The series began on November 24, 1926, when the NHL's two fledgling Midwest teams met for the first time. In the matchup, the
Detroit Cougars (the club was eventually renamed Red Wings in
1932) earned a 1–0 victory against the Chicago Black Hawks (the team name was compounded to Blackhawks in
1986) at the
Chicago Coliseum. In that game,
Frank Frederickson of the Cougars scored the only goal with five minutes remaining in the third period, assisted by defenseman
Hobie Kitchen, and goaltender
Hap Holmes recorded the first shutout of his rookie season. It was the first win in Detroit franchise history, and the first loss in Chicago franchise history. Chicago's first
Stanley Cup was later won against the Red Wings in
1934, when winger
Mush March scored a goal in a double-overtime game, the first-ever Stanley Cup-winning overtime goal in the history of the NHL (though not the first in the history of the game, as
Dan Bain accomplished this feat in January 1901 for the
Winnipeg Victorias to bring them their second
Stanley Cup). During the 26-year period where the NHL had
only the Original Six, both teams were controlled by the Norris family. Patriarch
James Norris owned both franchises, until his death in 1952 split the rivals between his sons – the elder son,
James was a co-owner of the Black Hawks along with
Arthur Wirtz, while his brother
Bruce inherited ownership of the Red Wings. In
1961, the Black Hawks led by
Bobby Hull and
Stan Mikita broke 23 years without a title by defeating
Gordie Howe's Red Wings. On a visit to
Olympia Stadium in Detroit in the 1960s, Hull was heckled by three Red Wings fans who eventually climbed the glass and dangled their arms over it before he hit them with his stick. Starting in
1970–71, the Blackhawks realigned to the
West Division while the Red Wings remained in the
East. In
1981–82, they were reunited in the reconfigured
Norris Division, which was renamed the
Central Division in 1993 after the NHL revamped its alignment naming protocol. Chicago native
Chris Chelios was booed upon his return to the United Center as a Detroit player in 1999, The Blackhawks won the series 4–3 after trailing 3–1 en route to their fifth
Stanley Cup. As a result of the realignment before the
2013–14 NHL season, the Red Wings moved to the
Eastern Conference's
Atlantic Division, joining fellow Original Six teams
Boston Bruins,
Montreal Canadiens and
Toronto Maple Leafs in the division, as well as the
New York Rangers in the conference (Rangers are part of the
Metropolitan Division). Chicago stayed in the
Western Conference's Central Division, ending the rivalry between the two teams after almost 90 seasons. Both the Red Wings and Blackhawks only meet twice every season by virtue of being in opposite conferences, and now can only meet in the postseason if both advance to the
Stanley Cup Final, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL temporarily realigned the divisions, regardless of conference allegiance, for the
2020–21 NHL season in order to cut down travel, with Detroit and Chicago, sharing a division (the Central) for the first time since the 2012–13 season, resuming their rivalry for at least one season for a total of eight games. In the
2021–22 NHL season, the league reverted to its 2013–20 alignment. On February 25, 2024, the Blackhawks retired Chris Chelios' no. 7 ahead of a game with the Red Wings. That night also marked
Patrick Kane's first appearance in Chicago's United Center as a visiting player. In a rare peaceful moment between the two rivals, Kane was a given a standing ovation by the home fans as a tribute to his major contributions in the Blackhawks' 2010s Stanley Cup dynasty. Kane later scored the game-winning goal in overtime and got another standing ovation. ==See also==