A dozen years have passed since the Detroit Red Wings hoisted their 11th Stanley Cup in franchise history on June 4, 2008. While a rebuild has been underway for several years, history shows just how hard it is to finish the season with a championship party.
When Mike and Marian Ilitch bought the Wings in 1982, it had been 27 years since the franchise had won the Cup. A year later, Steve Yzerman arrived, selected fourth overall in a draft that also brought in Bob Probert, Petr Klima and Joe Kocur.
By the mid-1980s, the Wings seemed to be on the right track, with appearances in the Western Conference finals in 1987 and 1988.