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Longtime Detroit Red Wings physician John Finley dead at 88

Dr. John Finley, who nurtured and cared for generations of Detroit Red Wings players from Ted Lindsay and Gordie Howe to Steve Yzerman, Nick Lidstrom and the Russian Five, died tonight at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Bloomfield Township. He was 88.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Finley – “Jack” to his legion of friends – joined the Wings care-giving staff in 1957 and served until his retirement from medical practice in 2003. Then he sat down at his keyboard and began to write. The result was his 2012 book, “Hockeytown Doc,” in which he shared some wildly entertaining stories about his 47 years treating NHL players.