2001 – 02 Detroit Red Wings season The 2001 – 02 Detroit Red Wings season was the 76th National Hockey League season in Detroit , Michigan . The Wings scored 116 points , winning the Central Division , their third Presidents ' Trophy , and home ice throughout the playoffs . After last seasons ' disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Kings , Ken Holland went out into the trade market to address Detroit ' s more glaring needs . He quickly filled them by trading for Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek and signing Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille . These big names joined other future Hall of Fame talents ; Chris Chelios , Sergei Fedorov , Igor Larionov , Nicklas Lidstrom , Brendan Shanahan , Steve Yzerman , along with legendary coach Scotty Bowman , who had decided to return for one more year . The Wings were quickly selected as favorites to win the Stanley Cup and did not disappoint . With so much talent on one team , including the first time three 500 - goal scorers were on the same team , they quickly got off to a great start , winning 22 of their first 27 games . After finishing with 116 points and the best record in the NHL , the Wings had earned the first seed in the Western Conference and met the Vancouver Canucks in the first round . However , Detroit and the rest of the hockey world were shocked when the Canucks quickly won the first two games in Hockeytown . After the loss , team Captain Steve Yzerman gave a closed - door speech to the team . Only the players in the locker room knew what was said , but the Wings headed to Vancouver and won four straight games to take the series . After a quick series against the division rival St . Louis Blues , Detroit met their old nemesis , the second - seeded Colorado Avalanche in the Conference Finals . They battled back and forth during the series , tying the series three times before reaching game seven in Detroit . The Wings came out firing and won the deciding game 7 – 0 . After that the Wings fought the cinderella story Carolina Hurricanes for the Stanley Cup , winning in game five at home . Over a million people showed up for the victory parade in downtown Detroit on June 17 . There was no All - Star game this year as the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City took place in February 2002 where ten Red Wings players represented their countries . Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman represented Canada , Chris Chelios and Brett Hull represented the United States , Dominik Hasek represented the Czech Republic , Sergei Fedorov and Igor Larionov represented Russia , and Nicklas Lidstrom , Fredrik Olausson , and Tomas Holmstrom represented Sweden . The Red Wings sold out all 41 home games in 2001 – 02 as 20 , 058 fans packed Joe Louis Arena for every regular season and playoff game played in Detroit . The season was chronicled by Detroit Free Press sportswriter Nicholas J . Cotsonika ' s 2002 book , " Hockey Gods : The Inside Story of the Red Wings ' Hall of Fame Team " . Regular season . Season standings . " For complete final standings , see 2001 – 02 NHL season " Game log . October . Record : 11 – 2 – 0 – 0 ; Home : 5 – 2 – 0 – 0 ; Road : 6 – 0 – 0 – 0 November . Record : 11 – 1 – 1 – 1 ; Home : 8 – 0 – 1 – 0 ; Road : 3 – 1 – 0 – 1 December . Record : 6 – 5 – 2 – 1 ; Home : 4 – 2 – 1 – 0 ; Road : 2 – 3 – 1 – 1 January . Record : 8 – 2 – 3 – 0 ; Home : 7 – 0 – 1 – 0 ; Road : 1 – 2 – 2 – 0 February . Record : 7 – 1 – 0 – 0 ; Home : 1 – 1 – 0 – 0 ; Road : 6 – 0 – 0 – 0 March . Record : 8 – 3 – 2 – 0 ; Home : 3 – 1 – 1 – 0 ; Road : 5 – 2 – 1 – 0 April . Record : 0 – 3 – 2 – 2 ; Home : 0 – 1 – 1 – 1 ; Road : 0 – 2 – 1 – 1 Playoffs . The Detroit Red Wings ended the 2001 – 02 regular season as the Western Conference ' s first seed and played Vancouver in the first round . After losing the first two games in Detroit , the Wings rallied back to win four straight . Then the Wings made quick work of the Blues before meeting the second - seeded Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals . The Wings would beat the Avalanche in a hard fought seven game series , winning the final game 7 – 0 . As the final game in the series came to a close , the James Taylor song " Carolina in My Mind " was played over the Joe Louis Arena loudspeakers , as the victorious Red Wings prepared to head off to a Stanley Cup clinching series with the third - seeded victors of the Eastern Conference , the Carolina Hurricanes . They won the series in five games , beating the Hurricanes three to one at home in Detroit on June 13 to take home their tenth Stanley Cup . Western Conference Quarter - finals : vs . ( 8 ) Vancouver Canucks . Detroit wins series 4 – 2 Western Conference Semi - finals : vs . ( 4 ) St . Louis Blues . Detroit wins series 4 – 1 Western Conference Finals : vs . ( 2 ) Colorado Avalanche . Detroit wins series 4 – 3 Stanley Cup Finals : vs . ( E3 ) Carolina Hurricanes . Detroit wins series 4 – 1 Player stats . Skaters . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; + / - = Plus / minus ; PIM = Penalty minutes " Goaltending . " Note : GP = Games played ; TOI = Time on ice ( minutes ) ; W = Wins ; L = Losses ; OTL = Overtime losses ; GA = Goals against ; SO = Shutouts ; SV % = Save percentage ; GAA = Goals against average " Transactions . The Red Wings were involved in the following transactions during the 2001 – 02 season . Draft picks . Detroit ' s picks at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft in Sunrise , Florida . The Wings had the 29th overall pick , however traded it to Chicago in 1999 during the deal to acquire Chris Chelios . Farm teams . Cincinnati Mighty Ducks . The Mighty Ducks were Detroit ' s top affiliate in the American Hockey League in 2001 – 02 . Toledo Storm . The Storm were the Red Wings ' ECHL affiliate for the 2001 – 02 season .