Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press
Nick Polano, the former Red Wings coach and front-office executive who drafted Steve Yzerman, brought playoff hockey back to Detroit and participated in the covert missions that brought Sergei Fedorov and Vladimir Konstantinov to the franchise, died on Thursday after battling Alzheimer's disease. He was 78.
Born March, 25, 1941, in Sudbury, Ontario, Polano was the first coaching hire made by Mike Ilitch, the late Red Wings owner who bought the team in 1982. Polano coached for three seasons, through 1984-85, making the playoffs in his final two seasons to usher the franchise out of the "Dead Wings" era of hockey.