When Brett Lebda became the 70th Grand Rapids alumnus to play in the NHL earlier this season, it marked the beginning of what has been a banner year for former Griffins in "The Show."


The margin of play between the AHL and NHL has never been slimmer, as evidenced by the success of Griffins players who've made the leap to the Detroit Red Wings this season. Consider the dazzling NHL debuts of:

Jimmy Howard - On Nov. 28 at Los Angeles (left), he allowed just two goals - one on a penalty shot and one in garbage time - and made 22 saves in a 5-2 win over the Kings;

Kyle Quincey - On Nov. 25 at Anaheim, he led all players with three blocked shots and logged 11:37 in ice time in a 3-1 loss to the Ducks;

Brett Lebda - In the Oct. 5 season opener vs. St. Louis, he scored his first NHL goal against former Griffin Patrick Lalime, helping Detroit to a 5-1 victory over the Blues.

Howard's inaugural appearance between the Red Wings' pipes made him the 74th Griffins player and the 13th goalie to graduate to the NHL, joining numerous others who continue to make an impact on hockey's brightest stage.

Jason Spezza (2001-02) is arguably the NHL's best player, playing on the league's top line and for its winningest team. He currently leads the entire circuit with 41 points (11-30--41), helping Ottawa to a league-high 19 wins.

Kevyn Adams (1996-97) scored a hat trick in Carolina's 5-1 win against the Rangers on Nov. 17, the first of his eight-season, 423-game NHL career. Adams' only prior hat trick came during his rookie season with the Griffins, in his 71st pro game on March 15, 1997. It took him a mere 619 games to bag his second.

Pavol Demitra (1996-97), a perennial NHL all-star, took no time adjusting to his move from St. Louis to Los Angeles. He currently leads the Kings and is tied for ninth in the NHL scoring race with 35 points (13-22--35).

Jason Williams (2002-03) has blossomed into the high-scoring NHL player many predicted he would become following AHL seasons like his point-per-game campaign with the Griffins three years ago. He stands second on the Red Wings with 29 points (8-21--29), nearly equaling the combined production from his 95 games with Detroit over the last four seasons. Only 16 NHL players have more points this season.

Chris Neil's (1999-01) season can be summed up in one stat: he has scored eight goals already this year, two shy of his NHL high and one more than Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux has potted. Not too shabby for a "tough guy."

In all, 24 current and former Griffins have played in the NHL this season, suiting up for 15 different teams. With Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula knocking on Detroit's door, Niklas Kronwall prepping for a February return from his knee injury, and old friend Jani Hurme getting back into the Atlanta Thrashers/Chicago Wolves goaltending mix, those numbers are sure to keep climbing.


Griffins' Honor Roll of NHL Alumni

Kevyn Adams*
Dmitry Afanasenkov
Sean Avery
Chris Bala*
Ryan Barnes*
Radim Bicanek
Patrick Boileau
Darryl Bootland*
Joel Bouchard
Aris Brimanis
Wade Brookbank*
Slava Butsayev
Mathieu Chouinard*
Ivan Ciernik
Mike Crowley
Toni Dahlman*
Pavol Demitra
Jason Doig
Mark Eaton
John Emmons*
Mike Fountain
Sean Gagnon
Erich Goldmann*
Mark Greig
John Gruden
Todd Hlushko
Shane Hnidy*
Jimmy Howard*
Jiri Hudler
Jody Hull
Jani Hurme*
Curtis Joseph
Chris Kelly*
Dieter Kochan*
Niklas Kronwall*
Joel Kwiatkowski*
Simon Lajeunesse*
Patrick Lalime
Marc Lamothe
Josh Langfeld*
Brett Lebda*
Neil Little*
Donald MacLean
Steve Martins
Glen Metropolit*
Kevin Miller
Kip Miller
Tyler Moss*
Mark Mowers
Anders Myrvold
Chris Neil*
Jeff Nelson
David Oliver
Chris Osgood
Robert Petrovicky
Michel Picard
Martin Prusek*
Kyle Quincey*
Karel Rachunek*
Jamie Rivers
Nathan Robinson*
Stacy Roest
Gaetan Royer*
Darren Rumble
Yves Sarault
Petr Schastlivy*
Blake Sloan
Jason Spezza*
Patrick Traverse
Dave Van Drunen*
Andrei Vasilyev
Julien Vauclair*
Todd White
Jason Williams

* Made NHL debut after playing for Griffins.