2008–09 Detroit Red Wings season
The 2008–09 Detroit Red Wings season was the 83rd season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. The Detroit Red Wings attempted to defend their Stanley Cup title, but they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games in the Stanley Cup Finals, the team they defeated in the finals the previous season. The Red Wings roster featured former Penguin Marian Hossa, who signed a one-year contract with Detroit during the summer of 2008, as well as former Penguins backup Ty Conklin. With the elimination of the MLB's New York Yankees from the playoffs for the first time since 1993, the Red Wings owned the longest active playoff streak in North American sports, qualifying every year since 1991.
| 2008–09 Detroit Red Wings | |
|---|---|
Western Conference champions | |
Central Division champions | |
| Division | 1st Central |
| Conference | 2nd Western |
| 2008–09 record | 51–21–10 |
| Home record | 27–9–5 |
| Road record | 24–12–5 |
| Goals for | 297 |
| Goals against | 244 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Ken Holland |
| Coach | Mike Babcock |
| Captain | Nicklas Lidstrom |
| Alternate captains | Pavel Datsyuk Kris Draper Henrik Zetterberg |
| Arena | Joe Louis Arena |
| Average attendance | 19,865 Capacity: 20,066 (99.0%) Total: 814,474 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Marian Hossa (40) |
| Assists | Pavel Datsyuk (65) |
| Points | Pavel Datsyuk (97) |
| Penalty minutes | Andreas Lilja (66) |
| Plus/minus | Pavel Datsyuk (34) |
| Wins | Chris Osgood (26) |
| Goals against average | Ty Conklin (2.51) |
They won 51 games during the regular season, their fourth consecutive season of 50 or more victories.