History of the Detroit Red Wings

The history of the Detroit Red Wings begins with the Detroit Red Wings joining the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1926. With the demise of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), the rights to one of the former teams, the Victoria Cougars, were purchased into the NHL. They moved to Detroit and began play as the Detroit Cougars. In 1930, the Cougars changed their name to the Detroit Falcons, and would settle as the Detroit Red Wings in 1933.

Since joining the league in 1926, the Red Wings have won the Stanley Cup eleven times, their most recent title being in 2008. Thirty-four Red Wings players and four builders have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Founding

The Western Canada Hockey League was the premier league in western Canada, competing against the eastern-based National Hockey League. With the merging of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association in 1924, the WCHL was the sole major opposition for the NHL in the west. The champions of the WCHL would play the NHL's champion for the Stanley Cup, with the Victoria Cougars of the WCHL winning in 1925. However, the WCHL could not compete against the NHL, and folded in 1926. Two of the teams, the Victoria Cougars and Portland Rosebuds, were purchased had their players transferred to two expansion teams in the NHL.

Detroit was awarded an expansion team on May 15, 1926. A group of investors, led by Charles A. Hughes, purchased the Victoria team on September 25, 1926 for $100,000, and established the Detroit Cougars, retaining the Victoria name. The Portland team was used to create the Chicago Black Hawks. Playing at Border Cities Arena in nearby Windsor, Ontario, the Cougars finished with a record of 12 wins, 28 losses and 4 ties for 28 points, the worst record in the American division and NHL.Cite web|url=http://redwings.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=his_default|title=Detroit Red Wings Written History, 1920's|accessdate=2008-07-27|publisher=RedWings.com|year=2008|author=Detroit Red Wings]

The next year, the 1927-28 season, the team moved into the Detroit Olympia, playing their first game on November 22, 1927. This building would be the home arena for the team until 1979. Jack Adams joined the team at the start of the season as coach and general manager. Adams would be general manager of the team until 1963. The Cougars finished with a record of 19-19-6, moving up to fourth place in the American division.

Name changes

In 1930 the team changed it's name to the Detroit Falcons as a result of a promotion with a newspaper.cite news |title =Those magnificent men in red|url =http://info.detnews.com/redesign/history/story/historytemplate.cfm?id=45&CFID=11978923&CFTOKEN=60430016|author =Falls, Joe|publisher =Detroit News|date =1995-09-30|accessdate =2008-07-27] They would reach the NHL playoffs for the first time in 1929, losing the series to the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, the team continuted to have financial difficulties, and had been placed into receivership in 1931 before being sold in 1933.

The Falcons would again change their name in 1932. At the suggestion of new owner James E. Norris, the team became known as the Detroit Red Wings. Norris chose the name as an homage to the hockey team he had been affiliated with, the Montreal Hockey Club, who were nicknamed the Winged Wheelers. He also designed the first logo for the Red Wings.

Early success

Under the new name Red Wings, the team began to improve. Carl Voss was named the inagural recipient of the Calder Trophy as rookie-of-the-year in 1932-33. The team as a whole also began to enjoy success. They reached the 1934 Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Chicago Black Hawks.

In 1935-36 the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup for the first time, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs. En route to the final, they played in the longest overtime game in NHL history, winning the first game of a semi-final match against the Montreal Maroons in the sixth overtime frame. Cite web|url=http://redwings.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=his_1930s|title=Detroit Red Wings Written History, 1930's|accessdate=2008-07-29|publisher=RedWings.com|year=2008|author=Detroit Red Wings] The match lasted 176 minutes and 30 seconds of game time, ending when rookie Mud Bruneteau scored, giving Detroit a 1-0 win.Cite web|url=http://redwings.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=his_stanleyCups-3536|title=Detroit Red Wings 1935-36|accessdate=2008-07-29|publisher=RedWings.com|year=2008|author=Detroit Red Wings] The following season, they defeated the New York Rangers for their second consecutive Stanley Cup title.

For three consecutive seasons, the Red Wings made the Stanley Cup Finals. They lost the 1941 and 1942 Finals to the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively. A re-match against the Bruins in 1943 saw the Red Wings win their third Stanley Cup championship. Throughout the rest of the 1940's, the team always made the playoffs, reaching the Finals again in 1945, 1948, and 1949, losing each time to the Maple Leafs.

Gordie Howe era

During the 1946-47 season, a new player joined the Red Wings roster. Gordie Howe scored 7 goals and 22 points that year, but would grow into one of the greatest players in the history of the NHL. He helped the team win their fifth Stanley Cup title in 1950, defeating the New York Rangers.

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