1970–71 Detroit Red Wings season

National Hockey League team season March 2026 August 2023 NHL 1970–71 1970 Detroit Red Wings East 7th 22–45–11 17–15–7 5–30–4 209 308 Sid Abel (Oct–Jan) Ned Harkness (Jan–Apr) Ned HarknessDoug Barkley Alex Delvecchio Gary BergmanRed Berenson Olympia Stadium Fort Worth Wings (CHL) Tom Webster (30) Tom Webster (37) Tom Webster (67) Gary Bergman (149) Roy Edwards (11) Roy Edwards (3.39) The 1970–71 Detroit Red Wings season was Gordie Howe's final season with the Red Wings. Ned Harkness was hired as coach in 1970 and was promoted to general manager midway through the season. His background was a successful college hockey coach. He tried to force his two-way style of play on a veteran Red Wings team resistant to change. Harkness also demanded short hair, no smoking, and put other rules in place regarding drinking and phone calls.https://vault.si.com/vault/1971/01/18/poor-broken-wings/ https://archive.today/20130102070652/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1084495/2/index.htm dead 2013-01-02 Poor Broken Wings Mulvoy, Mark Mark Mulvoy Sports Illustrated 1971-01-18 2008-06-29 The Red Wings finished in with a 22–45–11 record for 55 points for last place in the East Division and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 1968–69 season, making things even worse was that they finished behind the two expansion clubs that season, the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks. 2 Offseason The Fort Worth Wings of the Central Hockey League, coached by former Red Wings' defenceman Doug Barkley, continued to be operated as Detroit's top farm team during the 1969–70 season.Fischler Stan Fischler Shirley Up From the Minor Leagues of Hockey 1971 https://archive.org/details/upfromminorleagu00fisc registration Chicago, Illinois Cowles Book Company, Inc. 127 Regular season Red Wings general manager Sid Abel wanted to get rid of coach Ned Harkness and was overruled by team owner Bruce Norris. Once Harkness took over as general manager, he got rid of players he deemed a threat to him.January 2014 On January 10, 1971, Doug Barkley was promoted to become head coach of the Red wings,Fischler Stan Fischler Shirley Up From the Minor Leagues of Hockey 1971 https://archive.org/details/upfromminorleagu00fisc registration Chicago, Illinois Cowles Book Company, Inc. 128 and on January 13, 1971, Frank Mahovlich was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Mickey Redmond, Guy Charron and Bill Collins. Mahovlich was reunited with his brother Pete, who had become a star player himself with the Canadiens. One of the few highlights of the season was the emergence of young rookie goaltender Jim Rutherford. On October 29, Gordie Howe became the first player to record 1,000 assists in a 5–3 win over Boston at the Detroit Olympia. The Wings suffered their worst defeat in franchise history January 2, when Toronto beat them 13–0. Season standings DET Record vs. opponents DET Schedule and results background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 5px solid; border-bottom:#CE1126 5px solid; 1970–71 regular season1970-71 Detroit Red Wings Schedule https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/DET/1971_games.html Hockey-Reference.com April 2, 2025 y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#CE1126 2px solid; October Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |1||W||October 10, 1970||5–3 || align="left"| Bay Area Seals (1970–71) ||1–0–0 |- |2||L||October 11, 1970||3–7 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1970–71) ||1–1–0 |- |3||L||October 13, 1970||3–4 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) ||1–2–0 |- |4||L||October 15, 1970||1–2 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) ||1–3–0 |- |5||W||October 17, 1970||3–2 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) ||2–3–0 |- |6||L||October 18, 1970||1–2 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) ||2–4–0 |- |7||L||October 23, 1970||3–4 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) ||2–5–0 |- |8||T||October 25, 1970||3–3 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) ||2–5–1 |- |9||L||October 28, 1970||1–4 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1970–71) ||2–6–1 |- |10||W||October 29, 1970||5–3 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1970–71) ||3–6–1 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#CE1126 2px solid; November Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |11||L||November 1, 1970||4–5 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) ||3–7–1 |- |12||L||November 4, 1970||2–4 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) ||3–8–1 |- |13||W||November 5, 1970||3–1 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) ||4–8–1 |- |14||T||November 8, 1970||3–3 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) ||4–8–2 |- |15||L||November 12, 1970||1–2 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1970–71) ||4–9–2 |- |16||T||November 15, 1970||4–4 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) ||4–9–3 |- |17||W||November 17, 1970||5–2 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) ||5–9–3 |- |18||L||November 21, 1970||1–6 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) ||5–10–3 |- |19||W||November 22, 1970||4–2 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) ||6–10–3 |- |20||W||November 26, 1970||4–2 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) ||7–10–3 |- |21||L||November 28, 1970||4–9 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) ||7–11–3 |- |22||W||November 29, 1970||5–3 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) ||8–11–3 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#CE1126 2px solid; December Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |23||T||December 3, 1970||4–4 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) ||8–11–4 |- |24||L||December 5, 1970||0–3 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1970–71) ||8–12–4 |- |25||L||December 6, 1970||2–4 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1970–71) ||8–13–4 |- |26||W||December 10, 1970||3–1 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) ||9–13–4 |- |27||W||December 12, 1970||5–3 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) ||10–13–4 |- |28||L||December 13, 1970||2–6 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1970–71) ||10–14–4 |- |29||L||December 16, 1970||2–4 || align="left"| @ California Golden Seals (1970–71) ||10–15–4 |- |30||L||December 19, 1970||1–9 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) ||10–16–4 |- |31||L||December 20, 1970||3–7 || align="left"| California Golden Seals (1970–71) ||10–17–4 |- |32||L||December 23, 1970||1–2 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1970–71) ||10–18–4 |- |33||W||December 26, 1970||7–4 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1970–71) ||11–18–4 |- |34||L||December 27, 1970||2–5 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) ||11–19–4 |- |35||L||December 31, 1970||3–8 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) ||11–20–4 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#CE1126 2px solid; January Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |36||L||January 2, 1971||0–13 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) ||11–21–4 |- |37||W||January 3, 1971||3–2 || align="left"| California Golden Seals (1970–71) ||12–21–4 |- |38||L||January 7, 1971||4–7 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) ||12–22–4 |- |39||W||January 9, 1971||3–2 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) ||13–22–4 |- |40||L||January 10, 1971||2–3 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) ||13–23–4 |- |41||T||January 14, 1971||2–2 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) ||13–23–5 |- |42||L||January 16, 1971||2–4 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) ||13–24–5 |- |43||L||January 17, 1971||0–2 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) ||13–25–5 |- |44||L||January 21, 1971||0–2 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) ||13–26–5 |- |45||L||January 23, 1971||2–6 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) ||13–27–5 |- |46||W||January 24, 1971||7–3 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) ||14–27–5 |- |47||T||January 28, 1971||1–1 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1970–71) ||14–27–6 |- |48||T||January 30, 1971||3–3 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) ||14–27–7 |- |49||L||January 31, 1971||1–3 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) ||14–28–7 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#CE1126 2px solid; February Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |50||T||February 3, 1971||4–4 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) ||14–28–8 |- |51||L||February 4, 1971||0–1 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1970–71) ||14–29–8 |- |52||W||February 7, 1971||5–2 || align="left"| @ California Golden Seals (1970–71) ||15–29–8 |- |53||L||February 10, 1971||2–5 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) ||15–30–8 |- |54||L||February 12, 1971||3–5 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) ||15–31–8 |- |55||W||February 14, 1971||4–0 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) ||16–31–8 |- |56||W||February 18, 1971||5–3 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) ||17–31–8 |- |57||W||February 20, 1971||6–5 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) ||18–31–8 |- |58||L||February 21, 1971||1–4 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1970–71) ||18–32–8 |- |59||L||February 25, 1971||1–3 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1970–71) ||18–33–8 |- |60||L||February 27, 1971||2–4 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) ||18–34–8 |- |61||W||February 28, 1971||4–2 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) ||19–34–8 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#CE1126 2px solid; March Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |62||T||March 4, 1971||2–2 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) ||19–34–9 |- |63||T||March 6, 1971||2–2 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1970–71) ||19–34–10 |- |64||L||March 7, 1971||1–4 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) ||19–35–10 |- |65||L||March 11, 1971||3–7 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) ||19–36–10 |- |66||L||March 13, 1971||2–5 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) ||19–37–10 |- |67||W||March 14, 1971||8–5 || align="left"| @ California Golden Seals (1970–71) ||20–37–10 |- |68||L||March 16, 1971||4–11 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1970–71) ||20–38–10 |- |69||L||March 18, 1971||3–7 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1970–71) ||20–39–10 |- |70||L||March 20, 1971||1–2 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1970–71) ||20–40–10 |- |71||L||March 21, 1971||0–2 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) ||20–41–10 |- |72||L||March 24, 1971||2–8 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) ||20–42–10 |- |73||W||March 25, 1971||4–3 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) ||21–42–10 |- |74||L||March 27, 1971||2–9 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) ||21–43–10 |- |75||W||March 28, 1971||2–1 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) ||22–43–10 |- |76||T||March 31, 1971||2–2 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) ||22–43–11 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#CE1126 2px solid; border-bottom:#CE1126 2px solid; April Game Result Date Score Opponent Record |- |77||L||April 3, 1971||1–4 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) ||22–44–11 |- |78||L||April 4, 1971||0–6 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1970–71) ||22–45–11 |- |- | Legend: #cfc Win (2 points) 1px solid black #fcc Loss (0 points) 1px solid black #ffc Tie (1 point) 1px solid black Player statistics Forwards Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes Player GP G A Pts PIM Tom Webster 78 30 37 67 40 Alex Delvecchio 77 21 34 55 6 Gordie Howe 63 23 29 52 38 Frank Mahovlich 35 14 18 32 30 Nick Libett78 16 13 29 25 Garry Unger 51 13 14 27 63 Bruce MacGregor 47 6 16 22 18 Wayne Connelly 51 8 13 21 12 Bill Collins 36 5 16 21 12 Red Berenson 24 5 12 17 4 Rene LeClerc 44 8 8 16 43 Mickey Redmond 21 6 8 14 7 Tim Ecclestone 27 4 10 14 13 Don Luce 58 3 11 14 18 Guy Charron 24 8 4 12 4http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000341971.html Detroit Red Wings 1970-71 roster and statistics www.hockeydb.com December 9, 2022 Defensemen Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes Player GP G A Pts PIM Gary Bergman 68 8 25 33 149 Mike Robitaille 23 4 8 12 22 Dale Rolfe 44 3 9 12 48 Ron Harris 42 2 8 10 65 Gerry Hart 64 2 7 9 148 Arnie Brown Goaltending Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average Player GP MIN W L T SO GA GAA Roy Edwards 37 2104 11 19 7 0 119 3.39 Gerry Gray 7 380 1 4 1 0 30 4.74 Don McLeod 14 698 3 7 0 0 60 5.16 Jim Rutherford 29 1948 7 15 3 1 94 3.77 Draft picks Detroit's draft picks at the 1970 NHL amateur draft held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)112 Serge Lajeunesse Canada Montreal Junior Canadiens (OHA)226 Robert Guindon Canada Montreal Junior Canadiens (OHA)340 Yvon Lambert Canada Drummondville Rangers (QMJHL)454 Tom Johnston Canada Toronto Marlboros (OHA)568 Tom Mellor United States Boston College (ECAC)682 Bernie MacNeil Canada Espanola Eagles (NOJHL)795 Ed Hays Canada University of Denver (WCHA) References Red Wings on Hockey Database Detroit Category:Detroit Red Wings seasons Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings Category:1970 in Detroit Category:1971 in Detroit