Chicago Blackhawks – Detroit Red Wings
History
1st Meeting	November 24, 1926
1st Result	DET 1-0
Location	Chicago Coliseum Chicago Coliseum The Chicago Coliseum was the name of a succession of three large indoor arenas in Chicago, Illinois from the 1860s to 1982 that each served as a sports venue, convention center, and exhibition hall over the course of their respective histories. The first Coliseum briefly made an appearance in the...
Last Meeting	April 10, 2011
Last Result	DET 4-3
Location	United Center United Center The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...
Next Meeting	December 30, 2011
Location	United Center
Number of Meetings
Regular Season Meetings
All-Time Series
Regular Season Series
Longest CHI Win Streak
Longest DET Win Streak
Post Season History
Post Season Meetings
Post Season Series

The rivalry between the Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...

 and the Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

of the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 is the most intense rivalry in the Central Division

Central Division (NHL)

The NHL's Central Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Western Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Norris Division.The Central Division consists of the Western Conference's easternmost teams.-Current lineup:...

. It has existed since and continued ever since through the Original Six

Original Six

The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that composed the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. These six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the...

 days into the present. These two clubs have faced each other in more regular season games than any other two clubs in NHL history, except for the total number of regular season and playoff matches between the Bruins and Canadiens

Bruins–Canadiens rivalry

The rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League is considered "one of the greatest rivalries in sports," along with the Yankees – Red Sox and Bears–Packers rivalries...

.

Early History

The rivalry began on November 24, 1926, when the NHL's two Midwest expansion teams met for the first time, and the Detroit Cougars (they didn't become Red Wings until ) earned a 1-0 victory against the Chicago Black Hawks (they didn't become Blackhawks until ) at Chicago Coliseum

Chicago Coliseum

The Chicago Coliseum was the name of a succession of three large indoor arenas in Chicago, Illinois from the 1860s to 1982 that each served as a sports venue, convention center, and exhibition hall over the course of their respective histories. The first Coliseum briefly made an appearance in the...

, the arena that preceded Chicago Stadium

Chicago Stadium

The Chicago Stadium was an indoor sports arena and theater in Chicago. It opened in 1929, and closed in 1994.-History:The Stadium hosted the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL from 1929–1994 and the Chicago Bulls of the NBA from 1967–1994....

, the "Madhouse on Madison." 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

Hobie Kitchen

Chapman Hobart Kitchen was a professional ice hockey player who played 47 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Montreal Maroons and Detroit Red Wings. He would win a Stanley Cup with the Maroons in 1926. Hobie's name was left off the Stanley Cup, because he did not play in the...

, and goaltender Hap Holmes

Hap Holmes

Harry George "Hap" Holmes was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. As a professional, Holmes won the Stanley Cup four times, with four different teams. He tied the record of his 1914 Stanley Cup winning Toronto Blueshirts teammate Jack Marshall, who also has won Cups with four different...

 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.

During the season, the teams faced off against each other at the 2009 NHL Winter Classic

2009 NHL Winter Classic

The 2009 NHL Winter Classic, also known as the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic 2009, was a specially staged National Hockey League regular-season game played outdoors on January 1, 2009 at 12:36 p.m. CST at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois...

 at Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...

 in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

.

: Blackhawks win Stanley Cup

In the season, the Blackhawks finished the regular season as the Central Division

Central Division (NHL)

The NHL's Central Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Western Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Norris Division.The Central Division consists of the Western Conference's easternmost teams.-Current lineup:...

 champions with 112 points and was second in the Western Conference

Western Conference (NHL)

The Western Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Eastern Conference....

. This was the fourteenth division title in franchise history for the Chicago Blackhawks but the first since when it was called the Norris Division

Norris Division

The NHL's Norris Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Prince of Wales Conference. The division moved to the Clarence Campbell Conference in 1981, with the Detroit Red Wings being the only member to remain from the previous season. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. The...

. The Red Wings finished second in the standings to the Blackhawks, and entered the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs

2010 Stanley Cup playoffs

The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 14, 2010, after the 2009–10 NHL regular season. The Finals ended on June 9, 2010, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to two to win their fourth championship and their first since 1961...

 seeded fifth in the conference. Both teams reached the second round of the playoffs. The Blackhakws won their second round series against the Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...

 in six games, but with the Red Wings losing their second round series to the San Jose Sharks

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

, the road to ending the longest active Stanley Cup drought became much easier.

Unlike the and Finals, which featured the Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...

, the Final was a showdown between their respective biggest rivals, the Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

, in-state rivals of the Penguins, though they needed a shootout on the final day of the season to make the playoffs. The Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup since beating the Red Wings in the Final, and like the Red Wings in 2008, won it in six games and on the road.