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This day in history: Falcons change name to Detroit Red Wings in 1932

CBS News Detroit Digital Brief for Oct. 5, 2023
CBS News Detroit Digital Brief for Oct. 5, 2023 04:15

(CBS DETROIT) - On this day, 91 years ago, Detroit's NHL team changed its name to the Detroit Red Wings. 

The team was founded in 1926 and was called the Detroit Cougars. The team was originally in British Columbia before it was moved to Detroit. 

The Cougars' home arena was initially in Windsor, but when Jack Adams became the coach and general manager in 1927, the team moved to Olympia Stadium during the fall of that year.

Olympia Stadium was located at the corner of Grand River and McGraw avenues before it was demolished in 1986. 

Adams changed the team's name to the Detroit Falcons as the team struggled during the 1930 season. 

James Norris invested in the hockey team, and in 1932, he and Adams changed the team's name to the Detroit Red Wings. Norris had been part of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, and he decided a version of the Winged Wheelers logo (a winged wheel) would be fitting for the Motor City team. 

The Detroit Red Wings won the team's first Stanley Cup championship in 1936 and then again in 1937, and the team saw more Stanley Cup wins in the 1950s. 

The team continued to see success with its new name and gained several key players, including Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe and Red Kelly. 

The team left Olympia Stadium in 1979 and moved to Joe Louis Arena, where they played until 2017 when the team moved to Little Caesars Arena.

The founders of Little Caesars, Mike and Marian Ilitch, bought the team in 1982.

Scotty Bowman coached the team in the 1990s, and it won Stanley Cup championships in 1997 and 1998. 

The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup championships again in 2002 and 2008. 

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