Sports / Business & brands
James E. Norris
1879–1952 · businessman, Red Wings owner
Grain magnate who bought Detroit's bankrupt NHL club and the Olympia in 1932, renamed the team the Red Wings and presided over five Stanley Cups.
- Born
Montreal, Quebec- Died
Chicago, Illinois
aged 72- Birth name
- James Edgar Norris
- Also known as
- James Norris Sr.
- Detroit years
- 1932–1952
- Field
- Sports, Business & brands
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Norris, a Montreal-born grain and cattle millionaire based in Chicago, had played amateur hockey as a young man and long wanted an NHL team. In 1932 he bought the Detroit Falcons and their arena, the Olympia, which had been placed in receivership during the Depression. He renamed the club the Detroit Red Wings and gave it a winged-wheel logo, a nod to the Motor City and to the Montreal amateur team he had played for, the Winged Wheelers. With Jack Adams running the hockey side and Norris providing money and stability, Detroit won Stanley Cups in 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950 and 1952. He also held interests in the Chicago Black Hawks and the arena that housed the New York Rangers. The NHL's trophy for the best defenseman, the James Norris Memorial Trophy, is named for him. He died in 1952 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.
Highlights
- Bought the Detroit Falcons and the Olympia in 1932
- Renamed the team the Red Wings and introduced the winged-wheel logo
- Stanley Cups in 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950 and 1952
- The Norris Trophy for the NHL's best defenseman bears his name
- Hockey Hall of Fame (builder), 1958
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Related place · 1932–1952
Olympia Stadium
Demolished · 1927–1979
The arena he bought with the team in 1932; closed in 1979 and demolished in the 1980s, the site now holds a National Guard armory.