56 Fun Facts About Detroit Red Wings

Under what name did the Detroit franchise enter the NHL in 1926?

Detroit entered the NHL in 1926 as the Cougars and played under that name for four seasons before a 1930 rebranding.

The 'winged wheel' logo was inspired by the emblem of which club?

The Montreal Amateur Athletic Association's hockey club, the Winged Wheelers, won the first Stanley Cup in 1893; James Norris, a former member, adapted its winged-wheel emblem for Detroit in 1932.

Detroit's 2008 championship brought the Red Wings' Stanley Cup total to what number?

The 2008 title, the Red Wings' first in six years, brought Detroit's total to 11 Stanley Cups, the most won by any US-based NHL team.

Where did the franchise play its first season in 1926-27 because no Detroit rink was ready?

The team played its 1926-27 home games across the river at the Border Cities Arena in Windsor, Ontario, then moved into the new Detroit Olympia in October 1927.

What nickname is registered as a trademark of the Red Wings for the Detroit area?

The Red Wings trademarked 'Hockeytown' in 1996 and painted the word at center ice, tying the nickname to the club's 1990s revival.

What sea creature do Red Wings fans throw onto the ice during the playoffs?

The octopus tradition began in the 1952 playoffs, when an octopus's eight legs matched the eight wins then needed to claim the Stanley Cup.

What is the giant red-eyed cephalopod mascot that hung from the rafters at home playoff games called?

The giant cephalopod is named Al after Al Sobotka, the ice manager who for decades cleared the eight-legged offerings fans threw onto the ice.

Which Journey song do Red Wings fans sing after home wins?

Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" plays after home wins because its opening verse mentions a city boy 'born and raised in South Detroit'.

In which year did the Red Wings win their first Stanley Cup?

Detroit's first Stanley Cup came in 1936, a 3-1 best-of-five win over Toronto; the team repeated in 1937 against the Rangers.

Which coach and general manager was the face of the franchise for 36 years from 1927?

Jack Adams coached Detroit from 1927 to 1947 and ran the front office as general manager until 1962; the NHL's coach-of-the-year award bears his name.

What was the famous 1940s-50s trio of Gordie Howe, Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay called?

The Production Line took its name from Detroit's auto plants; Alex Delvecchio took over Sid Abel's centre spot when Abel left for Chicago in 1952.

Which Red Wings goaltender joined Howe, Abel and Lindsay for the 1952 sweep to the Cup?

Sawchuk retired as the all-time leader with 447 wins and 103 shutouts.

Who became the first woman to head an NHL franchise when she took over the Red Wings in 1952?

Marguerite Norris took over as Red Wings president in 1952 and lost a family power struggle to her brother Bruce in 1955, months after Detroit's second straight Stanley Cup.

Which 5'7" checker scored the Cup-winning goal in Game 7 of 1954, deflected in by Doug Harvey?

Tony Leswick's floating shot from the blue line in overtime glanced off Doug Harvey's glove and past Gerry McNeil, ending the 1954 Final in Game 7.

Ted Lindsay was traded to Chicago in 1957 largely for doing what?

Lindsay was punished for helping start a players' union, the 1957 NHL Players' Association; the award for the players' choice as most outstanding player was renamed for him in 2010.

Gordie Howe came from which small Saskatchewan community?

Gordie Howe was born in Floral, a hamlet just outside Saskatoon, in 1928, and grew up in Saskatoon before joining Detroit in 1946.

How many Art Ross Trophies and how many Hart Trophies did Gordie Howe win?

Gordie Howe won the Art Ross and the Hart Trophy six each, all with Detroit, the last pair coming in 1962-63.

What is a 'Gordie Howe hat trick'?

A Gordie Howe hat trick is a goal, an assist and a fight in one game; Howe himself managed it only twice, both in the 1953-54 season.

At what age did Gordie Howe retire from the NHL in 1980, after a season with the Hartford Whalers?

Gordie Howe was 52 when he played his last NHL game with Hartford in April 1980, the only player to appear in the league in five different decades.

What derisive nickname was given to Detroit's long slump from 1967 to 1982?

Fans dubbed the team the Dead Wings during the 1967-82 stretch, when Detroit reached the playoffs only twice, in 1970 and 1978.

Which pizza chain founder bought the Red Wings from the Norris family in 1982?

Mike Ilitch, the pizza-chain founder, paid about $8 million for the Red Wings in June 1982 and bought the Detroit Tigers a decade later.

From which junior team did the Red Wings draft Yzerman in 1983?

Detroit took Yzerman fourth overall in 1983 from the Peterborough Petes of the OHL; he scored 87 points as a rookie and became captain at 21.

Yzerman was Red Wings captain for how many seasons, an NHL record when he retired in 2006?

Yzerman wore the C for 19 seasons, from October 1986 until his retirement in 2006, then the longest captaincy of one team in NHL history.

What was Yzerman's career-high goal total, set in 1988-89?

Yzerman scored 65 goals and 155 points in 1988-89, finishing third in scoring behind Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky; Detroit was nonetheless upset by Chicago that spring.

Which coach, hired in 1993, led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups?

Bowman is the only coach to win Cups with three different teams and holds the record of nine as a head coach.

How many regular-season games did the Red Wings win in 1995-96, then an NHL record?

The 1995-96 Red Wings went 62-13-7, breaking the 1976-77 Canadiens' mark of 60 wins, yet lost the conference final to the eventual champion Colorado Avalanche.

The 1997 Stanley Cup ended a Detroit drought of how many years?

Detroit's four-game sweep in the 1997 Final ended a 42-year wait since the 1955 title, then the longest active Stanley Cup drought in the NHL.

Which goaltender won the Conn Smythe Trophy in Detroit's 1997 Cup run?

Mike Vernon went 16-4 in the 1997 playoffs to earn the Conn Smythe, then was traded to San Jose that summer, handing the net to Chris Osgood.

Which defenseman's career ended in a limousine accident six days after the 1997 Cup win?

Vladimir Konstantinov suffered severe brain injuries in the June 13, 1997 crash; the next spring his teammates wheeled him onto the ice to touch the Cup after sweeping Washington.

What was the nickname of the 1990s team's Soviet-born group of Fedorov, Larionov and Fetisov?

The Russian Five, rounded out by forward Vyacheslav Kozlov and a second Soviet-trained defenseman, was often sent out as a complete unit from the 1995-96 season.

Whose hit from behind on Kris Draper in the 1996 playoffs ignited the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry?

Claude Lemieux's check drove Draper face-first into the boards, breaking his jaw and cheekbone; Darren McCarty avenged it in the 'Fight Night at the Joe' brawl of March 1997.

Which Red Wing flattened Patrick Roy with a body check when the goalie skated out during the 1997 brawl?

Brendan Shanahan intercepted Roy in an open-ice collision when the goalie left his crease to join the brawl; Roy then squared off with Detroit's own goaltender.

Which team did the Red Wings beat in the 2002 Stanley Cup Final?

Detroit beat the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in June 2002; Game 3 in Raleigh went to triple overtime before Igor Larionov won it.

Which team did Detroit beat in Game 6 to win the 2008 Stanley Cup?

Zetterberg scored the winner and took the Conn Smythe; Pittsburgh got its revenge in a seven-game rematch the next year.

Nicklas Lidstrom made history in 2008 as the first what to captain a Cup winner?

Lidstrom, a Swede, became the first non-North American player to captain a Stanley Cup champion in 2008, after taking over the captaincy in 2006.

Which Red Wing was nicknamed 'the Magic Man' and won four straight Lady Byng trophies?

Pavel Datsyuk won the Lady Byng from 2006 through 2009 and three Selke Trophies as best defensive forward before leaving for Russia in 2016.

How many consecutive seasons did the Red Wings make the playoffs before the streak ended in 2017?

Detroit made the playoffs 25 straight seasons, from 1991 through 2016, a run that began under Bryan Murray and ended with the 2016-17 miss.

Where did the Red Wings play their home games from 1979 to 2017?

Joe Louis Arena opened in December 1979 on the Detroit riverfront, replacing the Olympia, home since 1927, and hosted its last Red Wings game in April 2017.

Which building became the Red Wings' home in 2017?

Little Caesars Arena, a $862.9 million building in the District Detroit, opened in September 2017 and also brought the Pistons back downtown from Auburn Hills.

Who returned to the Red Wings as general manager in April 2019?

Steve Yzerman returned on April 19, 2019, replacing Ken Holland after eight seasons running the Tampa Bay Lightning, whom he built into a contender.

Who was named Red Wings captain in January 2021?

Dylan Larkin, from Waterford, Michigan, was named captain in January 2021, the first since Henrik Zetterberg retired in September 2018.

Which former Red Wing had his number retired by the team in January 2026?

Sergei Fedorov's number 91 was raised to the rafters in January 2026; he had won the 1994 Hart Trophy and three Stanley Cups with Detroit.

Which number did the Red Wings withdraw from use after its wearer's 1997 limousine crash?

Number 16 was never worn again after 1997, though it was not formally retired; Larry Aurie's 6 sits in similar limbo because the Ilitch ownership does not recognise its 1938 retirement.

Where did the Red Wings open the 2009-10 season, losing twice to St. Louis?

Detroit opened 2009-10 at Stockholm's Globe Arena as part of the NHL Premiere series, dropping both games to St. Louis in early October 2009.

What NHL record did the Red Wings set during the 2011-12 season?

Detroit's 23 consecutive home wins, from early November 2011 to mid-February 2012, broke the previous NHL record of 20 straight home victories.

Which Red Wing's 2005 cardiac arrest on the bench caused the first NHL game postponed for an injury?

Jiri Fischer collapsed on the Detroit bench against Nashville on November 21, 2005 and was revived with a defibrillator; the game was postponed and replayed in January 2006.

Which coach left the Red Wings for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015?

Mike Babcock, who had coached Detroit to the 2008 Cup, signed an eight-year, $50 million deal with Toronto in May 2015; Jeff Blashill replaced him.

The Red Wings played the second NHL Winter Classic in 2009 at which ballpark?

Detroit beat the Blackhawks 6-4 at Wrigley Field on January 1, 2009; the team later hosted the 2014 edition at Michigan Stadium against Toronto.

Who scored the double-overtime goal that won Detroit the 1950 Stanley Cup in Game 7?

Pete Babando beat Chuck Rayner at 8:31 of the second overtime on April 23, 1950, the first Stanley Cup Final Game 7 decided in overtime.

What business was James E. Norris in when he bought the team in 1932 and renamed it the Red Wings?

James Norris had made his fortune as a grain merchant in Chicago through the Norris Grain Company; he bought the bankrupt club in 1932 and renamed it at once.

In 1938 the Red Wings and which team became the first NHL clubs to play games in Europe?

The Montreal Canadiens and Red Wings played nine exhibition games in Paris and London in spring 1938, the first NHL clubs to appear in Europe; Detroit next played there in 2009.

Which coach, hired in 1970, imposed rules on hair, smoking and phone calls that veterans hated?

Ned Harkness, who had won NCAA titles at RPI and Cornell, was moved upstairs to general manager in January 1971 after a player revolt, and resigned in 1974.

Who threw the very first eight-legged offering onto the ice at a Red Wings playoff game in 1952?

Pete Cusimano, a fish market owner, threw the first one on April 15, 1952, the night Detroit completed its sweep; the eight legs matched the eight playoff wins then required.

Whom did the Red Wings beat 4–2 in the 2017 opener of their new arena?

Detroit beat the Minnesota Wild 4–2 on October 5, 2017 in the first regular-season game at the new building; the season ended 30–39–13 and out of the playoffs.

In 2019–20 the Red Wings won only 17 games, their fewest since which season?

Detroit's 17 wins in 2019-20 were its fewest since the 1985–86 team went 17-57-6; the 2019-20 club finished 17–49–5, worst in the NHL.

Who replaced Derek Lalonde as Red Wings head coach after he was fired on December 26, 2024?

Assistant Bob Boughner went out with Lalonde and Trent Yawney came in as McLellan's assistant; the team still missed the playoffs.