As the 2020s beckon, the Detroit Red Wings close the books on a decade that included welcoming back one beloved legend and saying farewell to others.

The Wings celebrated former players as their amazing success was recognized, and focused on new ones as meager times descended.

They shuttered the doors on one rink and threw open the doors on a new arena that set a new benchmark for extravagance.

They played at a football stadium during a blizzard, and played three games in three days.

The 2010s fell short of the Stanley Cup parties the Wings enjoyed during the prior two decades, but didn’t lack for making history. Here is a look at the top 10 moments:

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Nov. 5, 2011-Feb. 19, 2012: Home winning streak

Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom smiled as they posed with Wings legend Alex Delvecchio. It was a special night for the two teammates and close friends, and it couldn’t have come at a sweeter time. From Nov. 5, 2011 to Feb. 19, 2012, the Wings won a record 23 consecutive games at Joe Louis Arena. On Feb. 10 they beat the Anaheim Ducks, 2-1, in a shootout. It was Holmstrom’s 1,000th career game, and Delvecchio was on hand to honor Lidstrom for tying Delvecchio’s 1,549 games played in a Wings uniform, second behind Gordie Howe’s 1,687.

May 31, 2012: Lidstrom retires

They called him “the Perfect Human” because in two decades, Lidstrom excelled at quiet perfection. He played against top opponents and played in every situation and made all of it look effortless. Retiring his No. 5 was a given, but it was postponed until March 6, 2014 because of the labor dispute that shortened the 2012-13 season. Lidstrom was awarded the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s top defenseman seven times, the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2002, and was the first European-born-and-trained captain of a Stanley Cup winning team. His 1,564 games with the Wings makes him the all-time leader in games played with only one NHL team.

May 12, 2013: Wings stun Ducks

Henrik Zetterberg tallied a goal and an assist as the Wings upset the Ducks, 3-2, in Game 7 of the first round of the 2013 playoffs. Th Wings were underdogs going into the playoffs, but pulled off an upset as the seventh seed and pushed the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks to overtime in Game 7 in the second round. The victory against the Ducks marks the last time the Wings won a playoff series.

Jan. 1, 2014: Winter Classic

The nostalgia of playing outdoors enveloped the area at the New Year holiday, with two alumni games at Comerica Park on Dec. 31 and the NHL game between the Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium on a snowy Wednesday. It marked the first Winter Classic to be held at a stadium dedicated solely to college football, but a bid for an official record-setting attendance (105,491) was thwarted by equipment that malfunctioned as temperatures hovered in the low 10s. Significant amounts of snow were cleared from the ice during early stoppages. The Wings lost, 3-2, in a shootout.

June 27, 2014: Larkin drafted

The Wings added a major piece to their rebuild when they drafted Dylan Larkin 15th overall. After spending a year at Michigan, Larkin made the Wings in 2015. He tallied 23 goals as a rookie and emerged as one of the team’s top players and leaders, and was named an alternate captain in 2014. As of Dec. 27, Larkin is tied for third overall in his draft year with 235 points.

Nov. 9 2015: Lidstrom & Fedorov inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame

Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov headlined the Wings’ amazing 1989 draft, selected in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. Lidstrom turned out to be one of the best defensemen in history, and Fedorov was an incredible skater who could dominate end to end. Lidstrom won four Stanley Cups with the Wings and retired in 2012. Fedorov left after winning his third Cup in 2002.

June 14, 2016: Howe casket at the Joe

Howe was beloved by fans over a career highlighted by 25 seasons playing for the Wings. The man known as “Mr. Hockey” battled dementia in his 80s and passed away June 10, 2016. His children arranged for fans to pay their respects at Joe Louis Arena, taking turns at their father’s casket from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wayne Gretzky, who wore No. 99 in honor of Howe’s 9, was among those in attendance.

March 28, 2017: Playoff streak ends

When poor ice conditions forced the postponement of the Wings’ Dec. 19 game at Carolina until March 27, it created a scenario in which the Wings played three games in three days. When they lost the third game, 4-1, it meant the Wings were eliminated from the playoff race. That ended a history playoff streak that began in 1991, lasted 25 consecutive seasons and included four Stanley Cup parties.

April 9, 2017: Last game at the Joe

The Wings had much to celebrate when they hosted the New Jersey Devils on a sunny Sunday evening. It was their final game at the place they called home since 1979, and it was Henrik Zetterberg’s 1000th game. The Wings won, 4-1, but the highlight of the day was the festivities surrounding the finale – Steve Yzerman spoke before the game, describing Joe Louis Arena as “beautiful in its simplicity. It has its own charm and character.” One of the most emotional moments came when Vladimir Konstantinov, whose career ended after a limousine accident in June 1997, was brought onto the ice in his wheelchair.

April 19, 2019: Yzerman named general manager

No player since Howe is more synonymous with the franchise, and Yzerman’s return after a nine-year absence was heralded as a new chapter for a team in need of a reboot. Yzerman built his career on quiet excellence, and he emphasized at his introductory news conference the rebuild would take time. He would know — it took 14 years for him to win his first Stanley Cup as a player after being drafted by a rebuilding Wings franchise in 1983.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.