The Detroit Red Wings, a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan, are a cornerstone of the National Hockey League (NHL). As one of the Original Six teams, the Red Wings boast a rich history and a legacy of success. They are members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the NHL. The team has seen 28 head coaches throughout its history, navigating through various eras and challenges.
Founded in 1926, the team was initially known as the Detroit Cougars until 1930, then as the Detroit Falcons (1930-1932) before settling on the Detroit Red Wings name in 1932. The Red Wings have captured the most Stanley Cup championships of any NHL franchise based in the United States, with 11 victories, placing them third overall among active teams, trailing only the Montreal Canadiens (24) and Toronto Maple Leafs (13).
The Wings played their home games at Joe Louis Arena from 1979 until 2017, after playing for 52 years at Olympia Stadium. They moved into Little Caesars Arena beginning with the 2017-18 season.
Early Years and the "Original Six" Era
Following the 1926 Stanley Cup playoffs, during which the Western Hockey League (WHL) was widely reported to be on the verge of folding, the NHL held a meeting on April 17 to consider applications for expansion franchises, at which it was reported that five different groups sought a team for Detroit.
During a subsequent meeting on May 15, 1926, the NHL owners voted, 6 to 2, to approve a franchise to the Townsend-Seyburn group of Detroit and named Charles A. Hughes as governor. WHL owners Frank and Lester Patrick made a deal to sell the league's players to the NHL and cease league operations. The new Detroit franchise purchased the players of the WHL's Victoria Cougars, who had won the Stanley Cup in 1925 and had made the 1926 Stanley Cup Final, to play for the team.
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In 1932, the NHL let grain merchant James E. Norris, who had made two previous unsuccessful bids to buy an NHL team, purchase the Falcons. Norris' first act was to rename the team; earlier in the century, Norris had been a member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA), a multi-sport club whose winged-wheel emblem derived from its cycling roots, and whose hockey team won the first Stanley Cup in 1893.
In 1934, the Red Wings made the Stanley Cup Final for the first time, with John Sorrell scoring 21 goals over 47 games and Larry Aurie leading the team in scoring.
However, the Chicago Black Hawks defeated the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final, winning the best-of-five series in four games to claim their first title. Two seasons later, the Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup in 1936, defeating Toronto in four games.
Detroit repeated as Stanley Cup champions in 1937, winning over the Rangers in the full five games. In 1938, the Montreal Canadiens and the Red Wings became the first NHL teams to play in Europe, playing in Paris and London. The Wings played nine games against the Canadiens and went 3-5-1. They did not play in Europe again until the preseason and start of the 2009-10 NHL season, in Sweden, against the St.
The Golden Era
The lion’s share of Stanley Cups were won for the organization during this time, spanning seven Cups from 1936-1955. In 1946, one of the greatest players in hockey history came into the NHL with the Red Wings. During the 1950 semifinals, Leo Reise Jr. scored the winning goal in overtime, which prevented the Maple Leafs from winning four straight championships.
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In the 1950 Stanley Cup Final, the Red Wings defeated the New York Rangers in seven games. After being upset by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1951 semifinals, Detroit won its fifth Stanley Cup in 1952, sweeping both the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens, with the Production Line of Howe, Abel and Lindsay joined by second-year goaltender Terry Sawchuk. Detroit became the first team in 17 years to go undefeated in the playoffs.
They also scored 24 playoff goals, compared to Toronto and Montreal's combined total of 5. Abel left the Red Wings for Chicago during the off-season, and his spot on the roster was replaced by Alex Delvecchio. In December 1952, James E.
Following another playoff upset in 1953 at the hands of the Bruins, the Red Wings won back-to-back Stanley Cups, beating the rival powerhouse Montreal Canadiens. Both of the Stanley Cup Final series played between the two teams were decided in seven games. The seventh game during the 1954 Stanley Cup Final was won with one of the oddest cup winning goals ever, when the 5'7" left winger Tony Leswick, known more for his relentless checking than scoring prowess, shot a puck towards the Montreal goal from the middle of the ice.
Habs defenseman Doug Harvey tried to gain control of the wobbly puck with his glove but instead redirected it past Montreal goalie Gerry McNeil. The repeat of the series the season after was closely contested, as all seven games were won by the home team, with Detroit taking the seventh game. In 1958-59, the Red Wings missed the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.
Struggles and Rebuilding
Only a year after making the 1966 Stanley Cup Final, the Red Wings finished a distant fifth, 24 points out of the playoffs. It was the beginning of a slump that they would not emerge from in almost 20 years. One factor in the Red Wings' decline was the end of the old development system.
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Another factor was Ned Harkness, who was hired as coach in 1970 and was promoted to general manager midway through the season. A successful college hockey coach, Harkness tried to force his two-way style of play on a veteran Red Wings team resistant to change. During the expansion season of 1967-68, the Red Wings acquired longtime star left-winger Frank Mahovlich from the defending Cup champions in Toronto.
There were near misses in the 60’s and then the curious case of Bill Gadsby’s “resignation,” after just the first two games of the 1969-1970 season. Keats was acquired in a trade and ended up replacing Duncan for the final eleven games of the season. An abysmal time for the organization, only Bobby Kromm, Alex Delvecchio and Johnny Wilson had point percentages above .350.
The Yzerman Era and Modern Success
In 1983, the Red Wings drafted Steve Yzerman, a center from the Peterborough Petes, with their first-round pick. In the 1986-87 season, with Yzerman, now the captain following the departure of Danny Gare, joined by Petr Klima, Adam Oates, Gerard Gallant, defenseman Darren Veitch, and new head coach Jacques Demers, the Red Wings won a playoff series for only the second time in the modern era.
They made it all the way to the conference finals against the powerful Edmonton Oilers, but lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions in five games. In 1988, they won their first division title in 23 years. During the 1993-94 season, the Red Wings were a Stanley Cup favorite, but were upset in the first round of the playoffs in seven games by the San Jose Sharks.
During the lockout-shortened 1994-95 NHL season, Bowman guided Detroit to its first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 29 years, only to be swept by the New Jersey Devils. During the 1995-96 season, the Red Wings won a then NHL record 62 games.
However, after defeating the St. The following season, the Red Wings acquired Brendan Shanahan and Larry Murphy. In the playoffs, they would defeat the St. Louis Blues, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Avalanche in the first three rounds.
In the 1997 Stanley Cup Final, the Red Wings swept the Philadelphia Flyers. It was their first Stanley Cup since 1955, breaking the longest drought (42 years long) in the league at that time. The following season, the Red Wings appeared to be poised to win a third consecutive Stanley Cup when they acquired three-time Norris Trophy winner Chris Chelios from his hometown Chicago Blackhawks in March 1999.
Also acquired at the trade deadline were defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, winger Wendel Clark, and goaltender Bill Ranford. Despite high aspirations, however, Detroit would end up losing in the conference semifinals to Colorado in six games. In 2000, the Red Wings would finish second in the Central Division.
In 2001, Detroit, the NHL's second-best team in the regular season, were upset in the playoffs by the Los Angeles Kings. During the ensuing off-season, the team acquired goaltender Dominik Hasek (the defending Vezina Trophy winner) and forwards Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull. Russian prospect Pavel Datsyuk also joined the team.
Strengthened by the additions, the Red Wings posted the league's best record in the 2001-02 regular season and defeated Colorado in seven games in the conference finals after beating the Vancouver Canucks and St.
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To start the 2007-08 campaign, Zetterberg recorded at least a point in each of Detroit's first 17 games, setting a club record. The Wings cruised to the playoffs, where they faced the Nashville Predators. After goaltender Dominik Hasek played poorly in games 3 and 4 of the series, both losses, head coach Mike Babcock replaced him with Chris Osgood.
Osgood never left the net for the remainder of the playoffs, as the Red Wings came back in that series in six games. In the second round, they swept the Colorado Avalanche in four games. They then went on to the Stanley Cup Final after defeating the Dallas Stars in six games in the conference finals. The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup against the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 6 on June 4, 2008, by the score of 3-2.
The Red Wings began the 2009-10 NHL season in Stockholm, losing both games to the St. Louis Blues 4-3 and 5-3, respectively. They were plagued by injuries throughout the season and lost the second most man games to injury, with only the last place Edmonton Oilers losing more.
The beginning of the season was a struggle for the Red Wings, with key players out of the lineup, including Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Niklas Kronwall. After the Olympic break, Detroit posted a record of 13-3-2 and earned 28 points, the most by any team in the NHL. This run helped them secure the fifth playoff seed in the Western Conference.
A healthier Red Wings team finished the 2010-11 NHL season with a 47-25-10 record and 104 points to win the Central Division title. They once again faced the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round of the playoffs, this time sweeping them 4-0. The Red Wings then went on to face the Sharks in round two.
Recent Years and Coaching Changes
During the 2011 off-season, Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski retired. Detroit soon signed free agent defenseman Ian White to take his place. Long-time Red Wings Chris Osgood and Kris Draper also announced their retirement from hockey, with both soon taking positions within the club.
Detroit signed goaltender Ty Conklin for his second stint with the team. Tragedy struck the organization and the rest of the NHL with the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, which killed former Red Wings assistant coach Brad McCrimmon and defenseman Ruslan Salei, who had joined the KHL team during the summer.
The team won their final four games of the 2012-13 season to earn the seventh seed of the playoffs. The Red Wings' 3-0 victory over the Dallas Stars on April 27, 2013, preserved their streak of 22 consecutive playoff appearances. As the seventh seed in the 2013 playoffs, the Red Wings faced the second-seeded Anaheim Ducks.
They survived a fierce battle that included four overtime games, winning the series 4-3 after a 3-2 game 7 victory in Anaheim. The next round pitted the Red Wings against the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks. On July 5, 2013, the Red Wings signed long time Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson to a one-year contract and long time Florida Panther Stephen Weiss to a five-year contract.
In the 2013-14 season, the Red Wings moved to the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference as part of the NHL's realignment. On April 9, 2015, the Red Wings clinched their 24th consecutive playoff appearance, thus extending their streak. The team was eliminated in the first round by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Red Wings played their first regular season game at Little Caesars Arena on October 5, 2017, winning 4-2 over the Minnesota Wild. The Red Wings finished the 2017-18 season with a 30-39-13 record.
Dylan Larkin was named the Red Wings captain on January 13, 2021, who succeeded Henrik Zetterberg following his retirement in 2018. On April 26, the Red Wings were eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth consecutive season. They would ultimately finish with a 19-27-10 record.
The Red Wings finished the 2021-22 season at 32-40-10. They missed the playoff for the sixth consecutive season. On April 30, 2022, Jeff Blashill was fired as head coach. They then hired Derek Lalonde as their head coach on June 30, 2022.
During 2022-23 season, the Red Wings would re-sign Dylan Larkin to an eight-year contract extension. The Red Wings finished the season at 35-37-10. They missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. The Red Wings finished the 2023-24 season with a 41-32-9 record.
On December 26, 2024, after a slow start to the 2024-25 season, the Red Wings fired head coach Lalonde and assistant head coach Bob Boughner. Roth, Thomas (December 26, 2024). "Red Wings name Todd McLellan head coach". NHL.com.
Coaches Hall of Fame
Six Red Wings coaches have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as players: Jack Adams, Sid Abel, Bill Gadsby, Marcel Pronovost, Ted Lindsay, and Brad Park, while two others as builders: Tommy Ivan and Scotty Bowman.
Coaching Records and Achievements
Barry Smith has the highest winning percentage of any Red Wings coach, with an .800 record from the five games he coached on an interim basis with Dave Lewis during the 1998 season. He is followed by Lewis who has a .672 winning percentage. Larry Wilson, who coached the 1977 season, has the lowest winning percentage (.139).
Jack Adams coached the most games of any Red Wings head coach, 964 games during his tenure with the Cougars, Falcons and Red Wings. Adams also has the most regular season losses and ties. The Jack Adams Award, awarded annually to the National Hockey League head coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success", is named after him. Mike Babcock has the most regular season wins. Jacques Demers is the only NHL coach to have won the Jack Adams Award twice with the same team.
Coaches of the Detroit Red Wings
Here's a table summarizing key coaching statistics for the Detroit Red Wings:
| Coach | Years | Games Coached | Winning Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Adams | 1927-1947 | 964 | .581 |
| Barry Smith | 1998 | 5 | .800 |
| Dave Lewis | 2002-2006 | 328 | .672 |
| Larry Wilson | 1977 | 54 | .139 |
| Mike Babcock | 2005-2015 | 835 | .641 |