1926–27 Detroit Cougars season
| 1926–27 Detroit Cougars (NHL) | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5th American |
| 1926–27 record | 12–28–4 |
| Home record | 6–15–1 |
| Road record | 6–13–3 |
| Goals for | 76 |
| Goals against | 105 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Art Duncan |
| Coach | Art Duncan Duke Keats |
| Captain | Art Duncan |
| Arena | Border Cities Arena |
| Average attendance | 4,400 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | John Sheppard (13) |
| Assists | John Sheppard (8) Gordon "Duke" Keats (8) |
| Points | John Sheppard (21) |
| Penalties in minutes | John Sheppard (60) |
| Wins | Hap Holmes (11) |
| Goals against average | Herb Stuart (1.67) |
The 1926–27 Detroit Cougars season was the first season of National Hockey League (NHL) hockey in Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit Cougars scored 28 points, finished at the bottom of the American Division as well as the league and failed to make the playoffs in their inaugural year.
On May 15, 1926, the Townsend syndicate of investors was granted a conditional expansion NHL franchise, to begin play in the upcoming season if their arena was ready. For players, the syndicate decided to purchase one of the most successful teams from the bankrupt Western Canada Hockey League, the Victoria Cougars, who had won the Stanley Cup in 1925. On September 25, 1926, the NHL made the franchise purchase permanent, although the arena was not ready.The expansion club kept the Cougars name. The club played in Windsor for the entire season.
Olympia Stadium wasn't finished being built in time for the 1926–27 season, so the Cougars began play in Border Cities Arena right across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario. The team struggled as the players adjusted to the style of play in the NHL and the team finished with only twelve wins on the season and over 80,000 USD in debt. The team's total of 28 points is the lowest total points for a season in the Detroit Red Wings' franchise history.
The team's first game, a "home game" in Windsor, was played on November 18 before a sell-out crowd of 6,000. Starting goaltender Hap Holmes took ill two hours before game time and substitute Herb Stuart gave up two goals in the first three minutes before shutting down the Boston Bruins for the rest of the game. However, Detroit could not score on Doc Stewart in the Boston net and lost 2–0. The team's first win would come in the team's third game against expansion cousins Chicago Black Hawks, winning 1–0 in Chicago.
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