Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are a National Hockey League (NHL) team based in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Franchise history

When the Western Hockey League folded after the 1925-26 WHA season, a deal was made so that two of the most successful of the teams in that league, the 1925 Stanley Cup champion Victoria Cougars, and the Portland Rosebuds (to become the Chicago Blackhawks) would jump to the NHL. The Victoria Cougars were originally called the Victoria Aristocrats and belonged to the Pacific Coast Hockey Association which folded and then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League for the 1924-25 WCHL season. Since no arena in the Motor City was ready at the time, the newly-renamed Detroit Cougars played their first season in Windsor, Ontario. For the 1927-28 season, the Cougars moved into the new Detroit Olympia, which would be their home rink until December 15, 1979.

Related Topics:
Western Hockey League - 1925-26 WHA season - 1925 - Stanley Cup - Victoria Cougars - Portland Rosebuds - Chicago Blackhawks - Victoria Aristocrats - Pacific Coast Hockey Association - 1924-25 WCHL season - Windsor, Ontario - 1927-28 - December 15 - 1979

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The Cougars made the playoffs for the first time in 1929 with Carson Cooper leading the team in scoring. The Cougars were outscored 7-2 in the two-game series with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Related Topics:
Playoff - 1929 - Carson Cooper - Toronto Maple Leafs

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In 1930 the Cougars were renamed the Falcons, but their woes continued, usually finishing near the bottom of the standings. When James Norris Sr. bought the team in 1932 the team was renamed the Detroit Red Wings. Their first year with the current name they won their first playoff series in the NHL, over the now-defunct Montreal Maroons. They lost in the semi-finals against the New York Rangers.

Related Topics:
James Norris Sr. - 1932 - Montreal Maroons - New York Rangers

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In 1934 the Wings made the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time, with John Sorrell scoring 21 goals over 47 games and Larry Aurie leading the team in scoring. However, the Chicago Blackhawks had an easy time with Detroit in the finals, winning the best of 5 series in four games.

Related Topics:
1934 - John Sorrell - Larry Aurie - Chicago Blackhawks

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The Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup in 1936, defeating Toronto in four games. Marty Barry led the team in scoring, Ebbie Goodfellow was one of the top defensemen in the league, and Jack Adams (whose name lives on in the NHL's coach of the year award) was behind the bench. Detroit repeated its championship season in 1937, winning over the Rangers in the full five games.

Related Topics:
1936 - Marty Barry - Ebbie Goodfellow - Jack Adams - 1937

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The Wings struggled and finished last the following season. They regrouped and made the playoffs again the following year, and made the Stanley Cup Finals in three consecutive years during the early 1940s. In 1941 they were swept by the Boston Bruins, in 1942 they blew a three-game lead against Toronto to lose the finals, but in 1943, with Syd Howe and Mud Bruneteau scoring 20 goals apiece, Detroit won their third Cup by sweeping the Bruins. They remained a solid team through the rest of the decade, making the playoffs every year, and reaching the finals three more times.

Related Topics:
1941 - Boston Bruins - 1942 - 1943 - Syd Howe - Mud Bruneteau

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In 1946, one of the greatest players in hockey history came into the NHL with the Red Wings. Gordie Howe, a right-winger from Floral, Saskatchewan, only scored seven goals and 22 points in his first season; and wouldn't reach his prime for a few more years.

Related Topics:
1946 - Gordie Howe - Floral, Saskatchewan

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By his second season, Howe was paired with Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay to form what would become one of the great lines in NHL history--the "Production Line." Linday's 33 goals propelled the Wings to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they were swept by the Maple Leafs. Detroit reached the Finals again the following season, only to be swept again by Toronto.

Related Topics:
Sid Abel - Ted Lindsay

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The Wings returned to the top in 1950, with Pete Babando scoring the game winner in double overtime of game 7 to beat the Rangers in the Finals.

Related Topics:
1950 - Pete Babando

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After being upset by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1951 semifinals, Detroit won its fifth Cup in 1952, with the Production Line of Howe, Abel and Lindsay joined by second-year goalie Terry Sawchuk. Abel left the Wings for Chicago following the season, and his spot on the roster was replaced by Alex Delvecchio.

Related Topics:
Montreal Canadiens - 1951 - 1952 - Terry Sawchuk - Alex Delvecchio

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The 1952 playoffs featured the start of a Red Wings tradition - the octopus throw. The owner of a local fish market threw one from the stands and onto the ice. The eight legs were symbolic of the eight playoff wins it took to win the Stanley Cup at the time. They swept both of their opponents that year. 1952 also saw the passing of James Norris Sr., with his daughter Margurite becoming President and Govenor of the Red Wings.

Related Topics:
Octopus - James Norris Sr.

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Following another playoff upset in 1953 at the hands of the Bruins, the Red Wings won back to back Stanley Cups in 1954 (over Montreal, when Habs defenseman Doug Harvey redirected a Tony Leswick shot into his own net) and 1955 (also over Montreal in seven games). Also during 1955 off-season, Margurite was made by her mother to turn the team over to younger brother Bruce. Detroit and Montreal once again met in the 1956 finals, but this time the Canadiens won the cup, their first of five in a row.

Related Topics:
1953 - 1954 - Doug Harvey - Tony Leswick - 1955 - 1956

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In 1957 Ted Lindsay, who scored 30 goals and led the league in assists that year, helped start the NHLPA and was promptly traded. The Wings lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Bruins. In 1959 the Red Wings missed the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.

Related Topics:
1957 - NHLPA - 1959

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Within a couple of years, Detroit was rejeuvenated and made the Finals for four of the next six years between 1961 and 1966. However, despite having Howe, Delvecchio, Norm Ullman and Parker MacDonald being consistent goal scorers, and Sawchuk and later Roger Crozier between the pipes, the Wings came away empty-handed.

Related Topics:
1961 - 1966 - Norm Ullman - Parker MacDonald - Roger Crozier

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By the late 1960s, the Wings started to flounder and entered a funk that they wouldn't get out of for almost 20 years. Between 1967 and 1983, Detroit only made the playoffs twice, winning one series.

Related Topics:
1967 - 1983

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Detroit lost Howe to the upstart World Hockey Association in 1972. Through the decade, with Mickey Redmond having two 50-goal seasons and Marcel Dionne starting to reach his prime (which he didn't attain until he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings), a lack of defensive and goaltending ability continually hampered the Wings.

Related Topics:
World Hockey Association - 1972 - Mickey Redmond - Marcel Dionne - Los Angeles Kings

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During the 1979-80 NHL season, the Wings left the Olympia for Joe Louis Arena. In 1982, after 50 years of family ownership, Bruce Norris sold the Red Wings to Mike Ilitch, founder of Little Caesars Pizza.

Related Topics:
1979-80 NHL season - Joe Louis Arena - Mike Ilitch - Little Caesars Pizza

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In 1983 the Wings drafted a center from Cranbrook, British Columbia named Steve Yzerman. He led the team in scoring in his rookie year, and started the Wings' climb back to the top. That season, with John Ogrodnick scoring 42 times and Ivan Boldirev and Ron Duguay also with 30-goal seasons, Detroit made the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Related Topics:
1983 - Cranbrook, British Columbia - Steve Yzerman - John Ogrodnick - Ivan Boldirev - Ron Duguay

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By 1987, with Yzerman joined by Petr Klima, Adam Oates, Gerard Gallant, defenseman Darren Veitch and new head coach Jacques Demers, the Wings made it to the semifinals for the first time in the modern era, losing in five games to the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers. They repeated the performance in 1988 with a similar result.

Related Topics:
1987 - Petr Klima - Adam Oates - Gerard Gallant - Defenseman - Darren Veitch - Jacques Demers - Edmonton Oilers - 1988

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In 1989, Yzerman scored a career-best 65 goals, but Detroit was upset in the first round by the Blackhawks. The following season Yzerman knotted 62 goals but the team didn't even make the playoffs. Demers was fired, and the Red Wings haven't missed the playoffs since. Yzerman was joined by Sergei Fedorov (who defected from the USSR) and enforcer Keith Primeau, two of the most familiar faces of the Wings in the 1990s. In 1992 the team acquired Ray Sheppard, who had a career-best 52 goals two years later; and top defenseman Paul Coffey. Also joining the Red Wings around this time were draft picks like Slava Kozlov, Darren McCarty, Vladimir Konstantinov, and Nicklas Lidström.

Related Topics:
1989 - Sergei Fedorov - USSR - Enforcer - Keith Primeau - Ray Sheppard - Paul Coffey - Slava Kozlov - Darren McCarty - Vladimir Konstantinov - Nicklas Lidström

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Scotty Bowman, the winningest coach in NHL history, joined the Red Wings in 1993. In his second season, the lockout-shortened 1994-95 NHL season, he guided Detroit to its first Finals appearance in 29 years. They were swept by the New Jersey Devils.

Related Topics:
Scotty Bowman - 1993 - Lockout - 1994-95 NHL season - New Jersey Devils

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The Wings kept adding more star power, picking up Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, and goaltender Mike Vernon in trades. After a third-round playoff loss to the new Colorado Avalanche in 1996, Detroit, joined by Brendan Shanahan and Larry Murphy during the season, once again reached the Finals in 1997, beating the Philadelphia Flyers in four straight games. It was the Wings' first Stanley Cup since 1955, breaking the longest drought in the league at that time.

Related Topics:
Slava Fetisov - Igor Larionov - Mike Vernon - Colorado Avalanche - 1996 - Brendan Shanahan - Larry Murphy - 1997 - Philadelphia Flyers

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Tragedy struck the Wings days after their championship. Vladimir Konstantinov suffered a brain injury in a car accident, and his career had to come to an abrupt end. Their 1997-98 season, which also ended in a Cup victory (a sweep over the Washington Capitals), was dedicated to Konstantinov, who came out in his wheelchair that night to touch the Cup.

Related Topics:
1997-98 - Washington Capitals

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The Wings built up a fierce rivalry with the Avalanche by this time. With the Red Wings beating the Avalanche in the third round in 1997, and Colorado beating Detroit in the second round in both 1999 and 2000, the battles between these two teams has become one of the fiercest in sports. During one game, a brawl ensuded between Colorado goalie Patrick Roy and his Detroit counterpart Mike Vernon.

Related Topics:
1997 - 1999 - 2000 - Patrick Roy - Mike Vernon

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In 2001 Detroit, the league's second-best team in the regular season, suffered a first-round playoff loss to the Kings. They got goalie Dominik Hasek from a trade with the Buffalo Sabres, and landed left-wing Luc Robitaille and right-wing Brett Hull in the offseason. The Wings became the odds-on favorite to win the Cup in 2002. They did not disappoint, having the league's best record in the regular season and capturing another Cup, in five games over the Cinderella Carolina Hurricanes. Bowman and Hasek both retired after the season.

Related Topics:
2001 - Kings - Dominik Hasek - Buffalo Sabres - Luc Robitaille - Brett Hull - Offseason - 2002 - Carolina Hurricanes

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In 2003, with new coach Dave Lewis and goalie pickup Curtis Joseph, the Wings were upset by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in four straight games in the first round, after one of the most successful regular seasons in team history.

Related Topics:
2003 - Dave Lewis - Curtis Joseph - Anaheim Mighty Ducks

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Hasek came out of retirement, and joined the Wings for the 2003-04 season. This meant that Detroit had three goalies, with Joseph and Manny Legace as backups. Joseph, despite being one of the highest paid players in the NHL, had to spend part of the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit's American Hockey League affiliate. Ultimately, Hasek had to call it quits because of a groin injury, and Joseph led the team to the top of the Central Division and the Western Conference. The Wings acquired veteran center Robert Lang from the Capitals at the trade deadline and he made a big impression over the next few weeks.

Related Topics:
2003-04 season - Manny Legace - Grand Rapids Griffins - American Hockey League - Robert Lang

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In the first round of the 2004 playoffs, Detroit eliminated the Nashville Predators in 6 games. After losing captain Steve Yzerman for the season with a horrific eye injury in Game 5, the Red Wings were eliminated by the Calgary Flames in 6 games in the second round.

Related Topics:
2004 - Nashville Predators - Captain - Calgary Flames

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During the 2004 offseason, the Wings focused on keeping players they already had instead of being active on the free agent market. They re-signed Selke Trophy-winning forward Kris Draper, who had just had a career season, to a four year deal, and captain Steve Yzerman to a one year deal. They also re-signed Brendan Shanahan, Jiri Fischer, Jason Williams, and Mathieu Dandenault as well head coach Dave Lewis, despite his poor playoff record. Deals were not reached with veteran defensemen Chris Chelios and Mathieu Schneider or star forward Pavel Datsyuk before the NHL owners triggered their lockout on September 15. There also was a parting of ways with veteran forward Brett Hull, who signed with the Phoenix Coyotes as did forward Boyd Devereaux.

Related Topics:
Selke Trophy - Kris Draper - Brendan Shanahan - Jiri Fischer - Jason Williams - Mathieu Dandenault - Chris Chelios - Mathieu Schneider - Pavel Datsyuk - NHL - Lockout - September 15 - Phoenix Coyotes - Boyd Devereaux

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In June 2005, due to his poor performance in the playoffs, the Red Wings decided to let go of head coach Dave Lewis. On July 15, 2005, Mike Babcock, former coach of the Mighty Ducks, became the new head coach for the Wings.

Related Topics:
June 2005 - July 15 - 2005 - Mike Babcock

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In July 2005, due to the new NHL restrictions, the Wings had to release Darren McCarty, Derian Hatcher and Ray Whitney. The Wings did re-sign Chris Chelios and Mathieu Schneider to one-year contracts and also signed 2004 top draft pick Johan Franzen. Team captain Steve Yzerman also re-signed for one year for what many fans feel will be his final season. On August 8, the Wings brought back Chris Osgood to a one year contract.

Related Topics:
July 2005 - Derian Hatcher - Ray Whitney - 2004 - Johan Franzen - August 8 - Chris Osgood

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