The Detroit Olympia Collection

The Detroit Olympia was home to the NHL Detroit Cougars, Detroit Falcons and Detroit Red Wings from November 27, 1927 to December 15, 1979. These were all the same team. The names just changed over the history of the franchise with the team settling on the name “Red Wings” for the start of the 1932-33 season.

As of 2019, the Red wings have won the most Stanley Cup Championships of any NHL franchise based in the USA (11) and are third overall in total Stanley Cups behind the Montreal Canadiens (24) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (13).

In 1926, as part of the folding of the professional Western Hockey League, the NHL expanded and allowed a new franchise in Detroit. The Detroit franchise purchased the players of the WHL’s Victoria Cougars, who had won the Stanley Cup in 1925. The new Detroit franchise also adopted the Cougar’s nickname in honour of the folded franchise.

Since no arena in Detroit was ready at the time, the Cougars played their first season at the Border Cities Arena in Windsor, Ontario. For the 1927-28 season, the Cougars moved into the new Detroit Olympia Stadium.

The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup seven times while making the Olympia their home arena. The legendary Hall of Fame players, Gordie Howe and Terry Sawchuk would help lead the team to three Stanley Cup victories from 1952-55.

Being a resident of Edmonton, Alberta, I have a special affinity for the Detroit Red Wings due to the fact that Edmonton was a major part of the teams farm system in the 1950-60’s. The professional WHL Edmonton Flyers contributed the following players directly to the parent Detroit Red Wings team: Glenn Hall, Johnny Bucyk, Al Arbour, Len Haley, Vic Stasiuk, Jerry Melnyk, Earl Reibel, Norm Ullman, Billy McNeil, Tom McCarthy, Tony Leswick, Len Lunde, Dennis Riggin, Eddie Royal, Hank Bassen, Howie Young and Harrison Gray.

Gordie Howe and Terry Sawchuk were also both born and raised in the Canadian Prairies.

I look forward to exhibiting these historic artifacts at various shows across Canada and the US