July 19, 1954
Nineteen-year-old Elvis Presley released his first record on the Sun Record label with "That's All Right Mama".

January 19, 1955
President Dwight D. Eisenhower held the first televised Presidential news conference.

May 18, 1955
The Warsaw Pact, militarily unifying the Eastern Bloc of nations - Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania - was signed to abstain from the use of force in resolving international issues.



Most Goals - Gordie Howe: 29
Most Assists - Earl Reibel: 41
Most Points - Earl Reibel: 66
Most Penalty Minutes - Tony Leswick: 137
Most Wins, Goaltender - Terry Sawchuk: 40
Lowest Goals-Against Average - Terry Sawchuk: 1.94
Most Shutouts - Terry Sawchuk: 12
NHL Award Winners
Terry Sawchuk: Vezina Trophy
Red Kelly: 1st Team All-Star
Terry Sawchuk: & Bob Goldham: 2nd Team All-Stars

Central Division	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA
DETROIT	42	17	11	95	204	134
Montreal	41	18	11	93	228	157
Toronto	24	24	22	70	147	135
Boston	23	26	21	67	169	188
New York	17	35	18	52	150	210
Chicago	13	40	17	43	161	235

Playoff Results
Defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Series "A" (4-0)
Defeated the Montreal Canadiens in Series "C" (4-3)
Leading Playoff Scorers
Gordie Howe (20PTS) - Ted Lindsay (19PTS)
Stanley Cup Champion
Detroit Red Wings



The Red Wings were welcomed to training camp by a new face. Jimmy Skinner assumed the coaching position when Tommy Ivan left to become GM of the Chicago Blackhawks.

He was new to the NHL, but Skinner knew his personnel. "We should win it all again," he announced. "We've got the best players, haven't we?" After battling to a 2-2 tie with the NHL All-Stars, Detroit opened the campaign 5-1, but then went 4-5-1 in the next 10 games.

To say the Wings struggled this season would be untrue, but things clearly weren't coming together as easily as in past years. Gordie Howe relinquished his four-year hold on the NHL scoring crown, finishing second on the team in scoring with 62 points, four fewer than teammate Earl (Dutch) Reibel. Howe endured one of the worst slumps of his career, scoring just four goals in a 17-game span.

Meanwhile, Ted Lindsay sat out a 10-day suspension after striking a Toronto fan with his stick and slumped to 38 points, his lowest totals since 1945-46.

Goalie Terry Sawchuk was stellar, winning the Vezina Trophy and earning an NHL Second Team All-Star berth along with defenseman Bob Goldham. Defenseman Red Kelly was Detroit's lone First Team selection.

Detroit trailed Montreal for first place most of the season, but Skinner never lost faith. "This team of ours can win anytime it wants to," he said. "It's all in their minds."

A 5-0 home-ice loss Dec. 19 to the Canadiens was symbolic, because it marked the last time Detroit would taste defeat on home ice the rest of the season. Closing out the regular season 13-0-5 at the Olympia, they tied the team record for the longest home unbeaten streak, then went 5-0 at home in the playoffs. A club-record nine-game winning streak to conclude the regular campaign left Detroit in first for the seventh straight season, but not before surviving a scary situation.

Canadiens star Rocket Richard was suspended for the rest of the season after assaulting an official and the first game following the suspension saw the Wings visit Montreal on March 17.

With Detroit up 4-1, fans rioted during the first intermission and the game was forfeited to Detroit.

The infamous Richard Riot spilled into the streets, but it was all news to the Wings, who were ushered out a back exit and hurriedly taken to the train station.

"We missed the whole thing," defenseman Marcel Pronovost said. "We didn't know about the riot until the next day."

The Wings swept Toronto in the semifinal, then edged Montreal in a seven-game final to retain the Cup and prove Skinner prophetic.



Wings Win Seventh Cup

The Red Wings posted a perfect home slate in defending their Stanley Cup crown, sweeping Toronto in the semifinals, then taking Montreal in a seven-game final by winning all four games on Olympia ice.

They also established several post-season benchmarks. During a 7-1 rout of the Habs in Game 2, Ted Lindsay collected club records with four goals in the game and four points in one period. Gordie Howe posted his first Stanley Cup hat trick in Game 5 of the final and the line of Lindsay, Howe and Earl (Dutch) Reibel established a Detroit mark by combining for 51 post-season points. Howe's 20 points were a new Stanley Cup record and Lindsay's 12 assists tied the mark set by Montreal's Elmer Lach in the 1945-46 playoffs.

Combined with their nine-game win streak to conclude the regular season, Detroit won 15 consecutive games before succumbing 4-2 at Montreal in Game 3 of the finals.



Rookie coach wins the Cup

Few first-year NHL coaches can boast of the success that Jimmy Skinner enjoyed with the 1954-55 Red Wings.

Arriving from Hamilton of the Ontario Hockey Association without any pro coaching experience or NHL playing time, Skinner fell into a difficult position. The Wings were a complacent club who had won the Stanley Cup the spring before and trailed Montreal for first place for much of the season, until closing the campaign with a nine-game winning streak to nip the Habs for top spot.

Skinner showed he wasn't going to take any guff when, during a brawl with Montreal, he exchanged punches with Canadiens captain Butch Bouchard. Later in the season, he told off NHL president Clarence Campbell when Campbell approached the Detroit bench during a game to complain about the players using foul language.

Detroit jelled in the playoffs and after retaining the Cup, the rookie bench boss declined to accept the credit.

"It scares me to think of all the mistakes I made, right up to the end," Skinner said. "I've been plain lucky."



The biggest change in Detroit was behind the bench. Tommy Ivan left to become GM in Chicago and Jimmy Skinner was promoted from Detroit's Hamilton junior affiliate. On-ice changes were few. Center Metro Prystai was dealt November 9 to Chicago for right-winger Lorne Davis, while rookie defenseman Larry Hillman was recalled from the minors in time to play three playoff games and get his name on the Stanley Cup.



Calder Trophy Winners
Carl Voss 1932 - 33
Jim McFadden 1947 - 48
Terry Sawchuk 1950 - 51
Glenn Hall 1955 - 56
Roger Crozier 1964 – 65



Besides being linemates, Detroit's Glen Skov and Marty Pavelich both had brothers who worked in striped shirts. Art Skov was an NHL referee and Matt Pavelich was an NHL linesman who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974.

1954-55 Final
On March 17, Maurice Richard had been suspended for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs for punching a linesman. The high scoring right winger’s absence was sorely felt by the Canadiens.
In game two of the Final, Detroit’s Ted Lindsay scored four tomes to set a modern record for goals in a championship game, and the Red Wings won their 15th consecutive contest (including the regular season) to establish another NHL record. Lindsay then tallied one assist, his last of the series, in game four to tie Elmer Lach’s record of 12 playoff assists set in 1946.
Gordie Howe set two records in the series. He amassed 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in the Final to establish a new mark, and snapped Toe Blake’s overall playoff record with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 11 games.
For the first time in a best-of-seven final, the home team won all seven games.

Semifinal

Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score
Mar. 22	Toronto	4	Detroit	7
Mar. 24	Toronto	1	Detroit	2
Mar. 26	Detroit	2	Toronto	1
Mar. 29	Detroit	3	Toronto	0

Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score
Apr. 3	Montreal	2	Detroit	4
Apr. 5	Montreal	1	Detroit	7
Apr. 7	Detroit	2	Montreal	4
Apr. 9	Detroit	3	Montreal	5
Apr. 10	Montreal	1	Detroit	5
Apr. 12	Detroit	3	Montreal	6
Apr. 14	Montreal	1	Detroit	3

Stanley Cup Roster
#	Name
1	Terry Sawchuk
4	Red Kelly
2	Bob Goldham
3	Marcel Pronovost
5	Benny Woit
18	Jim Hay
15	Larry Hillman
7	Ted Lindsay "C"
8	Tony Leswick
9	Gordie Howe
10	Alex Delvecchio
11	Marty Pavelich
12	Glen Skov
14	Dutch Reibel
16	Johnny Wilson
17	Bill Dineen
19	Vic Stasiuk
20	Marcel Bonin
	Jack Adams (Manager)
	Jimmy Skinner (Coach)