverse hits and the way he protected the puck and found the open ice was obviously a talent and trait that he had a lot of."

Datsyuk played in the Olympics five times, winning gold in PyeongChang in 2018. He also played professionally in Russia from 1996-2001, in 2004-05, for part of the 2012-13 season and from 2016-21.