Detroit Red Wings

Team Summary

The Detroit Red Wings are an NHL team currently playing in the Atlantic Division based in Detroit, Michigan. The Red Wings entered the league in 1926 under the name Detroit Cougars, changing to the famed winged wheels of Motor City in 1932. As one of six original teams in the NHL, the Red Wings have a long and storied history dotted with several championships. Currently, Detroit leads all US-based NHL teams in cup wins at 11.

The logo of the winged wheel and distinct red uniforms are unmistakable and are some of the longest-standing team identities in sports. The Red Wings have not added or changed anything significant to their branding or design since their inception in the 1930s- combined with one of the most successful hockey dynasties of all time and a few hall of fame players, Detroit has cemented itself as one of the all-time greatest franchises in sports.

Detroit Red Wings Standings

The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. The team competes in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the NHL. The Red Wings have a passionate fan base and have a history of success, having won multiple championships in the past.

Detroit Red Wings History

As one of the Original Six teams in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings (known at the time as the Detroit Cougars) joined the league in 1926 after the dissolution of the WHL. After a brief period of being rebranded to the “Detroit Falcons,” the franchise officially established itself as the Red Wings in 1932, winning their first cup a few years later in 1936. The Wings would go on to win the cup six more times between 1937-1955 but would face some adversity starting in the 60s.

The NHL changed forever in 1967, as the league doubled in size with six new expansion teams. The NHL would continue to add teams through 1974, making getting to the playoffs (and winning the cup) much more difficult than before. No team felt this more than the Red Wings: Between the expansion of 1967 through the 1983 seasons, Detroit made the postseason only twice.

Things began to change after Detroit drafted Steve Yzerman in 1983. Yzerman would eventually become the captain of the team, proving to be an insanely talented forward with multiple 60+ game seasons. After adding five Russian players that had defected from the Soviet Union in the 90s, the Red Wings ended their cup drought in 1997 with back-to-back championships. Detroit would go on to win again in 2002.

The Red Wings became a shoe-in for the playoffs every year with one of the longest playoff streaks in NHL history, eventually winning another cup in 2008 with names like Lidstrom, Zetterberg, Hasek, and Osgood. Though they continued to dominate in the regular season, it soon became apparent that the franchise was going to need a hard rebuild if it ever wanted to hoist the cup again.

Steve Yzerman left his GM position in Tampa Bay to take over for the team he played his entire career with in 2019, overseeing a complete overhaul and liquidation of all team assets. Though the Red Wings saw some record lows during their initial rebuild phase, the amount of young talent emerging from today’s roster has given Detroit fans everywhere hope to become a dynasty again.

Key Stats

The Red Wings are a far cry from their historically bad 2019-2020 season, but still have a ways to go before being considered contenders again. There have been some huge strides this season, however, particularly on the blueline. Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider has proven to have the potential to be a franchise defenseman in his rookie season. Though he has since slowed down from his hot start, he is still the top-scoring rookie defenseman and 3rd overall in all rookie scoring with 24 points.

Detroit forward Lucas Raymond, on the other hand, leads all NHL rookies in scoring in his inaugural season. Currently, the forward has a total of 11 goals and 21 assists, enough for the second-most on the team and one of the clear frontrunners for the Calder. Team captain Dylan Larkin leads the entire team in scoring, currently on a point-per-game place with 34 points in 34 games.

The Red Wings signed former Cane backup Alex Nedeljkovic as their go-to netminder this offseason, who has proven to be a capable starting goaltender. Nedeljkovic currently has an 11-10-4 record and a .918 SV% in 27 starts this season.

Championships Won by the Team

Detroit has won a total of 11 championships in franchise history, making them the most successful American team in the league. Detroit managed to win seven of those cups during the Original Six era prior to 1967, with their first win coming in 1934. These cups were won in a much different (and easier) playoff format, not recognizable by the modern NHL.

The Red Wings have won a total of four championships since the 1967 expansion, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998 under the leadership of Steve Yzerman and the help of the Russian Five. During this era, the Red Wings would often clash with the recently moved Colorado Avalanche in the postseason, leading to one of the most intense (and violent) rivalries in the history of the NHL.

The Wings would continue their impressive postseason streak with ultimate success in 2002 and 2008, with their most recent championship coming against Pittsburgh. Detroit would meet the Penguins in the 2009 finals as well but ultimately lose in seven games.

Important Team Events

On May 29th, 1996, Colorado Avalanche forward Claude Lemieux delivered a brutal check from behind on Red Wings forward Kris Draper, resulting in Draper getting a broken jaw and requiring reconstructive surgery. At the time of the hit, neither team realized how serious it was- after the game was over and the Avs had eliminated Detroit from the playoffs, reality began to set in. Red Wings players became vocal about their disdain for Lemieux’s hit and implied that had they known, they would have reacted much differently.

When the teams met in the regular season the following year, a full brawl erupted on the ice. Known as “Bloody Sunday,” the fourth meeting of the season saw 10 total fights (including between goaltenders) and 148 total penalty minutes. The teams clashed again in the postseason with yet another brawl- considering that both teams were contenders for the Stanley Cup, the blood feud made for some of the best hockey in the history of the NHL. Though the Red Wings and Avalanche were eventually moved to separate conferences, their rivalry of the 90s and early 2000s remains one of the best the sport has ever seen.

Top Players

The Red Wings have had a plethora of Hall of Fame players in franchise history, but a few stick out when it comes to team records. It’s impossible to think about the Red Wings without also thinking of Steve Yzerman, the longest-tenured captain in NHL history. Yzerman has several franchise records; while his only all-time franchise record is most assists (1063), Yzerman also holds the seasonal franchise record with most points (155), goals (65), and assists (90).

Gordie Howe holds the majority of franchise scoring records, playing with the Red Wings from 1946-1971, setting the record for most games played at 1687 (a league record until it was broken by Patrick Marleau in 2021). Howe would end up setting the record for overall goals (786), points (1809), and seasons (25).

Terry Sawchuk was one of the best goaltenders in Detroit’s history, playing with the team from 1949-1964. Along with Gordie Howe, Sawchuk would help bring the franchise four Stanley Cup wins as well as set the record for wins (350) and shutouts (85).

Top Coaches

Jack Adams was not just one of Detroit’s best coaches, but also one of the all-time greatest head coaches in the history of the league. The award for exceptional coaching awarded at the end of every year is named after Adams, who coached Detroit from 1927-1947. Adams would lead the wings to their first three Stanley Cup wins in 1936, 1937, and 1943, with a total of 964 games coached with the franchise.

Scott Bowman was Detroit’s head coach from 1993-2002 and was easily one of the franchise’s most important coaches in recent history. Bowman led from behind the bench for 701 games, winning the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998, and 2002 as well as the Jack Adams Award in 1996. Bowman finished with an impressive .655 win percentage in the regular season and .642 in the playoffs.

Mike Babcock was the last Detroit coach to win a cup with the team, coaching from 2005-2015 with a championship victory in 2008. After his departure in 2015, Jeff Blashill has been in charge and remains the head coach as of the time of publication. If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.