1936 Red Wings And Other Notes

Why the ’36 Red Wings at this time?

Quickly, Tampa joins (perhaps among others, it is noteworthy that within just over a half year all 4 Philadelphia teams made the final starting in May 1980, winning one but not having the fall/winter “deal”) 2018-2019 Boston, 1970-1971 Baltimore and 1935-1936 Detroit (Detroit is the only one to win all 3 titles) as having ALL 3 of its area teams in the final in the same fall/winter span.

Of course, it happened this year due to the pandemic, as the 2020 NHL ‘offs commenced in the late summer and the 3 Tampa final entities, will have been played in a span of just over five months.

In looking up the 1936 Red Wings, who, as was the case, with Detroit’s other major professional league teams at the time (the NBA and the Pistons, who first were in Fort Wayne were over a decade away), won their first title in that ’35-’36 span, I noticed three names that were repeated in some great Red Wings’ lore. 

One I knew, a great player named Syd Howe, a “Vogue”/Red Wings player for 11 seasons, who played on 2 title teams and retired the season before the legendary Gord Howe, began his incredible 25 year career. 

Thus a Howe was on 36 consecutive Red Wings’ teams. The teams won 6 titles, the first in 1936.

Another player on the ’35-’36 Red Wings’ was Pete Kelly. He played on the consecutive Red Wings’ Cup winners in ’36 and ’37.

Years later, the fabulous Leonard “Red” Kelly, who wore #4 and also won 4 titles as a player wearing #4 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, preceded his Leafs’ feats, playing on the four Cup winners with Gordie Howe (’50,’52,’54 and ’55), and others with Detroit.

Finally consider Ralph Bowman, also on those first two Detroit NHL champions in 1936 and 1937. 

Sixty years after that ’37 title, Detroit ended a 42 year title drought, winning the first of three crowns under the great, great coach and as told to me by my friend, the late Beano Cook, a great guy–Scotty Bowman.

Mr. Bowman passed his idol Hector “Toe” Blake for the most coaching NHL titles, when he won his 9th and final title with Detroit in 2002.

Leonard “Red” Kelly, pictured above.