Former Vernon Laker Drake Makes B.C. Hockey Hall Of Fame:

Once a key Red Wing, Dallas Drake makes B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame

BY HELENE ST. JAMES

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Three years ago, the Red Wings gambled on a former draft pick who they thought could help their championship chase.

That guy, Dallas Drake, went on to become another example of why an aged veteran can be so valuable, as he played a key role in helping the Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup.
Over the next couple of days, Drake will be celebrated as one of the 2010 inductees into the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame, located in Penticton, B.C. Drake is from Trail, B.C.

Drake lives in Traverse City, where he is director of hockey for the Grand Traverse Youth Hockey Association.

Originally a sixth-round pick by the Wings in 1989, Drake had gone on to play with Winnipeg/Phoenix and St. Louis when the Wings plucked the 38-year-old from the free-agent market in July 2007.

"We brought him back because we thought he had character, he played hard, he played physical," general manager Ken Holland said Wednesday. "We knew if he came to Detroit and played a few less minutes, played in a checking role, an energy role, that we could squeeze some good hockey out of him. I thought we did so, especially in the playoffs."
Drake was particularly memorable in Game 6 of the third-round series against Dallas, when he scored one goal and set up another that bounced in off Kris Draper's face. A little more than two weeks later, captain Nicklas Lidstrom handed the Cup to Drake.
"He was popular in the locker room," Holland said. "As we got deep into the playoffs, guys wanted to win for Dallas."