- 1932
- 1936-1937
- 1943 - 1950 - 1952
- 1954 - 1955
- 1997 - 1998
- 2002 - 2008
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Red Wings Born
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 choose a new name for the team the Red Wings. Earlier in the century, Norris had been a member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, a sporting club with cycling ... -
Stanley Cup Winner 1936 & 1937
Stanley Cup – 1937 The 1937 Stanley Cup Finals NHL championship series was contested by the defending champion Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers in their fifth Final series appearance. Detroit would win the series 3-2 to win their second and second-straight Stanley Cup. Stanley Cup – 1936 The 1936 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested ... -
Stanley Cup Winner 1943 – 1950 – 1952
Stanley Cup – 1952 The 1952 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens in the first of the four Detroit-Montreal Final series of the 1950s. The Canadiens were appearing in their second straight Finals series, while Detroit was returning after winning the 1950 Final. The Red Wings would win the ... -
Stanley Cup Winner 1954 – 1955
Stanley Cup – 1955 The 1955 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Montreal Canadiens, appearing in their fifth of ten straight Finals and the defending champion Detroit Red Wings, in the fourth Detroit-Montreal Final series of the 1950s and the second consecutively. The Wings would win the series 4-3 to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup ... -
Stanley Cup Winner 1997 – 1998
Stanley Cup – 1998 The 1998 Stanley Cup Finals NHL championship series was contested by the Western Conference champion and defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals. It was the 105th year of the Stanley Cup being contested. It was the Capitals’ first appearance in a Stanley Cup Final since the franchise’s inception ... -
Stanley Cup Winner 2002 – 2008
Stanley Cup – 2008 The 2008 Stanley Cup Final was the best-of-seven NHL championship series of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs contested between the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins. This was Detroit’s 23rd appearance in the Final and its first since winning the Cup in 2002. This was Pittsburgh’s third appearance in ...
History of the Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are one of the Original Six teams of the league. Founded in 1926, the team was known as the Detroit Cougars until 1930. For the 1930–31 and 1931–32 seasons, the team was named the Detroit Falcons, before changing its name to the Red Wings in 1932.
As of 2021, the Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cup championships of any NHL franchise based in the United States (11), and are third overall in total Stanley Cup championships, behind 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 the Little Caesars Arena beginning with the 2017–18 season. The Red Wings are one of the most popular and successful franchises in the NHL; fans and sports commentators refer to the Detroit area as "Hockeytown", which has been a registered trademark owned by the franchise since 1996.
Established
1926
City
Detroit
League History
1926 – Present / National Hockey League
Team History
1932 – Present / Detroit Red Wings
1930 – 1932 / Detroit Falcons
1926 – 1930 / Detroit Cougars
Nickname
Red Wings – After purchasing the Detroit Falcons in 1932, James Norris renamed the team after the “Winged Wheelers,” the nickname of the Montreal Hockey Club for which he once played.
Championship
Stanley Cups 11
2008, 2002, 1998, 1997, 1955, 1954, 1952, 1950, 1943, 1937, 1936
Arena
2017 - Present / Little Caesars Arena
1979 – 2016 / Joe Louis Arena
1927 – 1979 / Detroit Olympia
*Ontario*
1926 – 1927 / Windsor Arena
Owner
2018 – Present / Ilitch Holdings
1982 – 2017 / Mike Ilitch
1955 – 1982 / Bruce Norris
1952 – 1955 / Marguerite Norris
1933 – 1952 / James E. Norris
1931 – 1933 / Creditors’ Committee
1926 – 1931 / Charles A. Hughes
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
1 / Terry Sawchuk
4 / Red Kelly
5 / Nicklas Lidstrom
7 / Ted Lindsay
9 / Gordie Howe
10 / Alex Delvecchio
12 / Sid Abel
19 / Steve Yzerman
99 / Wayne Gretzky
*Blue is this team’s history