This morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses the Red Wings’ progression from the Detroit Cougars to the Detroit Falcons, and, eventually, the Detroit Red Wings:
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.
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.
