Detroit Red Wings
Five Interesting Elements About Red Wings Opener
Canadiens rarely are opening-night visitors
The Detroit Red Wings will be playing their 100th NHL season opener on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena. Here are five intriguing elements to watch for on opening night.
Red Wings Rookie Bonanza
Emmitt Finnie, Axel Sandin Pellikka, and Michael Brandsegg Nygard all figure to be making their NHL debuts for Detroit. If they do, it will be the most NHL debuts by Red Wing players in a season opener since the 1990-91 season.
Spend a day with Michael Brandsegg-Nygard & Axel Sandin-Pellikka during the 2025 NHL Prospect Games in Frisco, TX!
Watch full 🎥 » https://t.co/lVQkVgXzEQ pic.twitter.com/JpA8qhleD8
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 6, 2025
On October 4, 1990, Sergei Fedorov, Johan Garpenlov, Mike Sillinger, and Par Djoos all made their NHL bows for Detroit in a 3-3 tie at New Jersey. Two nights later, on October 6, 1990, Keith Primeau, Detroit’s 1990 first-round draft pick, made his NHL debut.
In total, during the 1990-91 season, 14 players made their NHL debuts for the Red Wings. The others were Gary Shuchuk, Bob Wilkie, Tom Bissett, Dave Gagnon, Scott King, Gord Kruppke, Chris Luongo, Bill McDougall, and Marc Potvin.
Seventh Heaven
The 201st selection in the 2023 NHL entry draft, Finnie would be the first seventh-round draft pick to play for the Red Wings since Henrik Zetterberg. The former Detroit captain was the 199th overall choice in the 1999 draft.
The last time a Detroit Red Wings 7th round pick made the opening night lineup as a rookie was Henrik Zetterberg in 2002. Emmitt Finnie can change that this Thursday. 👀 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/VTQ3MbXzLF
— Winged Wheel Podcast (@WingedWheelPod) October 7, 2025
Zetterberg made his NHL debut on October 10, 2002, in a 6-3 win over the Sharks in San Jose. He dished out an assist in the win, but that isn’t what Zetterberg recalls about his first taste of NHL action.
“I got clocked by (Sharks defenseman) Scott Hannan in the corner on my first shift,” Zetterberg said.
Here’s Johnny
Red Wings RDC coach Todd McLellan confirmed that John Gibson will get the start in goal in the opener.
Acquired in the offseason from the Anaheim Ducks, Gibson will be the fifth different opening-night starter for the Wings since Steve Yzerman took over as GM in 2019.
Rare Canadiens Content For Red Wings
Although the Montreal Canadiens have been in the NHL for all 100 of the seasons that the Red Wings franchise has been in existence, opening-night visits to Detroit are rare for the Habs.
The only other time that the Red Wings opened the season on home ice against the Canadiens was in 2022. The Wings were 3-0 winners.
History, For Openers
This will be the 93rd opener for the team as the Red Wings. They played for five seasons as the Cougars and for two seasons as the Falcons.
In Detroit’s first-ever NHL game, the Cougars lost 2-0 to the Boston Bruins. The first game as the Falcons in 1930 was a 1-0 home-ice win over the New York Rangers. They also won their first game as the Red Wings in 1932, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1.
