Here's an awesome fun fact: Your Detroit Red Wings are among the most storied in all of not only the NHL, but North American professional sports. Yeah, the Wings are synonymous with hockey and success, and they've worn it since they changed their name to the Red Wings after they were initially known as the Detroit Cougars and later, the Falcons.
Below, we'll talk about some of this great franchise's success. Success that, if you're a true Red Wings fan, you need to know about. But we'll also discuss where the team stands in NHL history, nicknames and traditions, and, finally, who their major all-time rivals are.
1 - Original Six status
So, the NHL is rather unique among the four major North American pro sports leagues, because, for the longest time, they only rolled with six teams, and the Red Wings were one of them.
While it is true that the league had more than six during select seasons of the Original Six Era, the Red Wings, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, and New York Rangers, survived to see the Expansion Six Era kick off for the 1967-68 season.
This means that, when the 2025-26 season rolled around, the Wings turned 100 at a time when very, very few NHL franchises owned the moniker.
2 - The most successful American-based NHL franchise
While the Red Wings lag behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, so does everyone else, because nobody based in America has won more Stanley Cups. And, unlike the Maple Leafs, the Wings have proven they're capable of winning Cups in more than just the Original Six Era, taking seven between 1926-27 and 1966-67, and four between 1967-68 and 2024-25.
While they trail some American-based teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have five Cups in the post-Original Six era, you can't take away the 11 Cups that the Wings have won to date. And until someone passes them on a cumulative scale, you can call the Wings the most championed American-based NHL franchise in league history.
Remember, NHL history didn't begin in 1967-68; it began just over five decades before that. And don't let any other fanbase tell you differently.
3 - Hockeytown identity and traditions
Here's something even some of the most die-hard fans don't know: Detroit hasn't been called Hockeytwon for very long. Okay, if you're a younger fan, then three decades might be a while. But if you're over the age of 30, then no, three decades isn't very long.
Also, the franchise itself just reached its seventh decade by the time it adopted the Hockeytown moniker. As for the entire octopus tradition, yeah, it dates back to the 1950s, and it's a tale for the ages.
So, if you're ever at a Wings game and you're wondering why someone threw an octopus onto the ice, or octopi because there might be more than one, keep in mind that it's a franchise tradition.
4 - The long list of legends
There is no shortage of legends when your team won 11 Stanley Cups, so I'll forgive you if you haven't gotten familiar with all of them. But, to be a true Red Wings fan, you need to know about the cornerstones, like Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Alex Delvecchio, and Sergei Fedorov, if you want my top five.
That said, you also need to know why there's a hat trick named after Howe, and that the Yzerplan is probably full of patience since it took Steve Yzerman nearly a decade and a half to win his first Stanley Cup.
Oh, and you might want to know why the fanbase is still so divided on Fedorov, considering his history with the franchise. So, as you can see, there is a lot, and I mean a lot, to learn about these legends. But again, 11 Cups and 100 years will do that.
5 - Major rivalries
Very, very few teams in the NHL have more rivalries than the Red Wings. That's a byproduct of playing for decades in the Western Conference before jumping ship to join the Eastern Conference, something that isn't going away soon.
The Wings had two fierce rivals during their time in the West with the Chicago Blackhawks, who were a historic, geographic rival, before the Colorado Avalanche burst onto the scene in 1995-96. Their rivalry with the Avs was just brutal during the late-1990s and early-2000s with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final often on the line.
When the Wings shifted to the East, old-school rivalries with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens re-ignited. Then, there are the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team whose fans often consider the Wings their chief rival.
While they play in different divisions these days, the Wings and Jackets moved together to the Eastern Conference, guaranteeing them three matchups per season. Plus, Ohio and Michigan are natural rivals when it comes to all things sports.
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