On June 7, 1997, Darren McCarty did something that few Detroit Red Wings fans would have expected from one of the team's toughest players. He scored a goal worthy of a superstar.

With the Red Wings holding a 1-0 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, McCarty carried the puck into the offensive zone, maneuvered around defenseman Janne Niinimaa and beat goaltender Ron Hextall.

It was an amazing display of stickhandling from a better better known for his physicality than his scoring ability.

More importantly, it was another defining moment in a career that would eventually include four Stanley Cup championships and a permanent place in Red Wings history.

Born April 1, 1972 in Burnaby, British Columbia, McCarty was selected by the Red Wings in the second round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, 46th overall.

He made his NHL debut during the 1993-94 season, finishing with nine goals and 26 points in 67 games.

Although McCarty established himself as a physical presence, he possessed offensive abilities that sometimes went overlooked.

During the 1996-97 season, he recorded career highs in goals (19), assists (30) and points (49) in 68 games. Six of those goals were game winners.

McCarty became an important part of the Red Wings' famed Grind Line alongside Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby. While Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Brendan Shanahan provided much of the offensive firepower, McCarty and his linemates supplied energy, defensive responsibility and an aggressive forecheck.

Their contributions were especially valuable during the playoffs, when scoring opportunities became harder to generate and physical play intensified.

Of course, no discussion of McCarty's career would be complete without revisiting March 26, 1997.

Nearly 10 months after Colorado Avalanche forward Claude Lemieux delivered a devastating hit on Draper during the 1996 Western Conference Final, McCarty confronted Lemieux during a massive brawl at Joe Louis Arena.

The incident became one of the defining moments of the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry.

But McCarty wasn't finished.

With the game tied 5-5 in overtime, he scored the winning goal, sending the Joe Louis Arena crowd into a frenzy.

In the span of one evening, McCarty had delivered both the physical response Red Wings fans had been anticipating and the decisive goal in a memorable victory.

A little more than two months later came his unforgettable Stanley Cup clinching goal against the Flyers.

McCarty helped the Red Wings repeat as Stanley Cup champions in 1998 and added another championship in 2002.

Following the 2003-04 season, his career took him to Calgary, where he played parts of two seasons for the Flames.

However, McCarty's story with the Red Wings wasn't finished.

After battling personal difficulties and working his way back through the minor leagues, he returned to the Red Wings during the 2007-08 season.

His comeback culminated in a fourth Stanley Cup championship when the Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

McCarty finished his NHL career with 127 goals, 161 assists and 288 points in 758 regular season games.

Those numbers don't begin to explain his importance to the Red Wings.

McCarty had a job that required physical sacrifice, determination and an understanding of what his teammates needed.

But when the opportunity presented itself, McCarty proved capable of delivering something special.

For a player who spent much of his career making opponents pay with his fists, McCarty also knew how to make them pay on the scoreboard.