The Detroit Red Wings rank as one of the NHL's original American powerhouses, with 11 Stanley Cups to their name — more than any other U.S.-based franchise. Along the way, the team has built one of hockey's most recognizable identities, complete with an iconic logo and a genuinely bizarre playoff tradition.
| Founded | 1926 (as the Detroit Cougars) |
| Arena | Little Caesars Arena, Detroit (19,515 capacity) |
| Conference / Division | Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division |
| Stanley Cups | 11 (the most of any U.S. franchise) |
| Head coach | Todd McLellan |
| Captain | Dylan Larkin |
| General manager | Vacant (since Steve Yzerman stepped down, July 2026) |
The franchise entered the NHL in 1926 as the Detroit Cougars, then took the name Detroit Falcons in 1930 after a fan contest failed to turn the team's fortunes around. Everything changed in 1932, though, when grain merchant James Norris bought the struggling club.
As a young man, Norris had played for the Winged Wheelers, an amateur team fielded by the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the club that won the very first Stanley Cup back in 1893. Norris renamed his new team the Red Wings in tribute, and he adopted a red version of the Winged Wheelers' emblem as the logo — a choice that also happened to fit perfectly with Detroit's identity as the "Motor City." That winged wheel has barely changed since, and it remains one of the most recognizable logos in professional sports today.
Detroit's most famous tradition began on April 15, 1952, when brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano tossed an octopus onto the ice during a playoff game. At the time, teams needed to win just two best-of-seven series to capture the Stanley Cup, so the octopus's eight legs symbolized the eight wins required. The Red Wings won that Cup, and fans have kept throwing octopi at home playoff games ever since.
A logo with a story: Few NHL emblems carry as much meaning as the Red Wings' winged wheel — a tribute to hockey's very first champions, reimagined for a city built on the automobile.
The Red Wings have retired nine numbers, honoring some of the greatest players in franchise history:
Detroit finished the 2025-26 season 41-31-10 and missed the playoffs. The offseason then brought a major shake-up: longtime executive Steve Yzerman stepped down as general manager in July 2026, leaving the franchise to search for new leadership as it looks to build its next contender around captain Dylan Larkin.
