History of the Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings professional ice hockey club was founded as the Detroit Cougars on September 25, 1926, one of three teams to join the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1926. With the demise of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), the rights to the players of the Victoria Cougars were purchased by a Detroit group led by Charles A. Hughes who kept the name "Cougars" for their NHL club. The new team struggled financially; in 1930, the Cougars changed their name to the Detroit Falcons, and after being bought out of receivership by James E. Norris were renamed as the Detroit Red Wings in 1932. The team played their first game on November 18, 1926, and won their first two Stanley Cup titles in 1936 and 1937. The Red Wings have won the Cup eleven times, more than any other American team in NHL history.

The franchise played their first season's home games in Windsor, Ontario at the Border Cities Arena. The Detroit Olympia opened in 1927 and served as the team's home arena until the midpoint of the 1979–80 season when the Wings moved into Joe Louis Arena. "The Joe", as it is known, has been their home arena ever since. The team, led by head coach and general manager Jack Adams, found success throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, making fourteen appearances in the finals and winning the Stanley Cup seven times. Led on the ice by the Production Line of Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, and Sid Abel (later replaced by Alex Delvecchio)), along with goaltenders Harry Lumley and then Terry Sawchuk, the Wings appeared in the finals six times from 1948 through 1955, winning the Cup in 1950, 1952, 1954, and 1955.

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