June 7, 1997: The Red Wings End a 42-Year Drought

Steve Yzerman

June 7, 1997: The Detroit Red Wings beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, and complete a 4-game sweep of the Finals, for their 1st Stanley Cup in 42 years.

After winning 4 Cups in 6 years from 1950 to 1955, they reached the Finals again in 1956, 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1966, but lost every time. Then, under the misleadership of Bruce Norris, son of their guiding force James Norris, they made the Playoffs in only 2 of the next 17 seasons. Moving from the Olympia Stadium to the Joe Louis Arena in 1979 didn't help. Norris selling the team to Mike Ilitch in 1982 began to turn things around, but it still took a while to rebuild. In 1988, they won their Division, and reached the Conference Finals.

They began building a superteam, around high-scoring center Steve Yzerman, who would go on to serve as Captain longer than any player in NHL history; Swedish forward Nicklas Lidstrom; and "The Russian Five": Defensemen Viacheslav Fetisov and Vladimir Konstantinov, centers Sergei Fedorov and Igor Larionov, and left wing Vyacheslav Kozlov.

Larry Murphy had previously won 2 Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mike Vernon 1 with the Calgary Flames, and Joey Kocur 1 with... uh, let's move on. But for legends of the game like Yzerman, Lidstrom and Fetisov, winning a Cup in Detroit would be the first.

With former Montreal Canadiens coach Scotty Bowman leading them, the Wings reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1995, but were upset in a 4-game sweep by the New Jersey Devils. After a little tinkering, they reached the Western Conference Finals in 1996, but lost to the Colorado Avalanche.

After just a little more tinkering by general manager Jim Devellano, they got back into the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997, playing the Philadelphia Flyers. The 1st 2 games were in Philadelphia, and the Wings won both of them by a score of 4-2.

Game 3 at "The Joe" was a wipeout, 6-1. Ron Hextall, who starred in defeat for the Flyers in the 1985 and '87 Finals, was traded away to Quebec for Peter Forsberg, and had been reacquired, was pulled in favor of Garth Snow. In the stands during Game 4, a fan held up a sign that said, "Hey Hextall: You and Snow get pulled more than a U-Haul!"

Lidstrom scored in the 1st period, Darren McCarty in the 2nd. Despite an Eric Lindros goal in the 3rd, the Wings hung on, and had their 1st Cup. The hard part was dodging all the octopus that fans were throwing onto the ice.

Vernon was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Playoffs. In his 14th season with the Wings, Yzerman finally received the Cup. Wings legend Gordie Howe was on hand, and said of Yzerman, "I'm just so dang happy for the kid, it's unbelievable."

Just 6 days after the clincher, Konstantinov and team massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakonov were badly hurt in a limousine crash, giving the team the motivation it needed to win a 2nd straight Cup.

UPDATE: In 1988, the Flyers established a team Hall of Fame. As of the 2025-26 season, from their 1997 Stanley Cup Finalists, they have elected Ron Hextall, John LcClair, Eric Lindros, Eric Desjardins and Rod Brind'Amour. Each has also been elected to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

UPDATE: The Red Wings do not yet have a team Hall of Fame, but they do retire numbers. From their 1997, 1998 and 2002 Stanley Cups: 5, defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom; 19, center Steve Yzerman; and 91, center Sergei Fedorov. Lidstrom was still there for their 2008 Cup winners.

Each of those has also been elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. So have goaltender Chris Osgood, defensemen Mark Howe (son of Red Wings legend Gordie) and Vladimir Konstantinov, left wing Brendan Shanahan, head coach Scotty Bowman, executives Jim Devellano and Ken Holland, team owners Mike and Marian Ilitch, and broadcaster and former star Mickey Redmond. Center Henrick Zetterberg arrived after the 2002 Cup, but played on the 2008 Cup winners, and has also been elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

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June 7, 1997 was a Saturday. Football was out of season. The NBA Finals were between Games 3 and 4, and the Chicago Bulls would beat the Utah Jazz in 6 games. And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 2-0 at Yankee Stadium. David Wells pitched 8 innings of 4-hit shutout ball, and Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect 9th. The Yankees runs came on a double by Charlie Hayes and a single by Mark Whiten. Derek Jeter went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

* The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 10-5 at Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium) in Cincinnati.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-0 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Carlos Pérez pitched a 7-hit shutout, outpitching Terry Mulholland.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-5 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-1 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners, 3-1 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-4. Alex Rodriguez went 1-for-4.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 1-0 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Harold Baines singled Dave Martinez home with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. Roberto Hernández became the winning pitcher, the last 4 South Side pitchers to complete an 11-inning 9-hit shutout.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Anaheim Angels, 6-1 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. 

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers, 10-4 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Florida Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies, 7-5 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros, 5-4 at Qualcomm Stadium (formerly San Diego Stadium and Jack Murphy Stadium). Scott Livingstone singled Tony Gwynn home in the bottom of the 10th inning. Gwynn and Wally Joyner had hit home runs. Rickey Henderson went 2-for-4 for the Padres.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-2 at Candlestick Park (then named 3Com Park at Candlestick Point) in San Francisco. Barry Bonds went 0-for-4.