Detroit Red Wings -- Best All Time Pro Hockey Franchise

by James Tugg
(Motown)

Pro Hockey is played best in the National Hockey League – the NHL. The league boasts many of the greatest athletes of all time and is a very lucrative business as one of the most popular sports in the world. Many entrepreneurs seek to buy an NHL franchise to take their piece of the pie and it can sometimes be daunting to determine which is the best all time pro hockey franchise.

The Caroline Hurricanes were purchased by Peter Karmanos in 1994. Up until the year 2000 this team had not received much recognition, but it surprised everyone when it competed for the Stanley Cup in 2002 and then won the Cup in 2006. After that, the team never looked back and Peter knew he had made a great decision.

The Pittsburgh Penguins is a top franchise under the ownership of one of the greatest NHL hockey players, Mario Lemieux and his partner Ron Burkle. The two purchased the team1999 and their collaborative effort turned the team into a winning team putting them in a position to be the best all time pro hockey franchise.

Jeffrey Vandermeek bought the New Jersey Devils in 2000 for the handsome amount of $175M. Vandeemeek was a great fan of the NHL at the time and fulfilled his passion when he bought the team. He resigned from the top executive position of Lehman Brothers and became a fulltime team president. Under his management the team was able to snatch the title of two Stanley Cups.. This team is an integral part of NHL and it has a large fan following as well.

But winning the title of the best all time professional hockey franchise is that of the Detroit Red Wings. Mike Ilitch bought this team in 1982 for $8M when it was failing. He pulled them out of a slump and turned the team around. As members of the Central Division of the Western Connferece, the club is one of the Original Six teams of the NHL. The Red Wings have won more Stanley Cup Championships than any other NHL franchise in the United States. Watch them play their home games at the 20,066 seating capacity Joe Louis Arena.