NHL Team Guide: Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings were founded in 1926 and were one of the member of the Original Six, the first six franchises that made up the NHL. Boston, Chicago, Montreal, New York Rangers, and Toronto were the other five. Like other Original Six members, the Red Wings have a strong tradition.
Detroit fans can usually watch the Red Wings complete schedule on a variety of channels and devices. The Red Wings are usually on several nationally broadcast games on NBC, NBCSN, and even occasionally on CBC. Fans can watch the entire Red Wings schedule on FoxSports Detroit or watch games on live stream at NHL.com
NHL Standings
When the NHL began in 1926, the league was split into two divisions – Canadian and American. Detroit, of course, was in the American Division. In the 1960s, Detroit was a member of the East Division and with expansion in 1974, became a member of the Wales Conference and Norris Division.
The NHL realigned in 1981 and placed the Red Wings in the Campbell Conference, which eventually become the Western Conference. The league realigned once again in 2013 and placed Detroit in its current home – the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.
Championship History
No other NHL team from the United States has more Stanley Cups than Detroit, which has 11. That number ranks third – behind Montreal and Toronto – among NHL franchises. The Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup in 1935-36 and won their most recent in 2007-08.
In addition to all of the Stanley Cup victories, Detroit has won a total of 19 division championships and six conference titles. The most recent conference championship came in 2007-08, the year of the team’s last Stanley Cup win.
Detroit's New Home
The Red Wings have had three homes beginning with the old Olympia Stadium, located in downtown Detroit. The team moved into “the Joe,” or the Joe Louis Arena in 1979 and played their home games there until 2017.
Detroit’s current home is the Little Caesar’s Arena located right in the middle of Hockeytown, which fans and sports commentators call Detroit. The new arena opened for the 2017-18 season and seats 19,515 for hockey games.
Best Red Wings
The Red Wings have a proud tradition and have 64 former players in the Hockey Hall of Fame. One of them is the original “Mr. Hockey” – Gordie Howe. Many believe Howe to be the greatest player of all-time. He is the only player to play in the NHL in five different decades and continues to lead the Red Wings franchise in career scoring (1,809). Howe spent 24 seasons in Detroit.
Steve Yzerman, current Red Wings general manager, remains second on the Detroit scoring list with 1,755 points. He had a higher per game point average (1.16) than Howe (1.07). Yzerman was elected team captain at age 21 and went on to become the longest-serving team captain in any of the major North American sports. Yzerman is seventh on the all-time NHL scoring list. He is also the Red Wings leader in career playoff points with 185.
Playing alongside Howe and another Detroit great, Ted Lindsay, Alex Delvecchio is another Red Wings Hall of Fame great. He is third on the franchise scoring list with 1,281 points. He is also third in goals scored with 456. The three-time Stanley Cup champion played his entire 24-year NHL career in Detroit.
Author: Dan Anderson