The Detroit Red Wings (commonly called the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team from Detroit. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL) as part of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team is one of the Original Six teams in the league. The franchise was founded in 1926 and was first called the Detroit Cougars until 1930. For the next two seasons, the team was named the Detroit Falcons before changing its name to the Red Wings in 1932.

The Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cup championships of any NHL team based in the United States (11). They are third overall among active teams in total Stanley Cup wins, behind the Montreal Canadiens (24) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (13). The team played its home games at Joe Louis Arena from 1979 to 2017, after spending 52 years at Olympia Stadium. In 2017, they moved to Little Caesars Arena. The Red Wings are one of the most popular and successful teams in the NHL. Fans and sports writers often call the Detroit area "Hockeytown," a name officially registered by the team since 1996.

From the 1931–32 season to the 1965–66 season, the Red Wings missed the playoffs only four times. They struggled between the 1966–67 season and the 1982–83 season, making the playoffs just twice during that time. After 1983–84, the team made the playoffs 30 times in 32 seasons, including 25 straight from 1990–91 to 2015–16 (excluding the canceled 2004–05 season). In 2006, this became the longest active streak of playoff appearances in North American professional sports and tied for the third-longest in NHL history. Since 1983–84, the Red Wings have finished first in the regular season six times and won the Stanley Cup four times (1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008).

History

After the 1926 Stanley Cup playoffs, when the Western Hockey League (WHL) was reported to be close to closing down, the NHL held a meeting on April 17 to discuss adding new teams. It was reported that five groups wanted to start a team in Detroit. At a later meeting on May 15, 1926, NHL owners voted 6 to 2 to approve a team for Detroit, led by the Townsend-Seyburn group. Charles A. Hughes was named governor of the team. WHL owners Frank and Lester Patrick agreed to sell the league’s players to the NHL and stop operating the WHL. The new Detroit team bought the players from the WHL’s Victoria Cougars, who had won the Stanley Cup in 1925 and reached the 1926 Stanley Cup Final. The team also used the Cougars’ nickname to honor the folded WHL team.

Because no arena in Detroit was ready, the Cougars played their first season in Windsor, Ontario, at the Border Cities Arena. In the 1927–28 season, the team moved to the new Detroit Olympia, which became their home rink until December 15, 1979. This was also the first season Jack Adams coached the team. He would lead the franchise for 36 years as either a coach or general manager.

The Cougars made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 1929, with Carson Cooper scoring the most points. They lost a two-game series to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7–2. In 1930, the team was renamed the Falcons, but they continued to struggle, finishing near the bottom of the standings most seasons. They made the playoffs again in 1932.

In 1932, the NHL allowed grain merchant James E. Norris to buy the Falcons. Norris had tried twice before to buy an NHL team without success. Norris had been part of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA), a sports club known for its winged-wheel emblem. He decided to use a red version of the MAAA’s logo for a team in Detroit, the “Motor City.” On October 5, 1932, the team was renamed the Detroit Red Wings. Norris also placed Jack Adams on probation for the 1932–33 season. Adams avoided being fired by leading the Red Wings to their first playoff victory, beating the Montreal Maroons. The team then lost to the New York Rangers in the semifinals.

In 1934, the Red Wings reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time. John Sorrell scored 21 goals in 47 games, and Larry Aurie led the team in scoring. However, the Chicago Black Hawks won the best-of-five series, claiming their first Stanley Cup title. Two years later, in 1936, the Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup, defeating Toronto in four games. They repeated as champions in 1937, beating the Rangers in five games. In 1938, the Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens became the first NHL teams to play in Europe, playing games in Paris and London. The Wings went 3–5–1 in nine games against the Canadiens. They did not return to Europe until the 2009–10 season, when they played against the St. Louis Blues in Sweden.

The Red Wings made the Stanley Cup Final three times in the early 1940s. In 1941, they lost to the Boston Bruins in four games. In 1942, they lost a seven-game series to Toronto after winning the first three games. In 1943, the Red Wings won their third Stanley Cup, sweeping the Bruins. Mud Bruneteau scored 23 goals, and Syd Howe scored 20 goals during the playoffs. The team reached the Stanley Cup Final three more times in the 1940s.

In 1946, one of hockey’s greatest players, Gordie Howe, joined the Red Wings. Howe, a right winger from Saskatchewan, scored seven goals and 15 assists in his first season. Jack Adams stepped down as head coach after the 1946 season to focus on being general manager. He was replaced by Tommy Ivan. By his second season, Howe played with Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay, forming the famous “Production Line.” Lindsay scored 33 goals, leading the Red Wings to the 1948 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Maple Leafs. The team reached the Stanley Cup Final again in 1949 but lost to Toronto.

In the 1950 semifinals, Leo Reise Jr. scored the winning goal in overtime, stopping the Maple Leafs from winning four straight titles. In the 1950 Stanley Cup Final, the Red Wings defeated the New York Rangers in seven games. Pete Babando scored the game-winning goal in double overtime. After the game, Ted Lindsay skated around the rink with the Stanley Cup.

In 1951, the Red Wings lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the semifinals. In 1952, they won their fifth Stanley Cup, sweeping the Maple Leafs and Canadiens. The “Production Line” of Howe, Abel, and Lindsay, along with goaltender Terry Sawchuk, helped the team go undefeated in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. They scored 24 playoff goals, while Toronto and Montreal combined for only five. Alex Delvecchio replaced Abel on the team after the season. In December 1952, James E. Norris died. His daughter, Marguerite, became the first woman to lead an NHL franchise as team president.

In 1953, the Red Wings lost to the Boston Bruins in the playoffs. They won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1954 and 1955, beating the Montreal Canadiens. Both Stanley Cup Final series went to seven games. In the 1954 final, Tony Leswick scored the winning goal in a strange way, as the puck was redirected by a defenseman past the goalie. In the 1955 final, all seven games were won by the home team, with Detroit claiming the seventh game. Montreal lacked star player Maurice Richard, who was suspended for hitting a linesman. Ted Lindsay scored four goals in one game, and Gordie Howe scored 20 points during the playoffs.

The 1954–55 season ended a seven-year streak of regular season titles, an NHL record. In 1955, Marguerite Norris lost a family dispute and handed the team to her brother, Bruce. In 1956, the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, starting a five-year title streak. In 1957, Ted Lindsay, who had led the league in assists, helped start the NHL Players’ Association. He and goaltender Glenn Hall were traded to Chicago

Team information

The Red Wings' jerseys, which are also called "sweaters" in hockey, have not changed much since the 1930s. They are usually white or red with red or white piping. The most important changes were replacing the word "Detroit" with the "winged wheel" logo in 1932 and switching to vertical arch lettering for players' names and block letters in 1983. The Red Wings wear vertical arch letters during the regular season and playoffs but use straight serifed nameplates during the preseason.

The Hockey News ranked the Red Wings' "winged wheel" logo as the second best in the league in 2008. Like all NHL teams, the Red Wings updated their jerseys to the new Rbk Edge standard for the 2007–08 NHL season. They kept their design as close to the original as possible, except for changes to the road (white) jersey, which had more red on the sleeves, and the captain and alternate captain names, which were moved to the right shoulder.

When Adidas became the uniform supplier for the 2017–18 season, the Red Wings kept their basic look. The Red Wings rarely used alternate logos or uniforms since the 1990s, except for some games in the 1991–92 season to celebrate the league's 75th anniversary and a commemorative game in 1994. Those jerseys were based on the uniforms worn by the team (then the Detroit Cougars) in 1927–28. The throwbacks were mostly white with five red horizontal stripes, bold "Detroit" letters on the middle stripe, and three red stripes on the sleeves. These jerseys were later used by Wayne Gretzky's NHLPA All-Stars team, called the "99ers," during their 1994–95 exhibition tour in Europe.

The Red Wings wore alternate "retro" jerseys for the 2009 Winter Classic in Chicago. These jerseys were based on the uniforms worn by the Detroit Cougars in their first season, 1926–27. They were white with a single bold red stripe on the sleeves and chest, and a uniquely styled white Old English "D" centered on the chest stripe. These jerseys were also worn for the Red Wings' final 2009 regular season home game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The team used another alternate jersey resembling throwbacks for the 2014 Winter Classic against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium.

The Red Wings wore a special one-time-only jersey for their Stadium Series game in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche on February 27, 2016. The jersey was mostly red with a thick diagonal white stripe from the right shoulder to the left hip. Each sleeve had a thick white stripe from the wrist to the elbow. The crest was a stylized red "D," and the words "Red Wings" were printed in all capital letters on the left collar. The phrase "EST. 1926" was printed inside the back collar. These jerseys had the current Red Wings logo on the left shoulder cap. The names and numbers were larger than usual to help fans identify players at Coors Field, a baseball stadium.

The Red Wings added a uniform patch in September 2016 to honor Gordie Howe, who died in June 2016. The patch showed Howe's jersey number 9 and was worn above the logo on the left side of the chest for all 82 regular season games in the 2016–17 season.

The Red Wings wore a special one-time-only jersey for the Centennial Classic in Toronto on January 1, 2017. It was a white jersey with four stripes on the arms—three red and one silver. The silver stripe had the years the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. The logo and numbers were outlined in silver.

For the 2020–21 season, the Red Wings wore "Reverse Retro" alternate jerseys designed by Adidas. These had a white base and white sleeves inspired by the team's road uniforms from the Original Six era. Silver stripes replaced red ones to celebrate the team's 11 Stanley Cup championships and the 2017 Centennial Classic. A second "Reverse Retro" uniform was introduced in the 2022–23 season, using the 1991–92 throwback design but with a red base and black stripes.

The Red Wings' logo received attention in August 2017 when a white supremacist group used a modified version of it. The group changed the wheel's spokes to the Black Sun symbol, which is linked to the SS. The Red Wings condemned the group and threatened legal action.

On February 29, 2024, the Red Wings announced their first ever jersey patch advertisement with Priority, a local waste management company.

For the Red Wings' appearance in the 2025 Stadium Series, they wore white uniforms with red script "Detroit" lettering. The lower sleeves and socks were mostly red, and the "winged wheel" logo was on the left shoulder. The "Hockeytown" slogan was on the right leg. These uniforms were inspired by Detroit's automotive industry and hockey culture.

On September 15, 2025, the Red Wings unveiled a commemorative red and vintage white centennial season uniform. It included design elements from the Detroit Cougars and Falcons, lace-up collars, and an original chain-stitched version of the "Winged Wheel" crest.

The "Legend of the Octopus" is a tradition during Detroit Red Wings playoff games. Fans throw an octopus onto the ice for good luck. The tradition began in 1952 when a fish market owner threw one from the stands. The eight legs symbolize the eight wins needed to win the Stanley Cup at the time. The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup that year. The NHL has tried to stop the tradition, but it continues.

Joe Louis Arena was decorated with a giant octopus named "Al" after former ice manager Al Sobotka. Sobotka removed the thrown octopuses from the ice. In 2008, the NHL banned Sobotka from swinging the octopuses above his head to avoid debris on the ice. The rule was later relaxed to allow octopus twirling at the Zamboni entrance

Broadcasters

The main radio station for the Red Wings is WXYT-FM 97.1. If there is a conflict with Detroit Tigers baseball or Detroit Lions football games, those games are broadcast on WWJ 950. There are other radio stations in Michigan that also carry Red Wings games.

Currently, regional Red Wings games are broadcast by FanDuel Sports Network Detroit. It is expected that this network will stop broadcasting after the 2025–26 season. In February 2026, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment announced that the Red Wings will have their regional games broadcast by MLB Local Media starting in the 2026–27 season. This agreement also includes the Detroit Tigers, which are owned by the same company. The following month, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment announced the creation of Detroit SportsNet to continue sharing games with cable and satellite providers in the Red Wings' area.

Four members of the Red Wings organization have received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award:

• Budd Lynch: TV and radio play-by-play and color commentary – 1949–1975 (awarded in 1985)
• Bruce Martyn: Radio play-by-play – 1964–1995 (awarded in 1991)
• Mickey Redmond: TV color commentary – 1979–1981, 1986–present (awarded in 2011)
• Dave Strader: TV play-by-play – 1985–1996 (awarded in 2017)

Budd Lynch called the first locally televised game at Olympia for the original WWJ-TV in 1949. He worked with the organization for 63 years, including serving as director of publicity from 1975 to 1982. He was the public address announcer from 1982 until his death in 2012. From 2008 to 2012, a second public address announcer worked with him, first John Fossen, then Erich Freiny. After Lynch’s death, Freiny became the sole public address announcer.

Season-by-season record

This is a summary of the last five completed seasons by the Detroit Red Wings. For the complete season-by-season record, refer to the full list of Detroit Red Wings seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, ROW = Regulation + OT wins, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against.

Players and personnel

Updated April 4, 2026

The Detroit Red Wings are connected with many people who have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. These include 68 former players and 12 individuals who helped build the sport. The 12 builders include former Red Wings executives, general managers, head coaches, and owners. In addition to players and builders, several broadcasters have received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Budd Lynch, a radio play-by-play announcer, was the first Red Wings broadcaster to win this award. Lynch also worked as Detroit’s public address announcer from 1985 until his death in 2012. Other Red Wings broadcasters who have won the award include Bruce Martyn, Mickey Redmond, and Dave Strader.

The Red Wings have retired nine numbers. The first number retired was No. 9 in 1972 to honor Gordie Howe, who played right wing for the team from 1946 to 1971. Howe won the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy six times each and won the Stanley Cup four times as a Red Wing. In 2007, the Red Wings retired Steve Yzerman’s No. 19. During Yzerman’s career, he won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Frank J. Selke Trophy, the Lester Patrick Trophy, and the Ted Lindsay Award. Yzerman was Detroit’s captain for 19 seasons, a record in the NHL, and won the Stanley Cup three times as a player with the Red Wings. The franchise retired Red Kelly’s No. 4 on February 1, 2019. During Kelly’s 13-year career with the Red Wings, he won four Stanley Cups, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy three times, and the James Norris Memorial Trophy once. The most recent retired number is Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91, which was honored on January 12, 2026. During his 13-year career with the Red Wings, Fedorov won the Frank J. Selke Trophy twice, the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award once, and the Stanley Cup three times.

The Red Wings have also made the numbers 6 (Larry Aurie) and 16 (Vladimir Konstantinov) unavailable for use by any player. However, these numbers are not officially retired. Aurie’s number was retired in 1938 by James E. Norris, but current team owners do not consider it retired. Konstantinov’s number has not been given to any player since he was permanently disabled in a car accident after the 1997 Stanley Cup Final. Number 99 is also unavailable because the league retired it in honor of Wayne Gretzky.

This list includes all players who have served as team captain for the Detroit Red Wings franchise.

Franchise records

These players are among the top ten in franchise history for scoring by the end of the 2024–25 season. Numbers are updated after each finished NHL season.

• * – current Red Wings player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

These goaltenders are among the top ten in franchise history for wins by the end of the 2024–25 season. Numbers are updated after each finished NHL season. Four players are tied for ninth place in postseason wins, so 12 players are listed in that table.

• * – current Red Wings player

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OT = Overtime losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

• Most goals in a season: 65, Steve Yzerman (1988–89)
• Most assists in a season: 90, Steve Yzerman (1988–89)
• Most points in a season: 155, Steve Yzerman (1988–89)
• Most penalty minutes in a season: 398, Bob Probert (1987–88)
• Most points in a season, defenseman: 80, Nicklas Lidstrom (2005–06)
• Most points in a season, rookie: 87, Steve Yzerman (1983–84)
• Most wins in a season: 44, Terry Sawchuk (1950–51 and 1951–52)
• Most shutouts in a season: 12, Terry Sawchuk (1951–52, 1953–54, and 1954–55) and Glenn Hall (1955–56)
• Most shutouts in postseason: 6, Dominik Hasek (2002)
• Longest home win streak in NHL history: 23 games (November 5, 2011, to February 19, 2012)
• Most wins in a season in NHL history: 62 (1995–96)