August 29, 1949
The USSR detonated its first atomic bomb in a secret test.

February 28, 1950
Cadillac, the oldest auto manufacturer in Detroit, announced all of its car windshields would be built in one piece.

June 25, 1950
North Korean forces crossed the 38th parrellel and invaded South Korea; two days later the United Nations and the United States agreed to send troops to aid Seoul.



Most Goals - Gordie Howe: 35
Most Assists - Ted Lindsay: 55
Most Points - Ted Lindsay: 78
Most Penalty Minutes - Ted Lindsay: 141
Most Wins, Goaltender - Harry Lumley: 33
Lowest Goals-Against Average - Harry Lumley: 2.35
Most Shutouts - Harry Lumley: 7
NHL Award Winners - Ted Lindsay - Art Ross Trophy
Ted Lindsay & Sid Abel - 1st Team All-Star
Gordie Howe & Leo Reise - 2nd Team All-Star

Central Division	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA
DETROIT	37	19	14	88	229	164
Montreal	29	22	19	77	172	150
Toronto	31	27	12	74	176	173
New York	28	31	11	67	170	189
Boston	22	32	16	60	198	228
Chicago	22	38	10	45	203	244

Playoff Results
Defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Series "A" (4-3)
Defeated the N.Y. Rangers in Series "C" (4-3)
Leading Playoff Scorers
Gerry Couture & George Gee (9PTS)
Stanley Cup Champion
Detroit Red Wings



Captain Sid Abel simply gushed with enthusiasm at the future which presented itself to the Detroit Red Wings.

"Just think," Abel said. "Harry Lumley is 21; Gordie Howe is 20; Ted Lindsay is 23; Red Kelly is 21 and Marty Pavelich is 21.

"Why, they're just babies. Just wait until they grow up."

After two seasons of growing pains, that time had arrived.

Following successive heartbreaking losses to Toronto in the Stanley Cup final, Detroit GM Jack Adams decided to do what he did best - make a move.

In August, he sent all-star defenseman Bill Quackenbush to Boston in a six-player trade, the key acquisitions being forwards Pete Babando and Jim Peters.

The thinking was that Kelly had established himself, making Quackenbush expendable, while Peters and Babando would supply offensive depth. "I'm confident he'll score plenty of goals for us," coach Tommy Ivan said of Babando.

Detroit's Production Line of Lindsay, Abel and Howe finished 1-2-3 in league scoring. Lindsay took the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champ and along with Abel, secured places on the NHL's First All-Star Team. Howe and defenseman Leo Reise were second-team selections. Detroit raced to first place with a 37-19-14 record, scoring a club-record 229 goals.

As the playoffs commenced, the Leafs again stood in the way. A seven-game semifinal saw triumph for Detroit following near tragedy.

In a mixup with Toronto captain Teeder Kennedy, Howe crashed into the boards, suffering a lacerated eyeball, fractures to his nose and right cheekbone and severe head injuries which required a pair of surgeries to relieve pressure on the brain. Listed in critical condition, Howe's parents were summoned from Saskatoon, but the big right-winger pulled through, though he was done for the season.

Meanwhile, the Wings pulled together, rallying from 3-2 series disadvantages against the Leafs and the New York Rangers in the final to win the Stanley Cup, taking both Game 7 decisions on overtime goals - by Leo Reise in the semifinal and Babando in the final.

As the Olympia crowd chanted his name, Howe, in street clothes, joined the on-ice celebration, while Ivan marveled at the determination of his squad.

"They seemed to perk up when they were down," he said.



Wings Wing 4th Stanley Cup

The near-tragic loss of Gordie Howe in the first game of the playoffs could have easily subdued the Wings, but they persevered through this and several other challenges to earn their first Stanley Cup since 1942-43.

Detroit trailed arch-rival Toronto 3-2 in the semifinal, but rallied, winning Game 7 1-0 on defensemen Leo Reise's second overtime goal of the series.

"I never saw a team come back like this one did after Gordie Howe was hurt and we seemed like we were out of the series," Detroit coach Tommy Ivan said.

The New York Rangers got the jump on Detroit in the final, also grabbing a 3-2 series edge. Again Detroit rejuvenated and Pete Babando's goal after 28:21 of OT in Game 7 gave the Wings a 4-3 verdict and the title. "This is one of the great all-time hockey teams," proclaimed GM Jack Adams. "They still won the Cup, even with Gordie Howe out of the lineup. That's like taking a .400 hitter out of the World Series."



"Terrible Ted" wins Art Ross Trophy

Left-winger Ted Lindsay nearly turned an astonishing hockey double when he won the Art Ross Trophy as Detroit's first NHL scoring champion. Lindsay set club records with 55 assists and 141 penalty minutes. His 78-point total earned him the scoring title ahead of Production Line mates Sid Abel (69) and Gordie Howe (68), the only time in NHL history three members of a Stanley Cup-winning team finished 1-2-3 in regular-season scoring.

Lindsay also finished three minutes behind Toronto's Bill Ezinicki for the penalty-minute crown. Lindsay did top the NHL penalty parade in 1958-59 and he and fellow Hall of Famer Nels Stewart are the only players to have led the league in scoring and penalty minutes during their careers.



A busy season of moving saw Bill Quackenbush and Pete Horeck dealt to Boston for forwards Pete Durham, Pete Babando, Jim Peters and defenseman Clare Martin, while left-winger Steve Black was purchased from Buffalo of the AHL and Calum Mackay was shipped to Montreal for old Wing Joe Carveth. Rookie goalie Terry Sawchuk turned heads in a seven-game stint filling in for an injured Harry Lumley, recording the first of what would be an NHL-record 103 shutouts, while left wing Johnny Wilson and defenseman Marcel Pronovost came up from the minors during the playoffs to impact on Detroit's Cup run.



Fewest Road Victoriesin one Season
1980 - 81 (3)
1976 - 77 (4)



Doug McKay's only NHL game saw him play one shift for Detroit in Game 3 of the 1949-50 Stanley Cup finals against the New York Rangers. He's the only player to make his lone NHL appearance in the finals for a Stanley Cup champion.

1949-50 Final
Bumped from Madison Square Garden by the circus, the New York Rangers opted to play games two and three in Toronto.
Gordie Howe failed to appear for Detroit in this series as a result of a serious head injury sustained in the first game of the playoffs. After sliding head first into the boards, Howe required surgery to repair a fractured nose and check-bone. Despite the seriousness of the injury, he resumed his career the following season.
Even without Howe, Detroit managed to capture the Cup in seven games, but without a fight. New York battled Detroit to a 3-3 tie at the end of regulation in game seven which the Red Wings’ Pete Pete Babando ultimately ended at the 28:31 mark of overtime. Babando’s goal was the first sudden-death tally ever scored in the seventh games of a final series.
New York’s Don Raleigh set a record that would remain unmatched until 1993 when he scored two overtime goals in one Stanley Cup Final series.

Semifinals