Red Wings players honoring John Keaton after his final home game on the ice Photo Credit: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
By Reice Shipley on

After being eliminated from postseason contention on Sunday, the Detroit Red Wings had very little on the line on paper in their final home game of the regular season on Monday against the Dallas Stars. But despite this, it was a special day for longtime studio host John Keating, who is set to retire after the 2024-25 NHL season.

Keating, who has served as a studio host for the Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers since 1997, announced back in December that this year would be his last as a broadcaster, ending a 45-year tenure in the profession after the end of the 2024-25 NHL season.

With that, Monday’s home finale was Keating’s last at Little Caesars Arena.

Fortunately for Keating, it seemed as if Red Wings players gave it their all for Keating’s final game, coming away with a 6-4 victory. And as Red Wing players celebrated the victory, they promptly raised their sticks and pointed to Keating in the broadcast booth and gave him a round of applause to dedicate the win to him.

In a post on X after the game, Keating revealed that he had heard that Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was behind the special moment after the game, thanking him for what he says was an “emotional honor”.

“I was told this was Dylan Larkin’s idea,” wrote Keating. “I can’t thank the Wings’ captain and the team enough for this terrific, emotional honor tonight.”

While Keating undoubtedly would have loved to have had the final game he ever worked be a postseason game, this sendoff is something that he will likely remember for the rest of his life.

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley