Detroit Red Wings: Ticketnest

                                                                                         

The history of the Red Wings goes all the way back to the old Western Hockey League, where the Victoria (British Columbia) Cougars were members till the time their roster was sold to a Detroit group on September 25, 1926. The Detroit group had been rewarded an NHL franchise on May 15, 1926. The team started to play as the Detroit Cougars in the fall of 1926 whereas playing its home games in Windsor, Ontario. Regardless of the fact that the Victoria Cougars had won the Stanley Cup in 1925 and were also the Cup finalists in 1926, the Detroit Cougars ended 12-28-4; the NHL's (http://www.ticketnest.com/NHL.php) worst record for the 1926-27 season.

This is not the only fact that the team fought on the ice, but in addition it performed badly on the ledger sheet as well where the Cougars were more than 80,000 dollars in debt. Though fortunately help came, the following season, in the form of Jack Adams as the team's coach as well as general manager. Adams had played in the old Pacific Coast league plus in the NHL with the Toronto St. Pats and also the Ottawa Senators. Adam's tenure as coach and GM lasted till the 1962-63 season, after that Sid Abel took over.

The team then moved into the fresh new Olympia Stadium for the seasons of 1927-28. It is a Detroit and professional hockey landmark, the Olympia supplied as the home for the franchise during the midway point of the 1979-80 seasons. With Adams at the rudder, the team made the playoffs for the very first time in franchise history (1928-29). On the other hand, they were still among the NHL's have-nots and unendingly close to insolvency.

A revelation came at the trading deadline as longtime Red Wing fate Chris Chelios was obtained from the Chicago Blackhawks. This is not it; another surprise was made the next November when ex- Dallas Star Pat Verbeek was marked as a free agent. That time was a season of milestones for the Red Wings in 1999-2000. Yzerman scored goal No. 600, Verbeek tallied No. 500, Shanahan collected No. 400 and Fedorov earned No. 300. Yzerman also recorded his 1,500th point and 900th assist while Verbeek scored his 1,000th point.

Towards the end of the season, only Gordie Howe had played more NHL games than Murphy. The post-season honors sustained as Steve Yzerman won the Selke Trophy and he was among three Red Wings along with Brendan Shanahan and Nicklas Lidstrom, who were chosen as First Team All-Stars. The Red Wings completed with the league's second best record in 2000-01, still were abolished by the Los Angeles Kings all through the first round of the 2001 playoffs. After concluding second in Norris Trophy selection for three straight years, Lidstrom lastly won his first Norris as the NHL's top defenseman.

Momentous moves were made in the summer of 2001. Future Hall of Famers Dominik Hasek, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille were added to Detroit's already compelling roster. The moves resulted in a league-best 116 points plus concluded with the franchise's 10th Stanley Cup after the Red Wings crushed the Carolina Hurricanes in five games throughout the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals. Lidstrom was the first European-born player to win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. As a head coach, Bowman treaded down, retiring after nine seasons behind the Red Wings bench, with his NHL-record ninth Stanley Cup.

Subsequent to Dominik Hasek proclaimed his retirement after the 2001-02 Stanley Cup Championship, the Red Wings signed veteran goaltender Curtis Joseph to swap Hasek. Numerous Red Wings mounted major milestones during the season, counting Brett Hull recording his 700th goal on February 10 next to the San Jose Sharks (Evengi Nabokov). Hull was the sixth player in NHL history to attain this prestigious mark. He completed the season with 716 goals, for fifth best all-time.

In spite of concluding the regular season with the second best record in the Western Conference and third best overall, Detroit was brushed away in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Lidstrom won his third successive Norris, Steve Yzerman was honored the Masterton Trophy for insistence after returning to the Detroit line-up late in the regular season after the off-season knee surgery. Brendan Shanahan was called the King Clancy Memorial Award winner for his humanitarian efforts and Darren McCarty was decorated with the NHL Foundation Player Award for his offerings in the community.

For more information about Detroit Red Wings visit: http://www.ticketnest.com/sports-tickets/Detroit-Red-Wings/index.php

About the author:
Sara grew up in Kansas and after moving to Carlsbad, CA, relates to Dorothy of the "Wizard of Oz" fame. No surprise that she loves theater including "Wicked". Sara is a staff writer for Ticket Nest ( www.ticketnest.com ) and enjoys writing about her travel, theater and concert experiences. She can be reached at sara@ticketnest.com


Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com