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Detroit Red Wings
Overall: 14
Title track: 12
Ownership: 3
Coaching: T57
Players: 16
Fan relations: 8
Affordability: 37
Stadium experience: 89
Bang for the buck: 38
Change from last year: +6
The Red Wings have long been the gold standard for NHL franchises, in large part because of owner Mike Ilitch, who this year finished as hockey's top owner as well as third-best boss in all of sports. "Not only does [ownership] want to win, they will do everything they can do to win," says Tom Wilson, the CEO and president of Olympia Entertainment, which runs the business side of the Red Wings and Detroit Tigers. "As a fan, if you know the owner wants to win as bad as you do, that creates tremendous loyalty."
What's good
Reflected in their strong fan relations rank, Red Wings management and players are accessible. GM Ken Holland will sit for interviews at just about any time and place, which gives fans consistent insight into his approach to team building. "That sets the tone for the rest of the organization," Wilson says. Each player on the Red Wings has his own community outreach program, and the team schedules unique trips with season-ticket holders that extend beyond the games. Those events include everything from golf outings to a group trip to the zoo. Also, Red Wings players visited 115 schools last year. The organization uses social media effectively: The Red Wings' Facebook page is closing in on 2 million likes, topping even their counterpart in the NFL, the Detroit Lions.
What's bad
There's only one category in which the Red Wings finished in the bottom half of the standings, and it's stadium experience, which ranks 89th. Joe Louis Arena is the third-oldest NHL arena, and fans are already champing at the bit to get into a new building. Construction started earlier this year on the Detroit Events Center, a $450 million arena that will house the Red Wings starting in 2017. As long as that octopus-throwing tradition moves with the fans, stadium experience figures to skyrocket in two years.
What's new
The Red Wings' only significant standings decline came in coaching, which dropped from sixth to tied for 57th. After his contract expired, longtime Red Wings coach Mike Babcock left for a huge pay raise offered by the Maple Leafs. The promotion of the AHL's Jeff Blashill means the Red Wings are going from a coach with a Stanley Cup ring and two Olympic gold medals to one who will be helming his first NHL game. So it's no surprise Blashill, who did win a championship with Detroit's AHL affiliate, will have to work his way up these standings. Says Wilson, "We'll revisit that in a year, and if everything goes as planned, we won't be No. 57 next year."
Next: Chicago Blackhawks | Full rankings