FLINT, MI - There's no denying the hall of fame resume of Detroit Red Wings legend Mickey Redmond.

The two-time Stanley Cup Champion and two-time 50-goal scorer certainly made his mark in the National Hockey League.

Some of his greatest hockey memories occurred in a different league, though.

As great as he was in the NHL, he was just as gifted in the Ontario Hockey League for the Peterborough Petes. He posted 268 points from 1963-67 before he ever slipped on an NHL jersey.

"In those days, it was a little bit different because the colleges weren't as advanced as they are today," Redmond said. "Between college hockey and OHL, that's where you're getting your players. In our day, maybe 85-90 percent was Canadian. Now those percentages have completely changed with 30-40 percent Canadian and a lot of Americans and Europeans."

Redmond, 69, returned to his OHL stomping grounds on Friday night as the Flint Firebirds organization honored him with a Mickey Redmond Night. Flint would fall 4-3 in overtime to the visiting Erie Otters but Redmond enjoyed being in the Dort Federal Event Center.

He signed autographs and posed for photos with fans before the puck drop.

"The OHL probably plays as close to an NHL schedule as anybody with the travel and the number of games and the way they play the game," Redmond said. "I'd say follow your dream. Don't leave anything behind. The most important thing for young players would be that if you can get an education through your sports ability, i.e. the game of hockey, that's the No. 1 priority. Go for your education."

Darren McCarty was another Red Wings legend that also made a special appearance on College Night when the Firebirds faced Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Dec. 28. Flint fell, 5-0, last week in front of nearly 4,000 fans, but President Costa Papista sees these opportunities as a way to connect with fans.

"It's very important," Papista said. "It's great to see the guys coming up here and helping us really grow as an organization. A lot of those people are first time people to not just the Firebirds but their first time to the building or to Flint. So it's a great thing for us and the community."

Flint entered Friday's contest with an 18-17-0-2 record and ranked eighth in the Western Conference. As the squad continues to fight for a playoff spot, fans continue to rally behind the league efforts to turn the franchise into a respectable squad.

Owosso native Mike Dennis is a season ticketholder who waited in line with his wife, Jennifer, and five children for a chance to meet Redmond. He called into work to attend the autograph session.

"He's done a lot of work to this place, he's getting the fans in here and I think it's a pretty good thing to have people come in and sign autographs," Dennis said. "It brings the crowd in. This franchise, I think, will be going for quite some time and I hope it does. I will continue to be a season ticketholder as long as it goes."

Redmond plans to make a trip back to Flint's Dort Federal Event Center for the Red Wings Alumni Game on Friday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. The former player-turned-analyst was pleased with the newly-renovated arena and the hospitality.

"This facility has changed a lot over the years and it's a great facility," Redmond said. "I really enjoyed playing here. It seems like they've got their feet on the ground and are building a good foundation to go forward for the future so that's a good thing. It's good for the OHL, good for the kids that are coming through here, good for Flint and good for the hockey world."