2007 Conference Semis vs Detroit Red Wings

Lore & Background

The Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cup championships of any NHL franchise based in the United States (11), and are third overall amongst active teams in total Stanley Cup championships, behind the Montreal Canadiens (24) and Toronto Maple Leafs (13). Between the 1931–32 and 1965–66 seasons, the Red Wings missed the playoffs only four times. They struggled between the 1966–67 and 1982–83 seasons, only making the playoffs twice in that stretch. After that, however, from 1983–84 to 2015–16, they made the playoffs 30 times in 32 seasons, including 25 straight from 1990–91 to 2015–16 (not including the canceled 2004–05 season). Since 1983–84, the Red Wings have tallied six regular season first-place finishes and have won the Stanley Cup four times (1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008).

Reader's Guide

The Red Wings played their home games at Joe Louis Arena from 1979 until 2017, after playing for 52 years at Olympia Stadium. They moved into Little Caesars Arena beginning with the 2017–18 season. Fans and sports commentators refer to the Detroit area as "Hockeytown", which has been a registered trademark owned by the franchise since 1996.

Did You Know?

• The franchise was known as the Detroit Cougars from 1926 to 1930.
• For the next two seasons, the team was named the Detroit Falcons, before changing their name to the Red Wings in 1932.
• Since the end of the playoff streak in 2016, the Red Wings have failed to qualify for the playoffs in each of the past ten seasons, which currently stands as the longest active drought in the league.