Discover the Red Wings: A Century of Hockey History

Before the name Red Wings, it was a different team name

Detroit Red Wings logo on a jersey Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The history of the Detroit Red Wings and how it all got started is special and worth learning about.

One hundred years ago, the Red Wings started as an expansion team under a different name, the Detroit Cougars. 

Understanding the History and Success of the Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings logo on a jersey Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's always intriguing to know where it all began with the franchise. Little did anyone know back in the 1920s how much of a historic franchise Detroit was going to be. Before the championships and every Hall of Fame player that made an impact in the franchise, the Red Wings' home arena started in Canada.

The Cougars were based in Victoria, British Columbia, before moving to Detroit. In the fall of 1926, the team began skating and playing its games in Windsor, Canada. It wasn't until 1932 that the team changed its name from the Cougars to the Red Wings. 

The name sounds much better as Red Wings than Cougars. Fans can thank Jack Adams, the first general manager, and James Norris, a millionaire, for changing the franchise name. Adams and Norris worked together and invested their money to put the Red Wings where they are today. They were the foundation of many things that came afterward.

During Adams tenure as the general manager, it didn't look great at first. Most of his struggles came when the team was called the "Cougars." Adams started to experience winning in 1936, when the Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup. Adams not only won as a general manager, but also as a head coach. He served as head coach for 21 seasons and ran the front office until 1963.

The Red Wings won 11 Stanley Cup titles (7 under Adams). Unfortunately, Adams passed away in 1968. He did not get to live to see the Red Wings win championships in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008. 

It's easy to say that he probably had it easy because there weren't too many teams back then and the playoff format was different, but a championship is a championship. Adams was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959. Besides coaching and general managing, he also played hockey, but not for the Red Wings. 

Adams played for four different teams: Toronto Arenas, Vancouver Millionaires, Toronto St. Patricks, and Ottawa Senators. He won two Stanley Cup titles as a player with the St. Patricks and Senators. He is the only person in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup as a player, coach, and general manager.

Many people view the Red Wings as the golden team, or the golden era of hockey, from the mid-1990s through the late 2000s. 

Steve Yzerman, the Russian Five, Nicklas Lidstrom, and many other iconic players were with the team during that time along with great coaches such as Scotty Bowman. 

All of them followed the success and footsteps of what Jack Adams started a long time ago.