The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) and are one of the Original Six teams of the league. Founded in 1926, the team was known as the Cougars from then until 1930. For the 1930–31 and 1931–32 seasons the team was called the Falcons, and in 1932 changed their name to the Red Wings.The 2016–17 season will be the 91st for the Detroit franchise. Since their founding, the Red Wings have won 2,858 regular season games, accumulated 19 division championships and 6 conference championships, led the league in points 18 times, appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs 64 times, and won 11 Stanley Cup titles.
Detroit first qualified for the playoffs in 1929 where they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 2–7 in goals scored. In the 38 seasons from 1929 to 1966 the team missed the playoffs only six times. They appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals 18 times during this period, winning the Stanley Cup in seven of those opportunities, with their championships coming in 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, and 1955. Their last Finals appearance of this era came in 1966 when they lost in six games to the Montreal Canadiens. The Red Wings then experienced a period, from 1967 until 1983, when they made the playoffs only twice. They did not appear in the Finals during this time and only won one of the three series they appeared in, beating the Atlanta Flames two games to none in 1978.