The last three years of the NHL have been very affected by COVID-19. Seasons have been shortened, games have been canceled, and crowds have been removed. 

But the 2022-23 season looks like it will have something different to offer – things may be returning to normal. You can find the best NHL lines for the next season here. 

We are looking forward to seeing how teams will perform when they are able to play a full season. Will the Colorado Avalanches take home the Stanley Cup again? 

There are some games that we look forward to every season. One of these is the Chicago Blackhawks vs the Detroit Red Wings. 

This is a rivalry that has been going on for nearly 100 years. 

NHL History 

The NHL (National Hockey League) is an ice hockey league that contains 32 teams based in America and Canada. 

The league was founded in 1917 and later it combined with the league in America to become what we know today as the NHL – 25 teams from the USA and 7 from Canada. The NHL is now the 5th most valuable sporting league in North America. 

The teams play for the chance to win the Stanley Cup, which is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America.  Last year, the NHL added a new team, the Seattle Krakens. 

Today, we are going to look at two NHL teams – the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings.

Chicago Blackhawks 

Western Conference 

Central Division 

Stanley Cup Wins – 6 (1933–34, 1937–38, 1960–61, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2014–15)

The Blackhawks are the ice hockey team based in Chicago, they share their stadium with the Chicago Bulls. 

The Blackhawks are one of the “Original 6” NHL teams and they have won the Stanley Cup 6 times – the 4th most overall in the NHL. 

Their most recent Stanley Cup win was in the 2014-15 season. They beat the Tampa Bay Lightnings 4-2 overall. Their first Stanley Cup victory was against the Detroit Red Wings in the 1933-34 season. 

Last Season 

The Blackhawks had a middling season, they ended the season with a win-loss ratio of 28–42–12. 

They finished 7th in their division and 14th in their conference. They scored 219 goals and had 291 goals against them. 

This season, the Blackhawks fired both their general manager and their head coach because of a sexual abuse scandal.

The Blackhawks were fined $2 million by the NHL over this. 

After losing 11  games in a row, for the first time in 51 years, the Blackhawks fired their coach, Jeremy Colliton.  

Detroit Red Wings 

Eastern Conference 

Atlantic Division 

Stanley Cup Wins – 11 (1935–36, 1936–37, 1942–43, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2007–08)

The Red Wings are also a member of the “Original 6”. They were founded in 1926 and have always played in Detroit. 

They are the third most successful NHL team when it comes to the Stanley Cup, they have won it 11 times. In the first 30 years of their history, they only missed out on the playoffs 4 times. 

Their most recent Stanley Cup win was in the 2007-08 season when they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins. Their first win was against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1936.  

They play in the Little Caesars Arena which they share with the Detroit Pistons. 

Last Season 

Much like the Blackhawks, the Red Wings had an unspectacular 2021-22 season. They finished with a win-loss record of 32–40–10. 

They finished 6th in their division and 12th in their conference. They scored 230 goals and conceded 312 goals over the course of the season. 

For the last six seasons in a row, the Red Wings failed to qualify for the playoffs. However, generally, this season was an improvement on their 2020-21 season. 

The Rivalry 

All-time record – 410–320–85–15, Detroit leads 

The Blackhawks vs Red Wings rivalry is one of the oldest rivalries in American sport. The rivalry is also known as the I-94 Rivalry – as the I-94 is a 280-mile road that links the two cities. 

Both teams were formed in 1926 and played their first match against each other in their debut year. 

The Detroit Red Wings won the first match between these two teams. This was the first game that Chicago had ever lost. 

When they were founded the teams were owned by the Norris brothers, the brothers themselves had a fierce rivalry and this often played out on the ice. 

The rivalry started to heat up when they met in the Stanley Cup for the first time. The year was 1934 and both teams had a difficult time getting to the final. However, the Blackhawks dominated and ended up winning the series 3-1 (it was a best-of-five back then).

Since then, these two have had one of the most aggressive rivalries in the NHL. The Blackhawk vs Red Wings matches are famous for the number of fights that break out. 

The series currently stands at 410–320–85–15 to the Detroit Red Wings. The Blackhawks won in their most recent meeting.