Red Wings History

Stanley Cup Championships

1936

1937

1943

1950

1952

1954

1955

1997

1998

2002

The 1920's

The roots of the Red Wings go all the way back to the old
Western Hockey League, where the Victoria (British Columbia)
Cougars were members until their roster was sold to a group
from Detroit on September 25, 1926. The Detroit group had
been awarded an NHL franchise on May 15, 1926.

The team began to play as the Detroit Cougars in the fall of
1926 while playing its homegames in Windsor, Ontario. Despite
the fact that the Victoria Cougars had won the Stanley Cup in
1925 and were Cup finalists in 1926, the Detroit Cougars finished
12-28-4; the NHL's worst record for the 1926-27 season.

Not only did the team struggle on the ice, but it performed
poorly on the ledger sheet as well where the Cougars were more
than $80,000 in debt.

Help came, the following season, in the form of Jack Adams as
the team's coach and general manager. Adams had played in the
old Pacific Coast league and in the NHL with the Toronto St. Pats
and the Ottawa Senators. Adam's tenure as coach and GM would
last until the 1962-63 season, when Sid Abel took over.

The team also moved into the brand new Olympia Stadium for the
1927-28 season. A Detroit and professional hockey landmark, the
Olympia would serve as the home for the franchise through the midway
point of the 1979-80 season. With Adams at the helm, the team
made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history (1928-29).
However, they were still among the NHL's have-nots and perpetually
close to bankruptcy.

The 1930's

Willing to try anything, Jack Adams changed the name for the
1930-31 season to the Detroit Falcons.

After the depression, the team went into receivership and
Adams was forced to use his own money to make payroll. It was
so bad financially, that Adams joked if the Montreal Canadiens
superstar Howie Morenz were available for $1.98, the Falcons
still couldn't afford him. Things weren't much better on the
ice as the team had only made the playoffs twice in its first
six seasons.

In 1932 the financial problems ended when grain millionaire
and shipping magnate James Norris Sr. purchased the team. Norris,
like Adams, was a Canadian turned American. He had once played
hockey for the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association's Winged Wheelers.

When the two men met, Norris and Adams agreed that the team's
new logo would be a winged wheel and the club's nickname changed
to the Red Wings.

The franchise already had a few players who would contribute to
the team's first two Stanley Cups in 1936 and 1937 such as Ebbie
Goodfellow, Larry Aurie, Herbie Lewis, Hec Kilrea and John Sorrell.
Norris' money and Adams ability to wheel and deal added such players
as Carl Voss, Syd Howe, Marty Barry, goaltender Normie Smith, Bucko
McDonald and others. The Red Wings had outstanding seasons in 1932-33
- when Voss won the franchise's first award by winning the Calder
Trophy as the NHL's top rookie - and 1933-34, advancing to the
semi-finals against the New York Rangers in 1933 and lost in the
Stanley Cup Finals to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1934. Detroit slumped
to under .500 and missed the play-offs in 1934-35, but came back to
win the first Stanley Cup in the franchise's history in 1936, defeating
the Toronto Maple Leafs three games-to-one in the finals.

The Red Wings went on to repeat as Cup Champions in 1937, winning
three games-to-two over the New York Rangers in the finals. However,
one of the most memorable moments in Red Wings and NHL history
came in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Montreal
Maroons at the Montreal Forum on March 24, 1936. In the longest
game ever played in NHL history, the Red Wings defeated the Maroons
1-0 on rookie Mud Bruneteau's goal, which came 16:30 into the
sixth overtime period. That contest also began a playoff shutout
run of 248 minutes and 32 seconds for Normie Smith. That still
stands as the longest Stanley Cup Playoff shutout streak for a
goaltender. The 1936 and 1937 teams featured two of the greatest
players ever to wear the winged wheel in Ebbie Goodfellow and
Syd Howe. Goodfellow played with the Red Wings from 1929-30 season
until 1942-43. He was a forward for the first five seasons and
led the team in scoring in 1930-31 and 1931-32 seasons and was
even second in the NHL in points with 48 in 1930-31. But because
the team had a surplus of good forwards, Adams asked Goodfellow
to move to defense for the 1934-35 season. He made the move and
helped the team win the cup in 1936 and 1937 and was First Team
All-Star on defense in 1936-37 and 1939-40 and a Second Team
selection in 1935-36. Goodfellow was a player-coach in his final
season, in which the Red Wings won their third Stanley Cup.

Syd Howe was also a versatile player as he manned every position
but goaltender during his 17-season NHL career, which spanned
from 1929-30 until 1945-46. He played with the Red Wings for the
last 11 seasons of his career. Howe played with the Ottawa Senators,
Philadelphia Quakers, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Senators again
before the franchise moved to St. Louis and was known as the Eagles.
Howe went with them, but the financially strapped team sold Howe
and defenseman Ralph (Scotty) Bowman - no relation to the Red
Wings' former coach - to Detroit for Teddy Graham and $50,000.
He went on to help the Red Wings win their first three Stanley
Cups and holds the team record for goals in a game with six on
Feb. 3, 1944 against the New York Rangers at the Olympia. When
Howe retired in 1946, he was the NHL's all-time leading scorer
with 528 points.

Goodfellow was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963 and
Howe in 1965.

A young man from Melville, Saskatchewan joined the Red Wings
for part of the 1938-39 season, Sid Abel. Abel played only 15
games with Detroit that season and 24 the next as he split time
between the NHL and the American Hockey League, but he became
a regular in 1940-41. Abel finished fifth in league scoring with
49 points in 1941-42 and became the Red Wings captain in 1942-43.

Detroit's blue line also got an addition in 1938-39 when Jack
Stewart was introduced to the NHL. His dark features and physical
game earned him the nickname "Black Jack" Stewart and he terrorized
opposing forwards with bone-crushing hits and his great strength.

The 1940's

The Red Wings advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1941 and 1942,
losing to the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Bruins swept the Red Wings in four games as Detroit was thwarted
by the spectacular goaltending of goaltender Frank Brimsek, who
lived up to his nickname of "Mr. Zero" by only allowing the Red
Wings six goals in three series. The Red Wings won the first three
games of the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals against the Maple Leafs, but
Toronto rallied to win the next four and win the Cup. It was the
first and only time a team has come back from a three games-to-none
Cup Finals deficit and only one of the two times in NHL history
that a team has lost a playoff series after winning the first
three games (the other occasion came when the Pittsburgh Penguins
blew a 3-0 advantage against the New York Islanders in 1975).

But the Red Wings got their revenge on the Bruins and Brimsek by
winning the third Stanley Cup in team history in a four game sweep
of Boston in 1943. Detroit had also finished first overall with
61 points and a 25-14-11 record in 1942-43, the first season of
the "Original Six" six-team NHL (the league had ranged from four-to-10
teams from it's beginning in 1917-18 until 1941-42).

That season began what has become known as the NHL's "Golden Age",
which lasted through the 1966-67 season, after which the league
doubled in size to 12 teams.

The 1944 season saw an offensive explosion in the NHL as many of
the league's best, and defensive players were serving in World
War II (both Sid Abel and Jack Stewart served in the Royal Canadian
air Force in 1943-44 and 1944-45). The NHL's leading scorer, Boston's
Herb Cain, had 36 goals and 82 points and the Red Wings Carl Liscombe
finished fourth in the scoring race with a team record 36 goals,
37 assists and 73 points.

Detroit wouldn't capture the Stanley Cup again until 1950, but
the late '40s would see the arrival of a group of players who would
become not only Red Wing legends, but the makings of NHL lore.

With the promotions of Ted Lindsay (1944-45), Gordie Howe (1946-47),
Red Kelly (1947-48) and Terry Sawchuk (1949-50) to the NHL and
the return of both Abel and Stewart from the RCAF, one of the greatest
dynasties in NHL history was set in motion. Adams handed the coaching
reins to Tommy Ivan after the 1946-47 season. Detroit finished
second overall during the 1947-48 regular season, five points behind
the Toronto Maple Leafs. But the team then ran off a streak of
seven-straight first overall finishes from 1948-49 until 1954-55
and won four Stanley Cups (1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955).

The 1950's

Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe and Sid Abel terrorized the NHL as members
of the "Production Line", Red Kelly became the NHL's top offensive
defensemen and Jack Stewart provided more physical play on the
blue line before being traded after Detroit won the 1950 Stanley
Cup. The Red Wings can thank Pete Babando for that triumph as he
tallied the clinching goal eight minutes and thirty-one seconds
into the second over-time period in game 7 to defeat the New
York Rangers 4-3.

Detroit proved to be a talented and deep squad in the 1950 playoffs
when Howe suffered a serious head injury in Game 1 of the first-round
playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Howe almost died
and would miss the remainder of the playoffs, but he was out of
the hospital in time to join his teammates for the on-ice celebration
after Babando's goal in Game 7. The first round of the 1950 playoffs
had also featured overtime heroics as Leo Reise scored the OT
winner in both Games 4 and 7.

Veteran goaltender Harry Lumley backstopped Detroit to the 1950
Stanley Cup victory. But Terry Sawchuk was so impressive in a seven-game
call-up from the minors while Lumley was injured, that Lumley was
traded to the Chicago Blackhawks before the 1950-51 season to make
room for Sawchuk.

Other future Red Wing greats arrived during this period. Defenseman
Marcel Pronovost was with the team during the 1949-50 season, but
didn't play. He made his Detroit ice debut the following season
along with Alex Delvecchio.

Sawchuk staged one of the greatest performances in Stanley Cup
Playoff history when Detroit captured the 1950 Stanley Cup. He
only allowed five goals in eight games as the Red Wings swept
both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montréal Canadiens in four games.
Even more incredibly, Sawchuk didn't give up a single goal in any
of the four games played at Olympia Stadium.

That was also the first appearance of an octopus on Detroit ice
at a hockey game. The eight tentacles represented the eight games
that a team needed to win to capture the Stanley Cup.

Another significant event came during the first round of the 1952
playoffs. After Lindsay and Howe had received death threats if
they played in Game 4 in Toronto, both played and the Wings' won
to end the series. After the game, Lindsay playfully chided the
Toronto fans when he skated to center ice and held his stick like
a machine gun and pretended to shoot the crowd.

The 1953-54 season was Ivan's last as a coach and the Red Wings
gave him a grand send off with their third cup in five seasons.
The Wings then repeated as Cup champs the next season in Jimmy
Skinner's first season behind the Detroit bench. The Red Wings
defeated the Montreal Canadiens in the finals both seasons, winning
in five games in 1954, thanks to Tony Leswick's OT goal in Game
5, and in seven games in 1955.

After dropping the 1956 finals to the Canadiens in five games,
it seemed that the Red Wings' dynasty would go on for the near
future but questionable trades by Adams gutted the team of many
good and great players.

Stars like Sawchuk, Lindsay, Kelly and young players like Glenn
Hall and Johnny Bucyk were traded from 1955 to 1960 and the team
got little in return. Sawchuk did return to Detroit, but one of
the players sent to the Bruins to reacquire him was Bucyk, who
went on to become one of the best left wings in NHL history.

The 1960's

Detroit didn't return to the Stanley Cup Finals until 1961, when
they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Red Wings went on to
advance to the Finals in three of the four seasons from 1963-66,
but lost each time. The team, now coached by Sid Abel, lost to
the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1963 (five games) and 1964 (seven games)
and to the Montréal Canadiens in 1966 (six games).

It would be 29 years before the Wings would return to the Cup
Finals and 31 years before they would record another Stanley Cup
Finals victory.

But there had been jubilation at the Olympia on Nov. 10, 1963
when Gordie Howe broke Maurice "Rocket" Richard's record for the
most career NHL goals with his 545th against Richard's former
team, the Montréal Canadiens, and goaltender Charlie Hodge.

Detroit reached the playoffs four times from 1966-67 until 1985-86,
a period that was highlighted by the veteran line of Howe, Alex
Delvecchio and Frank Mahovlich during the 1968-69 and 1969-70
seasons,

The 1970's

Mickey Redmond became the first Red Wing to score 50 goals in
a season in 1972-73 (he did it again the following season). Other
70s highlights included Marcel Dionne's 121 points and Danny Grant's
50 goals in 1974-75.

The team also moved to Joe Louis Arena in December 1979 and it
hosted the NHL All-Star Game in January 1980. The contest featured
50-year old Gordie Howe, who was in his last season with the Hartford
Whalers after returning to pro hockey in 1973-74 in the World Hockey
Association - he had retired from the Red Wings following
the 1970-71 season.

The 1980's

The Norris family finally sold the Red Wings in 1982 to Mike and
Marian Ilitch, who owned Little Caesars Pizza. One of their first
hires was Jimmy Devellano as the team's general manager and he
selected a shy, 18-year-old center named Steve Yzerman with the
fourth overall pick of the 1983 NHL Draft.

Detroit made the playoffs in both 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons but
lost in the first round each season. The Red Wings collected only
40 points in 1985-86 to finish last overall in the NHL, but the
disappointing campaign would prove as one step backward before
Detroit would take several steps in the right direction.

Detroit hired Jacques Demers, coach of the St. Louis Blues, as
their new coach. Not only did the Red Wings make the playoffs in
each of Demers first two seasons, but they advanced to the Campbell
Conference Finals each season and lost to the Edmonton Oilers in
five games both times.

Demers made the 21-year-old Yzerman the team's captain. The squad
featured other young players like Gerard Gallant, Petr Kilma, Bob
Probert, Shawn Burr, Adam Oates, Joe Kocur and Steve Chiasson and
veterans like Dave Barr, Lee Norwood, Tim Higgins, Gilbert Delorme
and Harold Snepsts.

Demers won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year in
both 1986-87 and 1987-88.

In 1988-89, Yzerman set team records for goals, assists and points
with 65 goals, 90 assists and 155 points - which is the highest
point total in NHL history for a player not named Gretzky or Lemieux.
Yzerman and line mates Gallant and Paul MacLean combined for 319
points, the most by any line in Red Wings' history. Despite their
stellar play, Detroit lost in the first round of the playoffs.

The 1990's

The 1989-90 season saw the Red Wings miss the playoffs, ending
Demers run as the Wings head coach. Demers was replaced by former
Washington Capitals' coach Bryan Murray, who was also named the
team's general manager. The disappointing 1989-90 season was the
last time Detroit would miss the playoffs as the Wings have now
gone to post-season play for 14 consecutive years.

Young players like Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Vladimir
Konstantinov, Slava Kozlov, Keith Primeau, Martin Lapointe, Darren
McCarty and Chris Osgood reached the NHL with the Red Wings and
veterans like Dino Ciccarelli, Paul Coffey and Ray Sheppard were
acquired via trade. All but Primeau, Ciccarelli, Coffey and Sheppard
contributed to the Red Wings' Stanley Cup victories
in 1997 and 1998.

The Red Wings made the playoffs in 1990-91 but were eliminated
in the first round of the playoffs by the St. Louis Blues. Over
the next three seasons, the Red Wings were one of the most prolific
offensive teams in the NHL and one of the best during the regular
season. Detroit finished third in goals in 1991-92 and advanced
to the second round before being eliminated by Chicago.

The Wings led the NHL in scoring the following two seasons, but
were eliminated in the first round both years (Toronto and San Jose Sharks).

Fedorov came of age during the 1993-94 season as he finished second
in the league in scoring with 120 points (56 goals and 64 assists)
and won both the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the Frank J. Selke
Trophy as the league's best defensive forward. Sheppard also scored
50 goals (52-41-93) to give the Red Wings the first 50-goal pair
in their history.

Murray was fired as coach after the 1992-93 season and the legendary
Scotty Bowman was hired to replace Murray behind the bench. After
the team was eliminated by the Sharks, Murray was fired as G.M.
He was replaced by a combination of Devellano, who had become the
team's senior vice-president when Murray was hired in 1990, assistant
general manager Ken Holland and Bowman; who would serve as the
player personnel director.

Bowman did what many considered unthinkable as he took the league's
most potent offensive team and began to emphasize defense. He and
associate coaches Barry Smith and Dave Lewis instituted the "Left-wing
lock system" and veteran defensemen Bob Rouse and Mike Ramsey were
signed as free agents. The team also traded defensemen Steve Chiasson
to the Calgary Flames for veteran goaltender Mike Vernon during
the off-season. That gave the team an experienced goaltender to
go along with a young Chris Osgood, who had come up during the
1993-94 season and had been forced to play in the playoffs.

The Red Wings were ready to go, but the NHL regular season didn't
begin until January because of a lockout by the owners. When the
season did begin, the Red Wings were the best. Coffey won the Norris
Trophy as the NHL's top defensemen during the regular season and
the Wings won the Presidents' Trophy, which goes to the team with
the NHL's best regular-season record and advanced to the Stanley
Cup Finals for the first time since 1966. But the Wings were not
able to reach their ultimate goal when they were swept by the
New Jersey Devils in the Cup Finals.

The following regular season was even better as the team's 62
victories broke the NHL record for the most wins in a season.
Not only were the Red Wings a success on the ice, they were a
huge story off it.

Early in the season, Detroit sent Sheppard to the San Jose Sharks
for veteran Igor Larionov. He teamed with Fedorov, Kozlov, Konstantinov
and veteran defenseman Slava Fetisov - who had been acquired from
New Jersey at the trade deadline the previous season - to form
the first all-Russian five-man unit in NHL history. The "Russian Five"
dazzled opponents with their skill and skating ability and became
the Red Wings personality.

Individually, Bowman won the Jack Adams Award, Osgood and Vernon
shared the Jennings Trophy (which goes to the team with the lo
west goals-against average), and Fedorov repeated as the Selke
Trophy winner.

Coffey became the first defenseman to collect 1,000 assists, Yzerman
scored the 500th goal of his career during the 1995-96 season and
Bowman broke the record for the most NHL games coached.

Yzerman also discovered how Red Wing fans felt about him once and
for all. With rumors of a trade swirling, he received a tremendous
and deafening ovation when he was introduced at the home opener
at Joe Louis Arena. Fans shouted, "Stevie!" "Stevie!" "Stevie!"

That moment made it clear that Yzerman would remain a Red Wing
for life.

But it was playoff disappointment once again for Detroit as it
was eliminated in the Western Conference Finals by the Colorado
Avalanche, who would go on to win the 1996 Stanley Cup. That series
began the fierce rivalry between the Red Wings and the Avalanche.
The most significant incident came in Game 6 when Claude Lemieux
drilled the Wings' Kris Draper into the boards from behind and
left Draper suffering serious facial injuries as a result.

Ciccarelli was traded during the off-season and early in the regular
season the Wings sent Primeau, Coffey and a first round pick in
the 1997 draft to the Hartford Whalers for left wing Brendan Shanahan
and minor-league defenseman Brian Glynn.

Shanahan was one of the final pieces in Detroit's Stanley Cup
puzzle and went on to score 46 goals that season. Veteran defensemen
Larry Murphy was acquired at the trade deadline and Kocur, who
had been traded to the New York Rangers in 1991, returned to Detroit
as a free agent in December 1996. But the regular seasons most
memorable Red Wing moment came on March 26, 1997 when McCarty exacted
revenge on Lemieux for the hit on Draper. It came during an on-ice
brawl, which featured Colorado goaltender, Patrick Roy and Mike
Vernon in a slugfest at center ice. The frenzy helped rally the
Wings from a two-goal deficit to a 6-5 overtime victory as McCarty
got the winner. When Detroit went on to win the Stanley Cup, each
player pointed to that game as the moment they became a team.

In the playoffs Detroit defeated the Blues in six games, swept
the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in four games (all but three, including
Game 4, went into overtime), took the Avalanche in six games in
the Western Conference Finals and swept the Philadelphia Flyers
in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals.

Finally, the Red Wings and the fans had their first Stanley Cup
in 42 years. Joy relief, exuberance, satisfaction - all emotions
were personified in Yzerman's smile as he accepted the Stanley
Cup and skated around the JLA ice. Vernon was voted the Conn Smythe
Trophy winner as the Playoff MVP.

But tragedy struck just six days later when Konstantinov and masseur
Sergei Mnatsakanov were critically injured in a one-vehicle limousine
accident. Fetisov was also in the limousine but his injuries weren't
nearly as serious and he returned to play the following season.
But Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov both saw the end of their careers.

Vernon, who wanted a three-year contract, was dealt to the San
Jose Sharks. Holland had also become the team's general manager
that summer.

Despite the loss of one of the NHL's best defensemen in Konstantinov,
the Red Wings played like champions throughout the regular season.
The fact that the team was never able to truly celebrate its Stanley
Cup victory and the constant thoughts of their stricken teammates
propelled a driven Red Wings team into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
After defeating Phoenix, St. Louis and Dallas in the first three
rounds, Detroit swept the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup
Finals. Yzerman won the Conn Smythe Trophy. After accepting the
1998 Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year, the Captain
placed it on the lap of Konstatinov and the entire team joined
in for an emotional scene that touched fans throughout the sports
world. Media from all over the NHL wrote that never had one team
deserved to repeat as much as this Red Wings squad.

The Avalanche eliminated the Red Wings in the second round of
the playoffs the next two seasons. But there was plenty
of individual achievement.

In 1998-99 Murphy passed Tim Horton to become the all-time
games-played leader among defensemen in NHL history.