| In Hockey Town, there's only one team to root for -- | | | | Leafs. But the team then ran off a streak of |
| the Detroit Red Wings. The team currently resides just | | | | seven-straight first overall finishes from 1948-49 until |
| a luxury sedan or limo ride away at Joe Louis Arena, | | | | 1954-55 and won four Stanley Cups (1950, 1952, 1954 |
| located in downtown Detroit. Here are some team | | | | and 1955). |
| historical highlights: | | | | The 1950 Stanley Cup was also the first appearance |
| 1920s | | | | of an octopus on Detroit ice at a hockey game. The |
| The Red Wings go all the way back to the old | | | | eight tentacles represented the eight games that a |
| Western Hockey League, when the Victoria (British | | | | team needed to win to capture the Stanley Cup. |
| Columbia) Cougars were sold to a group from Detroit | | | | Detroit didn't return to the Stanley Cup Finals until 1961, |
| on September 25, 1926. The team played its home | | | | when they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. There |
| games in Windsor, Ontario. The Victoria Cougars had | | | | was jubilation at the Olympia in1963 when Gordie |
| won the Stanley Cup in 1925 and were Cup finalists in | | | | Howe broke Maurice "Rocket" Richard's record for |
| 1926, but the Detroit Cougars finished 12-28-4; the | | | | the most career NHL goals with his 545th against the |
| NHL's worst record for the 1926-27 season. | | | | Montréal Canadiens. |
| Help came in 1928, in the form of Jack Adams as the | | | | The Wings reached the playoffs four times from |
| team's coach and general manager. Adam's tenure as | | | | 1966-67 until 1985-86, a period that was highlighted by |
| coach and GM would last until the 1962-63 season, | | | | the veteran line of Howe, Alex Delvecchio and Frank |
| when Sid Abel took over. With Adams at the helm, the | | | | Mahovlich during the 1968-69 and 1969-70 seasons. |
| team made the playoffs for the first time in franchise | | | | The team moved to Joe Louis Arena in December |
| history. | | | | 1979. The arena hosted the NHL All-Star Game in |
| The team also moved into the brand new Olympia | | | | January 1980. The game featured a 50-year old |
| Stadium for the 1927-28 season. A Detroit and | | | | Gordie Howe, who was in his last season with the |
| professional hockey landmark, the Olympia would | | | | Hartford Whalers after returning to pro hockey in |
| serve as the home for the franchise through the | | | | 1973-74 in the World Hockey Association. |
| midway point of the 1979-80 season. | | | | The Norris' sold the Red Wings in 1982 to Mike and |
| Willing to try anything, Jack Adams changed the name | | | | Marian Ilitch, who owned Little Caesars Pizza. One of |
| for the 1930-31 season to the Detroit Falcons. | | | | their first hires was Jimmy Devellano as the team's |
| In 1932 the financial problems ended when grain | | | | general manager and he selected an 18-year-old |
| millionaire and shipping magnate James Norris Sr. | | | | center named Steve Yzerman as the fourth overall |
| purchased the team. Norris, like Adams, was a | | | | pick of the 1983 NHL Draft. |
| Canadian turned American. He had once played | | | | Detroit made the playoffs in both 1983-84 and 1984-85 |
| hockey for the Montreal Amateur Athletic | | | | seasons but lost in the first round each season. The |
| Association's Winged Wheelers. | | | | Red Wings collected only 40 points in 1985-86 to finish |
| When the two men met, Norris and Adams agreed | | | | last overall in the NHL, but the disappointing campaign |
| that the team's new logo would be a winged wheel | | | | would prove as one step backward before Detroit |
| and the club's nickname changed to the Red Wings. | | | | would take several steps in the right direction. |
| The franchise already had a few players who would | | | | Detroit hired new coach Jacques Demers he made |
| contribute to the team's first two Stanley Cups in 1936 | | | | the 21-year-old Yzerman the team's captain. Demers |
| and 1937 such as Ebbie Goodfellow, Larry Aurie, | | | | won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of |
| Herbie Lewis, Hec Kilrea and John Sorrell. Detroit | | | | the year in both 1986-87 and 1987-88. In 1988-89, |
| slumped to under .500 and missed the play-offs in | | | | Yzerman set team records for goals, assists and |
| 1934-35, but came back to win the first Stanley Cup in | | | | points with 65 goals, 90 assists and 155 points - which |
| the franchise's history in 1936, defeating the Toronto | | | | is the highest point total in NHL history for a player not |
| Maple Leafs three games-to-one in the finals. | | | | named Gretzky or Lemieux. |
| The Red Wings went on to repeat as Cup Champions | | | | Young players like Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, |
| in 1937, winning three games-to-two over the New | | | | Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Kozlov, Keith Primeau, |
| York Rangers in the finals. The 1936 and 1937 teams | | | | Martin Lapointe, Darren McCarty and Chris Osgood |
| featured two of the greatest players ever to wear | | | | and veterans like Dino Ciccarelli, Paul Coffey and Ray |
| the winged wheel in Ebbie Goodfellow and Syd Howe. | | | | Sheppard were acquired via trade. All but Primeau, |
| Detroit's blue line also got an addition in 1938-39 when | | | | Ciccarelli, Coffey and Sheppard contributed to the Red |
| Jack Stewart was introduced to the NHL. His dark | | | | Wings' Stanley Cup victories in 1997 and 1998. |
| features and physical game earned him the nickname | | | | The 1999-2000 season was one of milestones for the |
| "Black Jack" Stewart and he terrorized opposing | | | | Red Wings. Yzerman scored goal No. 600, Verbeek |
| forwards with bone-crushing hits and his great | | | | tallied No. 500, Shanahan collected No. 400 and |
| strength. | | | | Fedorov earned No. 300. Yzerman also recorded his |
| The Red Wings advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals in | | | | 1,500th point and 900th assist while Verbeek scored |
| 1941 and 1942, losing to the Boston Bruins and the | | | | his 1,000th point. |
| Toronto Maple Leafs. But the Red Wings got their | | | | The Red Wings finished with the league's second best |
| revenge on the Bruins and Brimsek by winning the third | | | | record in 2000-01, but were eliminated by the Los |
| Stanley Cup in team history in a four game sweep of | | | | Angeles Kings during the first round of the 2001 |
| Boston in 1943. | | | | playoffs. After finishing second in Norris Trophy voting |
| With the promotions of Ted Lindsay (1944-45), Gordie | | | | for three straight years, Lidstrom finally won his first |
| Howe (1946-47), Red Kelly (1947-48) and Terry | | | | Norris as the NHL's top defenseman. |
| Sawchuk (1949-50) to the NHL and the return of both | | | | In 2001, with league-best 116 points, the team won the |
| Abel and Stewart from the RCAF, one of the | | | | franchise's 10th Stanley Cup after the Red Wings |
| greatest dynasties in NHL history was set in motion. | | | | defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in five games during |
| Detroit finished second overall during the 1947-48 | | | | the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals. |
| regular season, five points behind the Toronto Maple | | | | |