How Detroit Red Wings got their name and logo: Thousands of miles, two name changes
On Sept. 25, 1926, a group of Detroit businessmen bought the Victoria Cougars hockey club and moved them to Detroit, setting in motion the franchise that would become the Detroit Red Wings.
The news made the front page of the Detroit Free Press' sporting section two days later under the headline "Detroit Group gets Victoria hockey squad." From the story: "Victoria Cougars, professional hockey champions of the world in 1924 and last season runner up for the premier hockey honors, will be moved to Detroit intact to represent this city in the National Hockey League during the 1926-27 season.
"Detroit purchased the Western Canada Legue champions from Frank Patrick, Pacific Coast magnate, for $100,000."
The Cougars played the 1926-27 season at the Border Cities Arena in Windsor while Olympia Stadium in Detroit finished being built. The team played its first game at the building that would become known as The Old Red Barn on Nov. 22, 1927, losing 2-1 to the Ottawa Senators.
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The Cougars were champions in Vancouver but losers in Detroit, prompting a competition to come up with a new name. That happened on Oct. 5, 1930. From that day's Free Press: "Detroit's team in the National Hockey league in the season which will open next month will not be known as the Cougars. Charles A. Hughes, president of the Detroit Hockey club, has called upon a group of newspaper men to plan a contest among the fans to decide upon a more suitable name.
"The name Cougar came to Detroit with the first hockey club, but by the beginning of last season nothing was left of the original layout except the name, and that now goes in the discard. The hockey club will give season tickets to the one who picks the name that is decided upon. .... The committee will take nothing into consideration except the names of suggested. Neatness of letters, penmanship and other conditions will not enter into the contest."
The winner was announced Oct. 19, under a story headlined, "Cougars Pass Out of Existence, Detroit now has its team of Falcons." From nearly 2,000 letters, Falcons beat out suggestions including Wolverines, Dynamics and Ambassadors, as well as Racketeers, Hughes' Hustlers, Trojans, Wanderers and Magnetos.
The Cougars had missed the playoffs three of their first four years, and the Falcons didn't fare much better, missing in 1931 and losing in the quarterfinals in 1932.
The hockey club's fortunes changed on Oct. 5, 1932, when Montreal-born U.S. grain magnate James E. Norris bought the team. Norris played for a team called the Winged Wheelers when he lived in Montreal, and liked that name so much he rechristened his club the Red Wings. According to a Jan. 29, 1933, Free Press article, Norris "himself drew the insignia of the auto wheel with wings sprouting from it on the Red Wing jerseys. He wanted to christen the team the Winged Wheelers. He accepted the word of friends, however, that the name was too clumsy."
The Detroit Red Wings advanced to the semifinals in their first year, and the Stanley Cup finals in their second year. In 1936, they won their first Stanley Cup, and repeated in 1937. Finally, the franchise had a name that spelled success.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
Follow her @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Red Wings took shape with move to Detroit in 1926, name change in '32
