Okay, since the NHL ended it's regular season yesterday and is heading into playoffs now. Here's today's question. This should be an easy one.

What was the original name of The Detroit Red Wings?

A.) The Detroit Wheels

B.) The Detroit Olympians

C.) The Detroit Cougars

D.) The Detroit Wolverines

Bonus points if you know why they changed their name.

 

Hello Lou (Taz),
Sorry, I have no idea, but I wanted 2 add 2 the activity of your very difficult (2 me) Question of the Day ? I'm not even sure what the NHL is ? "National Hot League ?" > LOL

Look 4ward 2 seeing the correct answer

 

I say the Olympians, they changed their name as they could not keep the many gods happy with virgin sacrifices, as they were now illegal, hence they were not winning as they fell out of favor with the gods and needed "Wings" to stay above all the P.O'd disgruntled fans...

 

I'm with BBMike. Where is this National Hottie League? Sign me up.

 

I say it was the Detroit wheels, why they changed I don't have a clue

i don't even follow Hockey

 

I would say Wheels just because it is Detroit

 

Detroit Cougars, 1926-1930.The new owner was a former member of an MAAA team "The Winged Wheelers" who won the first Stanley Cup. He liked their logo that depicted a red wing on a wheel and thought it was appropriate for the Motor City and adopted it for the Red Wings.

 

I got no idea bro.

 

dam I did know this one its C

 

Plumbob is the first one with the correct answer! They were originally the Detroit Cougars.

Here's the official story from the Red Wings website...

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The roots of the Red Wings go all the way back to the old Western Hockey League, where the Victoria (British Columbia) Cougars were members until their roster was sold to a group from Detroit on September 25, 1926. The Detroit group had been awarded an NHL franchise on May 15, 1926.

The team began to play as the Detroit Cougars in the fall of 1926 while playing its home games in Windsor, Ontario. Despite the fact that the Victoria Cougars had won the Stanley Cup in 1925 and were Cup finalists in 1926, the Detroit Cougars finished 12-28-4; the NHL's worst record for the 1926-27 season.

Not only did the team struggle on the ice, but it performed poorly on the ledger sheet as well where the Cougars were more than $80,000 in debt.

Help came, the following season, in the form of Jack Adams as the team's coach and general manager. Adams had played in the old Pacific Coast league and in the NHL with the Toronto St. Pats and the Ottawa Senators. Adam's tenure as coach and GM would last until the 1962-63 season, when Sid Abel took over.

The team also moved into the brand new Olympia Stadium for the 1927-28 season. A Detroit and professional hockey landmark, the Olympia would serve as the home for the franchise through the midway point of the 1979-80 season. With Adams at the helm, the team made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history (1928-29). However, they were still among the NHL's have-nots and perpetually close to bankruptcy.

Willing to try anything, Jack Adams changed the name for the 1930-31 season to the Detroit Falcons.

After the depression, the team went into receivership and Adams was forced to use his own money to make payroll. It was so bad financially, that Adams joked if the Montreal Canadiens superstar Howie Morenz were available for $1.98, the Falcons still couldn't afford him. Things weren't much better on the ice as the team had only made the playoffs twice in its first six seasons.

In 1932 the financial problems ended when grain millionaire and shipping magnate James Norris Sr. purchased the team. Norris, like Adams, was a Canadian turned American. He had once played hockey for the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association's Winged Wheelers.

When the two men met, Norris and Adams agreed that the team's new logo would be a winged wheel and the club's nickname changed to the Red Wings.