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Detroit Red Wings (NHL, 1972-73)

1972-73 Regular Season:
Red Wings vs. California Golden Seals
     After hitting rock bottom in 1970-71, the Detroit Red Wings slowly started making their way up the standings. The team was able to turn their next-to-last finish that year into star forward Marcel Dionne, who teamed with former Canadiens forward Mickey Redmond to give the Wings a great 1-2 punch on offense. Thanks to their fine play, along with steady goaltending by Roy Edwards and Denis DeJordy, the Wings finished with a solid 37-29-12 record, good enough for fifth place in the competitive Eastern Division.
     To show you how awful the "Dead Things" era (1966-86) was, consider this: the Wings' 86-point season was the second-best record they had in that time period. It was also the last time the team would finish above .500 until the 1987-88 season!
     Former Wings forward Johnny Wilson, who took over as head coach early in the 1971-72 season, was back behind the bench. GM Ned Harkness returned to his position as well.
     Detroit had the sixth-best offense in the NHL in 1972-73, scoring 265 goals. Mickey Redmond, acquired from Montreal in the Frank Mahovolich deal in 1971, had a historic season, becoming the first Red Wing to score 50 goals, finishing with 52 (and 93 points). Marcel Dionne had an excellent sophomore season, scoring 40 goals and 90 points. There was a bit of a dropoff in goal-scoring after those two, as Bill Collins was the only other Wing to score over 20 (21). Captain (and future Hall-of-Famer) Alex Delvecchio, at age 40, had a strong season, scoring 18 goals and 71 points in his final full season.
     The Red Wings were almost as good on defense, allowing only 243 goals (ninth best in the league). The team used three different goaltenders, mostly Roy Edwards and Denis DeJordy. Edwards, back after a stint in Pittsburgh, played 52 games and had an outstanding season. The 35-
year old had a 27-17-7 record, with a 2.63 GAA and 6 shutouts. DeJordy, acquired from the expansion New York Islanders, went 8-11-3 with a 3.74 GAA and 1 shutout. "Fearless" Andy Brown (the last goaltender to play without a mask, hence "Fearless") played 7 games, going 2-1-2 with a 3.56 GAA.
     A 37-29-12 record with 86 points would have put the Red Wings in second place and in the playoffs if they were in the Western Division. Unfortunately, they were in the competitive Eastern Division, staring up at powerhouses Montreal, Boston and the New York Rangers. The Wings finished in fifth place, barely missing the playoffs by two points to fourth place Buffalo. Despite the strong season and the team trending upward, Wilson was canned by Harkness in the offseason. He was replaced by Ted Garvin, coach of the IHL's Port Huron Wings.
     This program is from a game against the California Golden Seals. The Seals were owned by the eccentric/miserly Charles O. Finley, and the team was hit hard by the arrival of the World Hockey Association. Because of that, the team was a total dumpster fire, on their way to a pathetic 16-46-16 record, next-to-last in the league. The Seals also had a bad habit of trading away first round picks. The worst example of this was in 1970-71, when they dealt that pick to Montreal, who turned it into Guy Lafleur. In fact the Seals wouldn't have a first rounder until 1974.
     The Red Wings won this game, 6-4, behind two-goal nights by Redmond and Nick Libett. The goaltending matchup (according to the scorecard) was Denis DeJordy vs. Marv Edwards. The Wings swept the 3-stars, which were (from 3 to 1): Delvecchio, Redmond and Libett.
     Now, for the program. This is a 42-page program, printed on glossy paper, mostly in black-and-white. The rosters for both teams appear in the first five pages. A profile on the Jr. Red Wings (who also played at Olympia Stadium) is featured on pages 16-17 and 32-33. Center Bill Collins, another acquisition in the Frank Mahovolich deal, is featured in an article on page 17 and 35 as an "unsung hero type who prefers to leave the spotlight to others". Game photos from the last time the Wings and Golden Seals played is featured on pages 10 and 41. And yes, the Seals had white skates on.
     Local advertisements include Stroh's Beer, Stu Evans Lincoln-Mercury, Pants Galore (The Original $5.00 Pants Store) and NBD Banks. Gordie Howe also has a full-page ad for Black & White Scotch. Since Detroit is the "Motor City", there are plenty of car ads. Those ads include the 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna, 1973 Mercury, the 1973 GMC Pickup, 1973 Pontiac Grand Am and the 1973 Buick Century ("priced under $3700).

Aftermath: The Wings would slump to 29-39-10 in 1973-74. Garvin would last just 11 games before being replaced by Alex Delvecchio. Ned Harkness would be canned himself in February, also replaced by Delvecchio. The Wings would continue to flounder for the next 12 years, making the playoffs only three times in that span. Owner Bruce Norris would sell the franchise in 1982 to Little Caesar's founder Mike Illitch in 1982.
References:
National Hockey League Statistics: 1972-73 season, from hockeydb.com
Red Wing, 1972-73 Season Program
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