The Red Wings’ 2026-27 calendar comes with a fitting twist: Detroit will mark its 100th birthday against the same opponent it faced in its first NHL game.
On Wednesday, Nov. 18, the Red Wings will host the Boston Bruins in the Centennial Celebration game, a matchup that will honor a century of franchise history. Detroit’s inaugural NHL game came in 1926 at Windsor Arena, and the Bruins won that night, 2-0.
Detroit also opens the new season with an Original Six matchup at Little Caesars Arena. The New York Rangers will visit on Oct. 2 as the Red Wings begin their 84-game schedule.
The rest of the slate is built around the league’s current scheduling format. Detroit will play 28 games against Atlantic Division opponents, with two home games and two road games against each team in the division.
Against the Metropolitan Division, the Red Wings will face every club three times. Four Metro teams will come to LCA twice and host Detroit once, while four others will visit once and host the Red Wings twice.
The Red Wings will also get a home-and-home against all 16 Western Conference teams.
A few of the familiar dates on the calendar stand out. Detroit’s New Year’s Eve game will feature the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, giving the final game of 2026 extra weight. On Thanksgiving Eve, the Red Wings will host the Vancouver Canucks, who were the worst team in the NHL during the 2025-26 season, for Detroit’s other traditional home date.
The schedule also stacks up in bunches. The Red Wings will have a season-high nine home games in October and again in January, and seven of their first eight regular-season games will be played at home.
Detroit’s longest homestand will come in two separate four-game stretches, Oct. 2-9 and Nov. 23-29.
The toughest road trip on the slate is a five-game run from Jan. 30 through Feb. 15.
The team will also play 12 back-to-backs over the course of the season.
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