Darren Helm: The Detroit Red Wings original speedster

The Detroit Red Wings have had no shortage of superstars in their nearly 100-year history. Detroit Red Wings fans always seem to gravitate toward the team's bottom six grinders, and many become fan favorites. Players like Darren McCarty, Kirk Maltby, Daniel Cleary, and Kris Draper have all become legendary within the Detroit Red Wings fanbase for simply being some of the toughest players to play against on any given night.

One of these players that have managed to unintentionally create a strong cult following is none other than the Detroit Red Wings original speedster, Darren Helm. While he was never at the top of the Detroit Red Wings points chart, Ken Daniels would always let you know when he was on the ice.

"HELM:
Handsom
Elite
Limited finishing
Masculine"

Evan LobSPEAKER

His speed caught the eye of many in the Detroit Red Wings fandom, including my own. I've said in the past that Helm was my favorite Detroit Red Wing of all time. It's hard to put my finger on why he was my favorite, we played different positions on the ice and were nowhere close in terms of speed. Thinking about it, it might just be that we were both grinders at our positions.

Darren Helm left his mark on a lot of Detroit Red Wings Fans

He may not have been a superstar in the normal sense. He never got past the 15-goal mark, and he was never a top scorer in the NHL or even on the Detroit Red Wings. But he was incredibly fast and has given fans plenty of memorable moments.

"Helmer’s hatty against the Leafs in the 2013-14 season. Shorty, tip from [Daniel] Alfredsson, and a breakaway. Pretty sweet."

KetsalEynon (Discord)

Of course one of his most iconic moments was his penalty kill and overtime goal in game six of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks to send the Detroit Red Wings to their second consecutive conference final.

Everybody remembers his speed, obviously. The amount of breakaways he would have by simply being so much faster than everybody else on the ice was incredible to watch. This skill was only accentuated upon by the one and only Ken Daniels.

"Ken Daniels had 7 year old me thinking he was the fastest player on earth"

@spartyenjoyer (Twitter/X)

With the imprint he left on the fanbase i decided to ask some fans their thoughts on Helm and what impression he left on them. One fan said:

"My first thought about Darren Helm is his willingness to carry on the Grind Line style of play. He wasn’t the biggest guy out there, but he threw his body into anyone he could while on the forecheck. His disruptive play was infectious to his linemates.
He was certainly an underrated junkyard dog when it came to opening up space in the O Zone."

BCase (Discord)

Another fan said:

"Helm is the kind of player you love to have on your roster for your bottom-six.
Respectable faceoff numbers, good speed, great on the PK, and could chip in a goal here and there."

Anonymous fan

Unfortunately in 2023, Helm was forced to retire due to injury and ended his 16-season NHL run with 119 goals and 266 points in 823 regular season games, and 13 goals and 26 points in 103 Playoff games between both the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche.

The 2005 fifth-round pick left an imprint on a lot of Detroit Red Wings fans. Unfortunately, I couldn't include them all here. The general consensus, however, is that Helm was an incredible middle/bottom six guy who provided fantastic defense as well as contributed offensively when he was called upon.

A superstar in a lot of Detroit Red Wings hearts.