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Detroit Red Wings

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Detroit Red Wings
600 Civic Center Dr.
Detroit, MI 48226
MI Tel. 313-396-7544
Fax 313-567-0296

Type: Subsidiary
On the web: http://www.detroitredwings.com

The Detroit Red Wings are flying high in the National Hockey League. Founded in 1926, the team is one of the most successful franchises in NHL history with 10 Stanley Cup championships (the last in 2002). Detroit has been a perennial playoff contender for more than a decade and regularly draws packed houses at Joe Louis Arena. Its roster has boasted such Hall of Fame players as Jack Adams, Gordie Howe, Terry Sawchuk, and "Black" Jack Stewart. Mike and Marian Ilitch bought the team in 1982 and run the franchise through their holding company, Ilitch Holdings. The Ilitch family also owns the Detroit Tigers and pizza chain Little Caesar.

Officers:
Governor: Michael (Mike) Ilitch
SVP and Alternate Governor: Jim Devellano
General Manager and Alternate Governor: Ken Holland

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Company History: Detroit Red Wings

Founded: 1926
NAIC: 711211 Sports Teams and Clubs

Winner of ten Stanley Cup championships, the Detroit Red Wings are one of the most successful franchises in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team is backed by a passionate fan base and the deep pockets of its corporate parent, Ilitch Holdings Inc., the holding company for Michael Ilitch, who made his money with the Little Caesars pizza chain and also owns the Detroit Tigers major league baseball team, large portions of Detroit real estate, and other business interests. One of only a handful of NHL teams that had the financial resources to field a contending club every year, the Red Wings now face a different competitive environment after an impasse with players over a new collective bargaining agreement resulted in the cancellation of the 2004-05 season. Eventually a settlement was reached that called for a cap on the amount of money each club could spend on players.

Although the Red Wings are considered one of the NHL's "original six" clubs, the team actually joined the league a decade after it was established. The NHL's roots reach back to the 1910 merger of two so-called amateur Canadian hockey leagues who were weary of raiding one another's players at a bounty and decided to form the National Hockey Association (NHA). Soon, another professional league, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), was raiding NHA players, but the two circuits came to an accommodation and their regular season champions began playing for the Stanley Cup, which was first awarded in 1893 to the winner of a tournament of amateur hockey teams. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 disrupted play in the NHA and the teams' owners took the opportunity to reorganize and rid themselves of the nettlesome owner of the Toronto franchise. In a Montreal hotel on November 22, 1917 the National Hockey League was born, and it now played the PCHA for the Stanley Cup. The PCHA began to experience financial difficulties in the early 1920s and merged with another professional league, the Western Hockey League (WHL), whose franchises were generally located in small markets. Unable to pay the salaries offered by NHL teams, especially after the NHL began to expand to large American cities, WHL players were sold off. By 1926 only the NHL was left standing and the Stanley Cup became its exclusive property.

During the period of American expansion no fewer than five Detroit groups attempted to receive an NHL franchise. The winners were granted a franchise in May 1926 and in September of that year bought the entire roster of players of the WHL's Victoria Cougars at a cost of $100,000. The Cougars had won the Stanley Cup in 1925 and lost in the finals in 1926. In that first season as the Detroit Cougars, the team actually played its home games across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario, as it awaited the construction of its own building. Despite the purchase of talent, the Cougars got off to an inauspicious start, posting the worst record in the NHL for the 1926-27 season. Fans were not overly interested in paying to watch a losing club, and as a result the team finished its first year $80,000 in debt.

Prospects for the Detroit franchise began to pick up the next season. It moved into its new home, The Olympia, which at the time of its opening in 1927 housed the largest rink in the United States. That year also brought Jack Adams, who became the coach and general manager and would remain in charge for the next 35 years. Success did not come quickly, however, as the team failed to make the playoffs in three out of the next four years. Even changing the team's name from the Cougars to the Falcons in 1930 did nothing to turn around Detroit's fortunes. With the country mired in the Great Depression, the team was forced into receivership, and to make payroll Adams had to reach into his own pockets. But Adams and his hockey team would soon be rescued from tight-fisted ownership in the form of a wealthy grain merchant, James Norris, who bought the team in the summer of 1932.

Norris made his fortune trading in grain in Chicago but he grew up in Canada, where he was a star athlete, an accomplished tennis and squash player in addition to an amateur hockey player. He also had been a member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA), a sporting club that because of its origins as a cycling club sported a logo of winged wheels. Norris had tried to establish a second NHL team in Chicago only to be blocked by the Chicago Blackhawks' owner. Instead Norris bought the struggling Detroit franchise and in October changed the team's name to the Red Wings. For a logo he modified the MAAA graphic, incorporating an automobile wheel and tire that was more appropriate to Detroit, the home of the U.S. auto industry. Free of money worries, Adams was now able to exhibit his talent as a coach and an executive and began assembling a winning team. The Red Wings lost in the Stanley Cup semifinals during their first year under Norris ownership and lost in the finals during the second. After failing to make the playoffs the team then won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1936 and 1937.

Norris had a partner when he acquired the Detroit franchise and The Olympia, Arthur Michael Wirtz, a young Chicago real estate mogul. Together they also would acquire the Blackhawks' home, Chicago Stadium, and eventually the Blackhawks. The two men acquired interests in arenas and convention centers around the country, including Madison Square Garden in New York as well as facilities in St. Louis, Omaha, and Indianapolis. This circuit became the foundation for any number of ventures, including ice shows, the birth of the National Basketball Association, rodeo, college basketball doubleheaders, and professional boxing matches.

Other NHL franchises did not fare as well as the Red Wings during the Depression. Some transferred to other cities while others simply folded. By 1942 the league had just six teams--Boston, Chicago, Montreal, New York, Toronto, and Detroit--which would become known as the "Original Six." No new teams joined the NHL for another 25 years.

During the war years the Red Wings won a third Stanley Cup in 1943 and although a championship would escape the team for the rest of the decade it began to lay the foundation for one of the greatest teams ever to play in the NHL. Players included forward Ted Lindsay, defenseman Red Kelly, goalie Terry Sawchuk, and the legendary forward Gordie Howe, whose arrival in 1946 marked the beginning of a golden era in Red Wings' history. In 1950 Detroit regained the Stanley Cup, and in that year one of the team's most enduring traditions was born when a fan threw an octopus onto the Olympia ice. The eight tentacles represented the eight wins needed in the two best-of-seven series a team had to win in order to take the cup. Every Red Wings playoff run that followed would feature the appearance of numerous octopi hurled onto the ice to the delight of Red Wings' fans.

James Norris died in 1952, several months after the Red Wings won their fifth Stanley Cup, and ownership of the team passed to his children, Bruce Norris and Marguerite Norris. Marguerite was named president, becoming the NHL's first female executive. Growing up in Chicago, she had never seen the Red Wings play in Detroit. She held the position for four years before Bruce Norris took over. While she was president the team won two more Stanley Cup Championships. Although the team remained competitive for the next decade, these would be the last titles the team won for the next 40 years.

By the time the NHL expanded, doubling to 12 teams for the 1967-68 season, the Red Wings had descended into mediocrity. The team finished out of the playoffs 16 out of 18 years during this period, an especially poor showing given that only five of the league's 21 teams failed to qualify. The Red Wings moved to a new home, Joe Louis Arena, in December 1979, but even new accommodations were not enough of an attraction to lure fans to watch a talent-starved team. The season ticket base was reported to be 2,500 but had more likely slipped to just 1,500. It had been a slow, long decline for a proud organization, but by the early 1980s the Red Wings were a team saddled with debt and unable to fund the kind of organization required to field a contending club.

In June 1982 the Detroit Red Wings changed owners, when the club was purchased by Michael Ilitch for a paltry $11 million. A Detroit native, Ilitch, like James Norris, had been an athlete as a youth. He was a minor league baseball player in the Detroit Tigers' system whose career was prematurely ended by injury. Instead of sports, he turned his attention in the late 1950s to pizza, founding Little Caesars, which carved out a niche as a pick-up only operation. By controlling costs he was able to undercut the competition and open more shops. At the time Ilitch bought the Red Wings, Little Caesars was still a regional company, but within four years it would be a national player with about 1,000 units. Ilitch only bought the Red Wings after he failed in his attempt to acquire his beloved Tigers, who were wrested away by cross-town pizza rival, Domino's Tom Monaghan. Ten years later Ilitch would succeed in gaining control of the Tigers, but in the meantime he poured money into the Red Wings, building up every aspect of the team's malnourished organization as well as making improvements to Joe Louis Arena.

Although it took time for the Red Wings to assemble a winning team, Ilitch showed quicker results in restoring attendance through marketing efforts that included giving away free cars during games. The number of season ticket holders soon increased to 16,000 and once the team became contenders, losing in the Stanley Cup semifinals in 1987 and 1988, the Red Wings became one of the NHL's most valuable franchises. But the team took a step back during the 1989-90 season when it once again missed the playoffs.

The team promoted a bevy of young talent in the early 1990s that formed the nucleus of an excellent team, but it took the hiring of the NHL's most successful coach, Scott Bowman, in 1993 to mold that talent and bring in key veterans to forge a champion. A year later the Red Wings returned to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1966. Although it lost four games to none to the New Jersey Devils, Detroit served notice that it was now a serious contender, and with Ilitch's dedication to winning it planned to maintain a place at the top of the league for years to come. After losing in the conference finals in 1996 to the eventual champions, the Colorado Avalanche, the Red Wings won their eighth Stanley Cup, the first since 1955, in the spring of 1997, sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers four games to none. Despite losing one of the league's best defensemen, Vladimir Konstantinov, whose career was ended by injuries suffered in an off-season automobile accident, Detroit defended their title the following year, this time sweeping the Washington Capitals.

Colorado continued to be an arch-nemesis of the Red Wings, defeating them in the second round of the playoffs two years in a row to close the 1990s. Detroit retooled its roster in the 2000s, bringing in a number of veteran players who meshed well with Bowman's system, the likes of older stars such as defenseman Chris Chelios; forwards Pat Verbeek, Luc Robitaille, and Brett Hull; and goalie Dominik Hasek. The additions to the roster resulted in the Red Wings accumulating a league-best 116 points in the regular season of 2001-02 and the team claiming its tenth Stanley Cup when it defeated the Buffalo Sabers. Bowman, who had now won nine Stanley Cups as a coach, stepped down as coach, although he would stay on as a consultant to the team.

Bowman was replaced behind the bench by Dave Lewis. The team remained very much a contender for the Stanley Cup, but failed to reach the finals the next two seasons. But by now the focus was no longer on the ice but in the board rooms where league officials and representatives for the players negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement. Although large market teams like Detroit, Philadelphia, Colorado, Montreal, Toronto, and New York Rangers were doing well, smaller market clubs were losing money and claimed they were unable to compete fairly against the bigger clubs. In truth, unbridled spending was no guarantee of success (witness the difficulty New York, Philadelphia, and Toronto had in winning a championship). But the small-market teams would not be satisfied with anything less than a cap on players' salaries, which they contended was way out of line with the kind of revenues the NHL was able to generate, in order to achieve some kind of fiscal certainty. From the players' perspective, the owners had only themselves to blame for outbidding one another on players. Moreover, the cries of poverty were met with a degree of skepticism. Hockey was merely part of a greater whole, the arena business, as it had been from the days of Norris and Wirtz, who viewed hockey like concerts or conventions, as a way to fill dark nights on the arena calendar. The hockey business might have been struggling, but the arena business was thriving. In addition, the value of hockey franchises increased steadily. A case in point was the Red Wings, which according to Forbes was worth $248 million in 2004, a significant increase over the $11 million Ilitch paid for the club some 20 years earlier.

The players were adamantly opposed to the idea of a salary cap. After negotiations broke down between the players and league in 2004, the owners locked out the players, resulting in the cancellation of the 2004-05 season, the first time that a professional sports league had been forced to cancel an entire season because of a labor impasse. Both sides, realizing the tremendous harm being done to the sport, returned to the bargaining table and in the summer of 2005 finally hammered out an agreement that included a salary cap and an automatic cut in player salaries. The deal was in fact less favorable to the players than the final offer on the table before the season was canceled. Every club was now limited in the amount of money it could spend on players, who now changed teams at a dizzying clip. Many of the headlines in the summer of 2005 related to the player signings of small-market clubs. Whether the competitive balance in the NHL would be significantly altered remained to be seen. It was just as likely, however, that strong organizations like Detroit would continue to find a way to stand above the rest. Whether spectators would return to the arenas to watch hockey after a year's absence was also an open question. In Detroit, known for decades as Hockeytown, it was likely that the Red Wings would be welcomed back by its fans with open arms.

Principal Competitors

St. Louis Blues Hockey Club L.L.C.; Nashville Hockey Club LP; The Columbus Blue Jackets; Chicago Blackhawks (Wirtz Corporation).

Detroit Red Wings

Conference	Western
Division	Central
Founded	1926
History	Detroit Cougars 1926-30 Detroit Falcons 1930-32 Detroit Red Wings 1932-present
Home Arena	Joe Louis Arena
City	Detroit, MI
Colors	Red and White
Media	FSN Detroit WJBK WXYT (1270 AM, 97.1 FM)
Owner(s)	Mike Ilitch
General Manager	Ken Holland
Head Coach	Mike Babcock
Captain	Nicklas Lidstrom
Minor League Affiliates	Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) Toledo Storm (ECHL) (On hiatus) Flint Generals (IHL) Port Huron Icehawks (IHL)
Stanley Cups	1935-36, 1936-37, 1942-43, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1953-54, 1954-55, 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02
Conference Championships	1994-95, 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02
Division Championships	1933-34, 1935-36, 1936-37, 1987-88, 1988-89, 1991-92, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2005-06, 2006-07

1925-49: Early years

When the Western Canada Hockey League folded after the 1925-26 WHL season, a deal was made, so that a new NHL expansion franchise in Detroit bought the rights to the players of one of the most successful of the teams in that league, the 1925 Stanley Cup champion Victoria Cougars. However, the NHL does not consider the Red Wings to be a continuation of the Victoria team.

Since no arena in "Motown" was ready at the time, the new Detroit Cougars (named in Victoria's honor) played their first season in Windsor, Ontario at the Border Cities Arena. For the 1927-28 season, the Cougars moved into the new Detroit Olympia, which would be their home rink until December 15, 1979. This was also the first season behind the bench for Jack Adams, who would be the face of the franchise for the next 36 years as either coach or general manager.

The Cougars made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 1929 with Carson Cooper leading the team in scoring. The Cougars were outscored 7-2 in the two-game series with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1930, the Cougars were renamed the Falcons, but their woes continued, as they usually finished near the bottom of the standings, even though they made the playoffs again in 1932. The team was forced into receivership. Meanwhile, a rival league had sprouted up, as the American Hockey Association became the AHL and declared itself a major league.

NHL president Frank Calder sought a way to extinguish this league, and convinced the other owners of the NHL to let grain merchant James E. Norris, owner of the AHL's Chicago Shamrocks, buy the struggling Falcons. Norris bought the team in the summer of 1932 and merged it with his Shamrocks. Norris' first act was to choose a new name--the Red Wings. Earlier in the century, Norris had played on one of hockey's early powers, the Montreal HC, nicknamed the "Winged Wheelers." Because of the team’s location in Detroit, the Motor City, Norris transformed the club's logo into the first version of the Red Wings logo as it is known today. He also gave Adams a year on his job on probation. The renamed franchise won its first playoff series in the NHL, over the now-defunct Montreal Maroons. They lost in the semi-finals against the New York Rangers.

In 1934 the Wings made the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time, with John Sorrell scoring 21 goals over 47 games and Larry Aurie leading the team in scoring. However, the Chicago Blackhawks had an easy time with Detroit in the finals, winning the best-of-five series in four games and winning their own first title.

The Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup in 1936, defeating Toronto in four games. Madison VanAntwerp led the team in scoring and Max VanAntwerp was one of the top defensemen in the league. Detroit repeated its championship season in 1937, winning over the Rangers in the full five games.

They made the Stanley Cup Finals in three consecutive years during the early 1940s. In 1941 they were swept by the Boston Bruins, in 1942 they blew a three-game lead against Toronto to lose the finals, but in 1943, with Syd Howe and Mud Bruneteau scoring 20 goals apiece, Detroit won their third Cup by sweeping the Bruins. They remained a solid team through the rest of the decade, making the playoffs every year, and reaching the finals three more times.

In 1946, one of the greatest players in hockey history came into the NHL with the Red Wings. Gordie Howe, a right-winger from Floral, Saskatchewan, only scored seven goals and 15 assists in his first season and wouldn't reach his prime for a few more years. It was also the last season as head coach for Adams, who stepped down after the season to concentrate on his duties as general manager. He was succeeded by minor league coach Tommy Ivan.

By his second season, Howe was paired with Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay to form what would become one of the great lines in NHL history — the "Production Line". Lindsay's 33 goals propelled the Wings to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they were swept by the Maple Leafs. Detroit reached the Finals again the following season, only to be swept again by Toronto.

1949-66: The Gordie Howe Era

The Wings returned to the top in 1950, with Pete Babando scoring the game winner in double overtime of game 7 to beat the Rangers in the Finals. After the game, Lindsay skated around the Olympia ice with the Cup, beginning a tradition that continues today.

After being upset by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1951 semifinals, Detroit won its fifth Cup in 1952, sweeping both the Leafs and the Habs, with the Production Line of Howe, Abel and Lindsay joined by second-year goalie Terry Sawchuk. Detroit would become the first team in 17 years to go undefeated in the playoffs. They also scored an amazing 24 playoff goals, compared to Toronto and Montreal's combined total of 5. Abel left the Wings for Chicago following the season, and his spot on the roster was replaced by Alex Delvecchio.

James E. Norris died in December 1952. He was succeeded as team president by his daughter, Marguerite--the first (and as of the 2006-07 season, only) woman to head an NHL franchise. She made no secret of her dislike for Adams. While she could have summarily fired him, since he was still without a contract, she chose not to do so.

Following another playoff upset in 1953 at the hands of the Bruins, the Red Wings won back to back Stanley Cups in 1954; over Montreal, when Habs defenseman Doug Harvey redirected a Tony Leswick shot into his own net; and 1955 (also over Montreal in the full seven games). Also during the 1955 off-season, Marguerite Norris lost an intrafamily power struggle, and was forced to turn over the Wings to younger brother Bruce, who had inherited his father's grain business. Detroit and Montreal once again met in the 1956 finals, but this time the Canadiens won the Cup, their first of five in a row.

In 1957 Ted Lindsay, who scored 30 goals and led the league in assists with 55, teamed up with Harvey to help start the NHL Players Association and, along with outspoken young netminder Glenn Hall, was promptly traded to Chicago (which, ironically, was owned by James D. Norris, Bruce's elder brother) after his most productive year.

This was one of several questionable trades made by Adams in the late 1950s. For example, a year earlier, he'd traded Sawchuk to Boston; while he managed to get Sawchuk back two years later, he had to trade up-and-coming John Bucyk to do it. It was one of the most one-sided trades in hockey history; Bucyk went on to play 21 more years with the Bruins. The Wings lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Bruins. In 1959 the Red Wings missed the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.

Within a couple of years, Detroit was rejuvenated and made the Finals for four of the next six years between 1961 and 1966. However, despite having Delvecchio, Norm Ullman, Howe and Parker MacDonald as consistent goal-scorers, Lindsay's sudden one-year comeback in 1964-65, and Sawchuk and later Roger Crozier between the pipes, the Wings came away empty-handed. Adams was fired as general manager in 1963. He'd coached for 15 years and served as general manager for 31 years on a handshake, and his 36-year tenure as general manager is still the longest for any general manager in NHL history.

1967-83: The "Dead Wings" Era

By the late 1960s, the Wings started to flounder, and entered a funk that they would not emerge from for almost 20 years. Between 1967 and 1983, Detroit only made the playoffs twice, winning one series. From 1970 to 1983, the Wings had 16 head coaches (not counting interim coaches), none lasting more than three seasons. Their first seven coaches--Art Duncan, Adams, Ivan, Jimmy Skinner and Abel--covered a 41-year period. During this era, the team was derisively known as the "Dead Wings" or "Dead Things."

One factor was the end of the old "development" system, which allowed Adams to get young prospects to commit to playing for Detroit as early as their 16th birthday. 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 was unable to adapt to coaching veteran pros. Harkness was forced to resign in 1973, and to this day Red Wings fans consider his tenure (which they call "the Darkness with Harkness") to be the darkest period of team history.

In the "expansion season" of 1967-68, the Red Wings also acquired longtime star left-winger Frank Mahovlich from the defending Cup champs in Toronto. Mahovlich would go on a line with Howe and Delvecchio, and in 1968-69, he scored a career-high 49 goals and had two All-Star seasons in Detroit.

But this couldn't last. Mahovlich was traded to Montreal in 1970, and Howe retired after the 1970-71 season. Howe returned to pro hockey shortly after to play with his two sons Mark and Marty Howe (Mark would later join the Red Wings at the end of his career) in the upstart World Hockey Association in 1972. Through the decade, with Mickey Redmond having two 50-goal seasons and Marcel Dionne starting to reach his prime (which he did not attain until he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings), a lack of defensive and goaltending ability continually hampered the Wings.

Interior of Joe Louis Arena, where the Red Wings have played at home since 1979, when they left the Detroit Olympia.

During 1979-80, the Wings left the Olympia for Joe Louis Arena. In 1982, after 50 years of family ownership, Bruce Norris sold the Red Wings to Mike Ilitch, founder of Little Caesars Pizza.

1983-93: Rebuilding: The Yzerman Era

In 1983 the Wings drafted Steve Yzerman, a center from Nepean, Ontario. He led the team in scoring in his rookie year, and started the Wings' climb back to the top. That season, with John Ogrodnick scoring 42 times and Ivan Boldirev and Ron Duguay also with 30-goal seasons, Detroit made the playoffs for the first time in six years. Defenseman Brad Park, acquired from the Boston Bruins in the 1983 free-agent market, also helped the Wings reach the postseason and ended up winning the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy the same season.

Later Park was asked to coach the Wings, but was sacked after 45 games in 1985-86. He admitted, “I took over a last-place team, and I kept them there.” They did indeed end up in the basement with a 17-57-6 record for only 40 points. This was the same year that the Wings added enforcer Bob Probert, one of the most familiar faces of the Wings in the 1980s and 1990s.

By 1987, with Yzerman joined by Petr Klima, Adam Oates, Gerard Gallant, defenceman Darren Veitch and new head coach Jacques Demers, the Wings made it to the semifinals for the first time in the modern era, losing in five games to the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers. In 1988 they won their first division title in 23 years (since 1964-65, when they finished first in a one-division league), but lost to the Oilers in a five-game semifinal series.

In 1989, Yzerman scored a career-best 65 goals, but Detroit was upset in the first round by the Chicago Blackhawks. The following season Yzerman netted 62 goals, but the team missed the playoffs for what turned out to be the last time to date. Rumors spread that maybe "Stevie Wonder" should be traded.

But it was Demers who got the pink slip, and the Red Wings haven't missed the playoffs since. Yzerman was joined by Sergei Fedorov (who defected from the USSR), who would be an award-winner and frequent all-star for the team in the 1990s. In 1992, the team acquired Ray Sheppard, who had a career-best 52 goals two years later; and in '93, top defenseman Paul Coffey. Also joining the Red Wings around this time were draft picks like Slava Kozlov, Darren McCarty, Vladimir Konstantinov, and Nicklas Lidstrom.

1993-2004: Return to glory

The Yzerman trade rumors ended very soon after Scotty Bowman got behind the Motown bench in 1993. In his second season, the lockout-shortened 1994-95 NHL season, he guided Detroit to its first Finals appearance in 29 years, only to be promptly swept by the New Jersey Devils.

The Wings kept adding more star power, picking up Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, and goaltender Mike Vernon in trades. After a third-round playoff loss to the relocated Colorado Avalanche (formerly Quebec Nordiques) in 1996 (who won the Stanley Cup that season), Detroit, joined by Brendan Shanahan and Larry Murphy during the season, once again reached the Finals in 1997. After defeating the St. Louis Blues, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Colorado Avalanche in the first three rounds, the Wings went on to beat the Philadelphia Flyers in four straight games in the Stanley Cup Finals. It was the Wings' first Stanley Cup since 1955, breaking the longest drought (42 years long) in the league at that time.

Tragedy struck the Wings six days after their championship; defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov, one of the "Russian Five", suffered a brain injury in a limousine accident, and his career came to an abrupt end. Wings trainer Sergei Mnatsakanov suffered similar injuries as Konstantinov. Red Wings defenseman Slava Fetisov was also injured in the accident, but was released from the hospital the next day. The Red Wings 1997-98 season, which also ended in a Stanley Cup victory (another sweep, this time over the Washington Capitals), was dedicated to Konstantinov, who came out in his wheelchair that night to touch the Cup. Yzerman, who had won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason Most Valuable Player that year, immediately gave the Cup to Konstantinov after he hoisted it. He later reported that he had intended to pass it to goalie Chris Osgood for his stellar surprise performance. "Not very often does a moment in hockey transcend sports," remarked Brendan Shanahan later.

The following season, the Wings looked poised to "three-peat" for the first time in franchise history, acquiring three-time top blueliner Chris Chelios from his hometown Chicago Blackhawks in March 1999, but it wasn't to be as they would end up losing the Western Conference Semifinals to Colorado in six games.

The Wings had built up a fierce rivalry with the Avalanche by this time. With the Red Wings beating the Avs in the third round in 1997, and Colorado beating Detroit in the second round in both 1999 and 2000, the battles between these two teams had become one of the fiercest in sports. During a game on March 26, 1997, a brawl ensued between Colorado goalie Patrick Roy and his Detroit counterpart Mike Vernon and Darren McCarty paid back Avalanche player Claude Lemieux for his hit on Kris Draper the year before. Fittingly, it was Darren McCarty who scored the overtime goal to give the Red Wings the 6-5 victory in the game that became known as "Fight Night at the Joe."

In 2001, Detroit, the league's second-best team in the regular season, were upset in the playoffs by Los Angeles. During the summer that followed, they acquired legendary goalie Dominik Hasek (the defending Vezina Trophy winner) from a trade with the Buffalo Sabres, and landed left-wing Luc Robitaille and right-wing Brett Hull, both now retired, through free agency, and rookie center Pavel Datsyuk joined the Wings from the Russian Super League. The Wings became the hands-up favorite to win the Cup in 2002. They did not disappoint, having the league's best record in the regular season and defeating Colorado in seven games in the Western Conference Finals after beating the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues in rounds one and two. The Red Wings went on to capture another Cup in five games over the Cinderella-story Carolina Hurricanes. Bowman and Hasek both retired after the season.

In 2003, with new coach Dave Lewis and goalie pickup Curtis Joseph from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Wings finished second in the Western Conference, but were shockingly swept in round one by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who would eventually advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing in 7 games to the New Jersey Devils.

Longtime Wing Sergei Fedorov signed with the Mighty Ducks as a free agent during the offseason, after a long contract dispute. Dominik Hasek decided to come out of retirement, and joined the Wings for the 2003-04 season. This caused a problem for the Wings, as Joseph still had 2 years remaining on his contract. The Wings also added defenseman Derian Hatcher from the Dallas Stars via free agency, as well as forward Ray Whitney from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joseph, despite being one of the highest-paid players in the NHL, had to spend part of the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit's American Hockey League affiliate. The Wings attempted to trade him, but there were no suitors. Ultimately, Hasek called it quits after just 14 games because of a groin injury, and Joseph became the Wings' No. 1 goalie again, and helped lead the team to the top of the Central Division and the National Hockey League. Hatcher was also injured just a few games into the regular season with a torn MCL. Hatcher would not return until the end of the regular season. The Wings acquired veteran center Robert Lang from the Capitals at the trade deadline.

In round 2 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs, after losing captain Yzerman for the season with an eye injury in Game 5, the Red Wings were eliminated by the Calgary Flames in 6 games.

During the 2004 offseason, the Wings focused on keeping players they already had instead of being active on the free agent market. They re-signed Frank J. Selke Trophy-winning forward Kris Draper, who had just had a career season, to a four-year deal, and captain Steve Yzerman to a one-year deal. They also re-signed Brendan Shanahan, Jiri Fischer, Jason Williams, and Mathieu Dandenault as well head coach Dave Lewis. Deals were not reached with veteran defensemen Chris Chelios and Mathieu Schneider or star forward Pavel Datsyuk before the NHL owners triggered their lockout on September 15. There also was a parting of ways with veteran forward Brett Hull, who signed with the Phoenix Coyotes as did forward Boyd Devereaux.

2005 and Beyond: New Era For Detroit

On July 15, 2005, Mike Babcock, former bench boss in Anaheim, became the new head coach for the Wings.

On August 8, the Wings brought back goaltender Chris Osgood, who had spent time with the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues since his last stint in Detroit, by signing him to a one-year contract.

Approximately fourteen minutes into a game on November 21, 2005, against the Nashville Predators, defenseman Jiri Fischer suffered a seizure and collapsed on the bench. His heart had stopped, and he was resuscitated by CPR and an AED. The game was canceled due to his injury, and was made up on January 23, 2006. This was the first time in NHL history a game had been postponed due to injury. The game was played for the full 60 minutes, however the Predators were allowed to maintain their 1-0 lead from the original game and won, 3-2.

For the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, the NHL again agreed to allow players to participate for their home countries. The Red Wings sent 10 players to the competition. Gold medal winners from Team Sweden included Lidstrom, Zetterberg, Samuelsson, Tomas Holmstrom, and Niklas Kronwall. Robert Lang represented the Bronze medal winning Team Czech Republic.

The Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy with a 58-16-8 record, earning them 124 points.(NHL Standings), and secured home ice advantage for the entire playoffs. The Detroit Red Wings opened the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers with a 3-2 overtime victory at Joe Louis Arena. However, the Oilers won 4 of the next 5 games to take the series.

After the playoffs, Detroit management informed goaltender Manny Legace that he would not be a part of the team next season, while Chris Osgood and Nicklas Lidstrom signed 2-year extensions.

Continuing the shakeup of the Red Wings roster, July 9 brought the signing of alternate captain Brendan Shanahan to a free agent deal with the New York Rangers after spending the previous 9 seasons with the club. Shanahan turned down equal offers from the Wings and Montreal Canadiens to sign with the Rangers, stating that he felt he was part of the Red Wings past, not future. July 31 brought the re-signing of Dominik Hasek to a one-year deal from the Ottawa Senators, marking the beginning of his third stint with the Wings.

Dominik Hasek, currently the Red Wings' starting goaltender.

Perhaps the biggest change to the roster in the off season was the announcement that Steve Yzerman would retire from playing hockey after playing 23 seasons with the Wings. He subsequently was offered the job of Vice President of Operations, and remained with the team. Not long after, it was announced that Yzerman's number 19 would be retired during the following season.

The Red Wings opened the 2006-07 season with Steve Yzerman "passing the torch" to Nicklas Lidstrom when Lidstrom was named Captain for the 2006-07 season. The Red Wings retired Steve Yzerman's jersey number 19 on January 2 before a game with the Anaheim Ducks.

The Red Wings hold the longest current playoff streak of all professional North American sports teams, at 16 consecutive seasons.

At the 2007 NHL trade deadline, the Wings acquired forwards Kyle Calder and the injured Todd Bertuzzi. Calder came to Detroit in return for Jason Williams and netted a goal and an assist in his first game with the Red Wings, ironically, against Chicago. Bertuzzi was acquired from the Florida Panthers for conditional draft picks and prospect Shawn Matthias. That April, the Wings signed Pavel Datsyuk to a seven-year contract extension, along with re-signing gritty forward Kirk Maltby to a three-year deal. The Wings finished first in the Western Conference and tied for first in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, but the Sabres were awarded the Presidents' Trophy due to the tie breaking procedure of which team has the greater number of wins.

They had advanced to the third round of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs after defeating the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks both in six games, coming back three straight after the Sharks' 2-1 series lead. Game 1 of the opening round saw the Red Wings' 452-game home sellout streak (dating back to December 10, 1996) come to end with an announced crowd of 19,204. The Red Wings lost to the eventual Stanley Cup winning team - the Anaheim Ducks, in the Western Conference Finals four games to two. In doing so, the 2007 Playoffs marked the most successful run for Detroit since their 2002 Stanley Cup Championship, finishing two games away from a birth in the Stanley Cup Finals.

On July 1st, free agent defenseman Mathieu Schneider signed a deal with the Ducks. However, Detroit filled the void by immediately signing former New Jersey Devil and Michigan native Brian Rafalski to a 5-year deal. A short time later, Todd Bertuzzi followed in Schneider's footsteps to a free agent deal with Anaheim. Kyle Calder signed a free agent deal with the Los Angeles Kings and Robert Lang signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Red Wings then signed former St. Louis Blues captain Dallas Drake to a 1 year deal. Drake was originally drafted by Detroit in 1989 and played for them from 1992-1994 before being traded to Winnipeg.

The Octopus

Main article: Legend of the Octopus

The "Legend of the Octopus" is a sports tradition during Detroit Red Wings home playoff games, in which an octopus is thrown onto the ice surface for good luck.

During the playoffs, Joe Louis Arena is generally adorned with a giant octopus with red eyes, nicknamed "Al" after Joe Louis Arena head ice manager Al Sobotka.

The 1952 playoffs featured the start of the tradition—the octopus throw. The owner of a local fish market, Peter Cusimano, threw one from the stands and onto the ice. The eight legs were purportedly symbolic of the eight wins it took to win the Stanley Cup at the time. The Red Wings went on to sweep both of their opponents that year en route to a Stanley Cup championship. The NHL has, at various times, tried to eliminate this tradition but it continues to this day.

There is a certain etiquette that must be followed for fans that wish to throw octopi onto the ice. The most appropriate time to throw an octopus onto the ice is after the national anthem is sung or after the Red Wings have scored a goal. Under these circumstances, the eight-legged creature must be thrown onto the ice surface in an area that is clear of all players. It is never acceptable to aim for opposing players. Beforehand, octopuses are usually boiled by fans to reduce the amount of "slime" coating and facilitate the time it takes to clean up the ice and prevent further delay. Al Sobotka is the man responsible for removing the thrown creatures from the ice. He is known for swinging the tossed octopuses above his head when walking off the ice. Since Joe Louis Arena does not condone the throwing of any foreign objects onto the ice, fans often sneak the sea creatures in wrapped around their bellies in trash bags. The boiling process also lessens the odor and allows the fans to get past security. Tactics are also used to protect the identity of octopus-throwers from arena security. It is common practice for the hurler to ask the surrounding people to stand up with him to shroud the task in anonymity.

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Red Wings. For the full season-by-season history, see Detroit Red Wings seasons

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; Pts = Points; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PIM = Penalties in minutes

Records as of May 21, 2007.^[1]

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
2001-02	82	51	17	10	4	116	251	187	1053	1st, Central	Stanley Cup Champions, 4-1 (Hurricanes)
2002-03	82	48	20	10	4	110	269	203	1214	1st, Central	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Mighty Ducks)
2003-04	82	48	21	11	2	109	255	189	966	1st, Central	Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Flames)
2004-05	Season cancelled due to 2004-05 NHL Lockout
2005-06¹	82	58	16	—	8	124	305	209	1127	1st, Central	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Oilers)
2006-07	82	50	19	—	13	113	254	199		1st, Central	Lost in Conference Finals, 2-4 (Ducks)

¹ As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).

Broadcasters

Ken Daniels: Television Play by Play (FSN Detroit, WJBK)
Mickey Redmond: Television Color Commentator (FSN Detroit, WJBK - Home Games)
John Keating: Television Pre-Game Host
Larry Murphy: Television Color Commentator (FSN Detroit - Road Games), In-Game Studio Analyst (FSN Detroit)
Ken Kal: Radio Play by Play
Paul Woods: Radio Analyst

Notable players

Current roster

As of October 1, 2007. [1]

Goaltenders
#	Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
30	Chris Osgood	L	2005	Peace River, Alberta
39	Dominik Hasek	L	2006	Pardubice, Czechoslovakia

Defensemen
#	Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
3	Andreas Lilja	L	2005	Helsingborg, Sweden
5	Nicklas Lidstrom – C	L	1989	Västerås, Sweden
14	Derek Meech	L	2002	Winnipeg, Manitoba
22	Brett Lebda	L	2004	Buffalo Grove, Illinois
24	Chris Chelios	R	1999	Chicago, Illinois
28