The Detroit Red Wings’ 2026-27 schedule comes with a fitting twist for a franchise turning 100: the celebration lands against the Boston Bruins, the same opponent Detroit saw in its first NHL game back in 1926.
That Centennial Celebration game is set for Wednesday, Nov. 18, when the Red Wings will mark a century of hockey tradition. The original game at Windsor Arena ended in a 2-0 Bruins win.
Detroit’s full 84-game slate also opens with an Original Six matchup. The New York Rangers will be in Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 2 to start the season.
The schedule format gives the Red Wings a steady mix within the division and across the league. Detroit will play 28 games against Atlantic Division opponents, meeting each team four times with two at home and two on the road.
Against the Metropolitan Division, the Red Wings will see every team three times. Four Metro teams will come to LCA twice and host Detroit once, while the other four will visit once and welcome the Wings twice.
Detroit will also play every Western Conference team in a home-and-home set.
A couple of the team’s familiar calendar dates carry extra weight this season. The New Year’s Eve game will feature the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the final game of 2026. On Thanksgiving Eve, the Red Wings will host the Vancouver Canucks, described in the schedule release as the worst team in the NHL during the 2025-26 season, in their only regular-season visit to Detroit.
The early part of the schedule is home-heavy. Detroit has a season-high nine home games in both October and January, and seven of its first eight regular-season games will be played at home.
The longest homestands on the calendar are two separate four-game stretches, running Oct. 2-9 and Nov. 23-29.
On the other side of the ledger, the Red Wings’ longest road trip is a five-game run from Jan. 30 through Feb. 15.
The club will also play 12 back-to-back games over the course of the season.
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