3,000 victories

Dave Bartkowiak Jr., Digital Managing Editor

Published: December 1, 2021 at 1:23 PM

The Detroit Red Wings earned the franchise’s 3,000th victory on Tuesday night with a 2-1 win at Boston.

A moment of silence

Yes, the Red Wings played in Boston on Tuesday. But what happened back home earlier in the day in Michigan was at the top of their minds, as it was for all of us here. Four students were killed and seven other people were injured in a shooting at Oxford High School at about 12:51 p.m.

“On behalf of the whole organization and the guys in our room, I send my heartfelt condolences to the community of Oxford, Michigan ... it was an unspeakable tragedy what happened today,” said Dylan Larkin after the game. “It hit us hard, it hit the guys in the room hard. We’re thinking about the victims and the entire community. We’re here to support and we just feel awful about the tragedy that happened today. Our thoughts are with Oxford, Michigan tonight.”

Coach Jeff Blashill was clearly emotional when he addressed the tragedy:

“I just want to send out my prayers to the families that were affected today in Oxford. It’s a terrible, terrible thing. It just shouldn’t happen. Nothing I say certainly can do anything to help those that suffer the tragedy, that lost their lives. I think it’s insane that this is somewhat normal, and it just shouldn’t happen. My heart goes out to certainly everybody involved, everybody at the school, the community. It’s gotta stop,” Blashill said.

ClickOnDetroit is covering the tragedy with the latest here: Oxford High School shooting full coverage

How 3,000 franchise victories ranks

As you can probably guess, 3,000 franchise victories puts the Red Wings right up there in the all-time standings. Of course it’s the Original Six teams all in those top six spots.

The Red Wings are right behind the Toronto Maple Leafs who have 3,016 wins as of this writing. But Detroit has a better winning percentage and has played about 200 games less than Toronto (ha!):

A couple of those teams in the top 12 listed here are kind of surprising -- Buffalo stands out for sure. You can view the full list here.

More: Red Wings statistics page 🔢

Atlantic Division standings

First game against Kraken 🦑

We’re watching the Red Wings go through these peaks and valleys this season. It’s a rollercoaster, for sure, and it seems they can change period to period. You have to appreciate the effort on most nights, though. I think that’s a huge win on the road in Boston for this squad. Keep it up. Keep grinding it out.

Game recap: Red Wings beat Bruins 2-1 for franchise’s 3,000th victory

Is this a playoff team? I am not sure, but right now they are definitely a wild card each night. If Steve Yzerman thinks this is a playoff team, what happens at the trade deadline? There will be some decisions to be made.

Next up is Detroit’s very first game against the Seattle Kraken franchise Wednesday night.

Note: Joe Veleno has missed the last two contests with an upper-body injury, and it is uncertain if he will suit up for Wednesday’s matchup with the Kraken.