Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings Off To Best Start in 11 Years

Red Wings and Lions won on the same day for the first time since 2017

Published

1 year ago

November 8, 2022

Bob Duff

The Red Wings are off to their best 12-game start in 11 years.

Sunday, the Detroit Red Wings were accomplishing two things the franchise hadn’t done in an awfully long time.

Firstly, by rallying from a 2-0 first-period deficit for their 3-2 overtime victory over the New York Rangers, the Red Wings were improving to 7-3-2 on the 2022-23 NHL season. That’s the team’s best 12-game start in 11 years. It’s also among their nine best launches to a campaign since the 1967 NHL expansion.

Secondly, the victory by the Red Wings came on the heels of an earlier-day 15-9 NFL triumph by the Detroit Lions over the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. It meant that for the first time since December 31, 2017, both the Lions and Red Wings were winners of a game on the same day.

Red Wings Best 12-Game Starts

Season	Record	Points	Outcome
2005-06	11-1-0	22	Made Playoffs
2001-02	10-2-0	20	Won Stanley Cup
1997-98	9-1-2	20	Won Stanley Cup
2007-08	9-2-1	19	Won Stanley Cup
2008-09	8-2-2	18	Lost Cup Final
2010-11	8-3-1	17	Made Playoffs
1969-70	8-3-1	17	Made Playoffs
1999-00	7-2-3	17	Made Playoffs
2022-23	7-3-2	16	TBD

*Since the 1967 NHL expansion.

Each of the other eight Detroit clubs to collect a minimum of 16 points from their first 12 games of the season since the 1967-68 season have gone on to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Four of the teams ended up reaching the Stanley Cup final, and three of them won the Stanley Cup.

Doubling Down With Lions

Sunday saw the Lions halting a five-game losing skid via their win over the Packers. That meant for the first time in 1,772 days, both the Lions and Red Wings were enjoying the fruits of victory on the same day.

Back on New Year’s Eve in 2017, the Red Wings were getting two goals from Gustav Nyquist and 37 saves from Jimmy Howard while beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 at Little Caesars Arena.

1,772 days in the making pic.twitter.com/6ee8cEv4Fa

— Barstool Detroit (@BSMotorCity) November 7, 2022

Meanwhile, at Ford Field earlier that day, Matthew Stafford was throwing for three touchdown passes as the Lions were whipping the Packers 35-11.

Tackle Taylor Decker is the only Lions player to suit up in both of these victories. Captain Dylan Larkin is the only Red Wings player who was part of each of these wins.