# 1990–91 Detroit Red Wings season

The 1990–91 Detroit Red Wings season saw the team return to the playoffs after missing the previous season, despite winning only thirty-four games. Until the 2016–17 season, this was the Red Wings' last losing season, who were to set a National Hockey League record for the most consecutive winning seasons during the following two decades.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Norris Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 80 | 49 | 23 | 8 | 284 | 211 | 106 |
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 47 | 22 | 11 | 310 | 250 | 105 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 273 | 298 | 76 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 27 | 39 | 14 | 256 | 266 | 68 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 23 | 46 | 11 | 241 | 318 | 57 |
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Campbell Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p – Chicago Blackhawks | NRS | 80 | 49 | 23 | 8 | 284 | 211 | 106 |
| 2 | St. Louis Blues | NRS | 80 | 47 | 22 | 11 | 310 | 250 | 105 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Kings | SMY | 80 | 46 | 24 | 10 | 340 | 254 | 102 |
| 4 | Calgary Flames | SMY | 80 | 46 | 26 | 8 | 344 | 263 | 100 |
| 5 | Edmonton Oilers | SMY | 80 | 37 | 37 | 6 | 272 | 272 | 80 |
| 6 | Detroit Red Wings | NRS | 80 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 273 | 298 | 76 |
| 7 | Minnesota North Stars | NRS | 80 | 27 | 39 | 14 | 256 | 266 | 68 |
| 8 | Vancouver Canucks | SMY | 80 | 28 | 43 | 9 | 243 | 315 | 65 |
| 9 | Winnipeg Jets | SMY | 80 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 260 | 288 | 63 |
| 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NRS | 80 | 23 | 46 | 11 | 241 | 318 | 57 |
Divisions: NRS – Norris, SMY – Smythe
bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | T | October 4, 1990 | 3–3 OT | @ New Jersey Devils (1990–91) | 0–0–1 |
| 2 | L | October 6, 1990 | 4–6 | @ Washington Capitals (1990–91) | 0–1–1 |
| 3 | L | October 7, 1990 | 2–7 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) | 0–2–1 |
| 4 | W | October 10, 1990 | 6–5 OT | Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 1–2–1 |
| 5 | W | October 12, 1990 | 4–2 | Hartford Whalers (1990–91) | 2–2–1 |
| 6 | T | October 13, 1990 | 3–3 OT | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 2–2–2 |
| 7 | W | October 16, 1990 | 3–2 | Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 3–2–2 |
| 8 | W | October 18, 1990 | 5–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) | 4–2–2 |
| 9 | L | October 20, 1990 | 3–5 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) | 4–3–2 |
| 10 | W | October 23, 1990 | 6–0 | Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 5–3–2 |
| 11 | W | October 26, 1990 | 8–6 | Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 6–3–2 |
| 12 | T | October 27, 1990 | 2–2 OT | @ Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 6–3–3 |
| 13 | L | October 30, 1990 | 2–5 | St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 6–4–3 |
| 14 | W | November 1, 1990 | 5–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 7–4–3 |
| 15 | L | November 3, 1990 | 2–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) | 7–5–3 |
| 16 | L | November 6, 1990 | 3–6 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 7–6–3 |
| 17 | L | November 8, 1990 | 1–5 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1990–91) | 7–7–3 |
| 18 | L | November 10, 1990 | 1–6 | @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 7–8–3 |
| 19 | L | November 14, 1990 | 2–3 | Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 7–9–3 |
| 20 | W | November 17, 1990 | 8–4 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 8–9–3 |
| 21 | L | November 19, 1990 | 2–3 OT | Washington Capitals (1990–91) | 8–10–3 |
| 22 | W | November 21, 1990 | 4–3 | Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 9–10–3 |
| 23 | W | November 23, 1990 | 5–3 | St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 10–10–3 |
| 24 | W | November 27, 1990 | 4–3 | Los Angeles Kings (1990–91) | 11–10–3 |
| 25 | W | November 29, 1990 | 5–1 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 12–10–3 |
| 26 | W | December 1, 1990 | 4–3 | Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 13–10–3 |
| 27 | T | December 2, 1990 | 3–3 OT | @ Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) | 13–10–4 |
| 28 | L | December 4, 1990 | 4–5 OT | Boston Bruins (1990–91) | 13–11–4 |
| 29 | L | December 7, 1990 | 3–6 | St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 13–12–4 |
| 30 | L | December 8, 1990 | 1–2 | @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 13–13–4 |
| 31 | W | December 11, 1990 | 8–3 | Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) | 14–13–4 |
| 32 | W | December 13, 1990 | 5–2 | Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) | 15–13–4 |
| 33 | W | December 15, 1990 | 3–1 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) | 16–13–4 |
| 34 | L | December 16, 1990 | 1–4 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) | 16–14–4 |
| 35 | W | December 18, 1990 | 3–1 | Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) | 17–14–4 |
| 36 | W | December 20, 1990 | 3–1 | Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 18–14–4 |
| 37 | W | December 22, 1990 | 5–2 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 19–14–4 |
| 38 | L | December 23, 1990 | 2–3 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 19–15–4 |
| 39 | L | December 28, 1990 | 0–5 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) | 19–16–4 |
| 40 | L | December 31, 1990 | 0–4 | Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 19–17–4 |
| 41 | W | January 2, 1991 | 6–2 | Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 20–17–4 |
| 42 | L | January 4, 1991 | 2–3 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 20–18–4 |
| 43 | L | January 5, 1991 | 0–7 | @ Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 20–19–4 |
| 44 | W | January 9, 1991 | 5–3 | Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 21–19–4 |
| 45 | W | January 11, 1991 | 6–3 | New York Rangers (1990–91) | 22–19–4 |
| 46 | T | January 12, 1991 | 2–2 OT | @ New York Islanders (1990–91) | 22–19–5 |
| 47 | L | January 14, 1991 | 1–6 | @ Boston Bruins (1990–91) | 22–20–5 |
| 48 | L | January 16, 1991 | 3–5 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) | 22–21–5 |
| 49 | L | January 22, 1991 | 1–2 OT | Washington Capitals (1990–91) | 22–22–5 |
| 50 | L | January 25, 1991 | 4–9 | St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 22–23–5 |
| 51 | L | January 26, 1991 | 4–5 OT | @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 22–24–5 |
| 52 | L | January 28, 1991 | 2–6 | New Jersey Devils (1990–91) | 22–25–5 |
| 53 | L | January 30, 1991 | 2–5 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 22–26–5 |
| 54 | W | February 1, 1991 | 4–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 23–26–5 |
| 55 | W | February 2, 1991 | 5–2 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 24–26–5 |
| 56 | L | February 4, 1991 | 4–6 | Los Angeles Kings (1990–91) | 24–27–5 |
| 57 | W | February 8, 1991 | 8–4 | New York Islanders (1990–91) | 25–27–5 |
| 58 | L | February 9, 1991 | 5–6 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 25–28–5 |
| 59 | W | February 12, 1991 | 6–1 | Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 26–28–5 |
| 60 | L | February 13, 1991 | 2–6 | @ Hartford Whalers (1990–91) | 26–29–5 |
| 61 | L | February 16, 1991 | 0–3 | Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 26–30–5 |
| 62 | T | February 17, 1991 | 3–3 OT | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 26–30–6 |
| 63 | T | February 19, 1991 | 4–4 OT | @ Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 26–30–7 |
| 64 | T | February 22, 1991 | 5–5 OT | @ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 26–30–8 |
| 65 | L | February 23, 1991 | 2–5 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 26–31–8 |
| 66 | W | February 25, 1991 | 5–4 OT | Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 27–31–8 |
| 67 | W | February 27, 1991 | 5–3 | Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) | 28–31–8 |
| 68 | L | March 1, 1991 | 1–6 | New Jersey Devils (1990–91) | 28–32–8 |
| 69 | W | March 5, 1991 | 6–3 | Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) | 29–32–8 |
| 70 | W | March 7, 1991 | 2–0 | New York Islanders (1990–91) | 30–32–8 |
| 71 | L | March 9, 1991 | 2–6 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 30–33–8 |
| 72 | W | March 10, 1991 | 4–1 | @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 31–33–8 |
| 73 | W | March 13, 1991 | 4–1 | @ New York Rangers (1990–91) | 32–33–8 |
| 74 | L | March 14, 1991 | 2–4 | @ Hartford Whalers (1990–91) | 32–34–8 |
| 75 | W | March 16, 1991 | 5–3 | @ Boston Bruins (1990–91) | 33–34–8 |
| 76 | L | March 22, 1991 | 1–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 33–35–8 |
| 77 | L | March 23, 1991 | 1–4 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 33–36–8 |
| 78 | L | March 27, 1991 | 4–7 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) | 33–37–8 |
| 79 | W | March 30, 1991 | 6–5 | New York Rangers (1990–91) | 34–37–8 |
| 80 | L | March 31, 1991 | 1–5 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 34–38–8 |

## Playoffs

At 34–38–8, the Red Wings finished third in the Campbell Conference. In the playoffs, they faced the St. Louis Blues, who had finished 47–22–11 (and second in the Campbell Conference). The Red Wings were beaten in the seven-game series, three victories to four.

### Round 1: St. Louis Blues vs. Detroit Red Wings

* St. Louis won series 4–3

## Player statistics
### Regular season
#### Scoring

| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Steve Yzerman | C | 80 | 51 | 57 | 108 | 34 | -2 | 12 | 6 | 4 |
| Sergei Fedorov | C | 77 | 31 | 48 | 79 | 66 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 5 |
| Shawn Burr | LW/C | 80 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 112 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Yves Racine | D | 62 | 7 | 40 | 47 | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Jimmy Carson | C | 64 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Dave Barr | RW | 70 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 55 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Johan Garpenlov | LW | 71 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 18 | -4 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Bob Probert | LW | 55 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 315 | -3 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Brent Fedyk | LW | 67 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 38 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Paul Ysebaert | C | 51 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 16 | -8 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Gerard Gallant | LW | 45 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 111 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Rick Zombo | D | 77 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 55 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Chiasson | D | 42 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 80 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Marc Habscheid | RW/C | 46 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 22 | -10 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Rick Green | D | 65 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keith Primeau | C | 58 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 106 | -12 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brad McCrimmon | D | 64 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 81 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Per Djoos | D | 26 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 16 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Chabot | C | 27 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Lee Norwood | D | 21 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 50 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Kocur | RW | 52 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 253 | -6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Dollas | D | 56 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Randy McKay | RW | 47 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 183 | -15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Miller | C | 11 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | -4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Doug Crossman | D | 17 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 17 | -6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Cheveldae | G | 65 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brad Marsh | D | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Houda | D | 22 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 43 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Shuchuk | RW | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Wilkie | D | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sheldon Kennedy | RW | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Luongo | D | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill McDougall | C | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Shank | RW | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Sillinger | C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Allan Bester | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Bissett | C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alain Chevrier | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Gagnon | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Glen Hanlon | G | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott King | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gord Kruppke | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin McClelland | RW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marc Potvin | RW | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dennis Vial | D/LW | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Tim Cheveldae | 3615 | 65 | 30 | 26 | 5 | 214 | 3.55 | 2 | 1716 | 1502 | .875 |
| Glen Hanlon | 862 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 46 | 3.20 | 0 | 438 | 392 | .895 |
| Allan Bester | 178 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 4.38 | 0 | 99 | 86 | .869 |
| Alain Chevrier | 108 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 6.11 | 0 | 55 | 44 | .800 |
| David Gagnon | 35 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 10.29 | 0 | 28 | 22 | .786 |
| Scott King | 45 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.67 | 0 | 11 | 9 | .818 |
| Team: | 4843 | 80 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 292 | 3.62 | 2 | 2347 | 2055 | .876 |

### Playoffs
#### Scoring

| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Steve Yzerman | C | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sergei Fedorov | C | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kevin Miller | C | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Doug Crossman | D | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Chiasson | D | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Shawn Burr | LW/C | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jimmy Carson | C | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bob Probert | LW | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yves Racine | D | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Brad McCrimmon | D | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keith Primeau | C | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Ysebaert | C | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Dollas | D | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brent Fedyk | LW | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rick Zombo | D | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Johan Garpenlov | LW | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy McKay | RW | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Sillinger | C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Allan Bester | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Cheveldae | G | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Green | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marc Habscheid | RW/C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brad Marsh | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill McDougall | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marc Potvin | RW | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Shuchuk | RW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Tim Cheveldae | 398 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 3.32 | 0 | 208 | 186 | .894 |
| Allan Bester | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3.00 | 0 | 12 | 11 | .917 |
| Team: | 418 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 3.30 | 0 | 220 | 197 | .895 |
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus-minus PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals;  MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA=Shots against; SV=Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

## Draft picks

Detroit's draft picks at the 1990 NHL Entry Draft held at the BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 3 | Keith Primeau | Canada | Niagara Falls Thunder (OHL) |
| 3 | 45 | Vyacheslav Kozlov | Soviet Union | Khimik Voskresenki (USSR) |
| 4 | 66 | Stewart Malgunas | Canada | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) |
| 5 | 87 | Tony Burns | United States | Duluth-Denfeld High School (USHS-MN) |
| 6 | 108 | Claude Barthe | Canada | Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) |
| 7 | 129 | Jason York | Canada | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) |
| 8 | 150 | Wes McCauley | Canada | Michigan State University (CCHA) |
| 9 | 171 | Tony Gruba | United States | Hill-Murray School (USHS-MN) |
| 10 | 192 | Travis Tucker | United States | Avon Old Farms (USHS-CT) |
| 11 | 213 | Brett Larson | United States | Duluth-Denfeld High School (USHS-MN) |
| 12 | 234 | John Hendry | Canada | Lake Superior State University (CCHA) |
| S | 3 | Mike Casselman | Canada | Clarkson University (ECAC) |
| S | 8 | Donny Oliver | Canada | Ohio State University (CCHA) |