1985–86 Detroit Red Wings season
The 1985–86 season was the team's 60th season, their 54th season as the Red Wings. This was the first of two seasons in which Red Wings games would air in the Detroit area on then-independent WXON-TV channel 20 before returning to WKBD channel 50 for the 1987–88 season after the two-year break. It was also the first of 11 seasons with former NBC sportscaster Dave Strader as the Red Wings' television play-by-play announcer, joining him as color commentator and analyst was former Red Wings right wing man Mickey Redmond. Also, the Red Wings played their first game with Hall of Famer Brad Park as their head coach on December 31, 1985. This was Park's only season as a head coach in the NHL, replacing current Buffalo Sabres radio and television color analyst Harry Neale, who was fired after 35 games. Park had retired as a player during the previous season. The Red Wings finished dead last in the Norris Division, the Clarence Campbell Conference, and in the entire National Hockey League with a record of 17 wins, 57 losses and 6 ties, failing to make the playoffs with only 40 points. It is the worst record in franchise history; the Red Wings finished the season with the fewest goals scored of all NHL teams, the most goals against, and the most penalty minutes.
Offseason
Regular season
Final standings
Schedule and results
Playoffs
Player statistics
Regular season
;Scoring| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/− | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| LW | 76 | 38 | 32 | 70 | 18 | −30 | 15 | 1 | 2 | |
| C | 76 | 21 | 48 | 69 | 85 | −21 | 7 | 3 | 0 | |
| D | 67 | 19 | 41 | 60 | 109 | −36 | 11 | 0 | 0 | |
| W | 74 | 32 | 24 | 56 | 16 | −39 | 8 | 0 | 4 | |
| C/RW | 67 | 19 | 29 | 48 | 26 | −30 | 8 | 0 | 2 | |
| C | 79 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 161 | −34 | 9 | 0 | 1 | |
| C | 51 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 16 | −24 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| LW | 52 | 20 | 19 | 39 | 106 | −10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
| D | 62 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 84 | −14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 48 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 142 | −27 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| RW | 59 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 21 | −8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| LW | 44 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 186 | −14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 38 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 10 | −24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| RW | 55 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 48 | −13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| D | 78 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 196 | −54 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| RW | 57 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 102 | −19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| RW | 59 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 377 | −24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 65 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 125 | −29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 37 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 26 | −23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 29 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 16 | −8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 13 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 16 | −6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| C | 21 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 11 | −8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 35 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 75 | −7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| RW | 34 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 130 | −11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | −1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 13 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | −9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 29 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 82 | −18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 23 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| RW | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | −12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| G | 37 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| LW/C | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| RW | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | −4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| G | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| RW | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | −3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | −10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | −7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| G | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| LW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | −4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| D | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | −6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| G | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
;Goaltending
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| 2068 | 37 | 10 | 20 | 5 | 155 | 4.50 | 1 | 1080 | 925 | .856 | |
| 1383 | 28 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 114 | 4.95 | 1 | 742 | 628 | .846 | |
| 788 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 83 | 6.32 | 0 | 453 | 370 | .817 | |
| 565 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 52 | 5.52 | 0 | 342 | 290 | .848 | |
| 40 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4.50 | 0 | 12 | 9 | .750 | |
| Team: | 4844 | 80 | 17 | 57 | 6 | 407 | 5.04 | 2 | 2629 | 2222 | .845 |
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;
Awards and records
Transactions
Roster
Draft picks
Detroit's draft picks at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario.| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
| 1 | 8 | Brent Fedyk | Regina Pats | |
| 2 | 29 | Jeff Sharples | Kelowna Wings | |
| 3 | 50 | Steve Chiasson | Guelph Platers | |
| 4 | 71 | Mark Gowans | Windsor Compuware Spitfires | |
| 5 | 92 | Chris Luongo | St. Clair Shores Falcons | |
| 6 | 113 | Randy McKay | Michigan Technological University | |
| 7 | 134 | Thomas Bjuhr | AIK IF | |
| 8 | 155 | Mike Luckraft | Burnsville High School | |
| 9 | 176 | Rob Schena | St. John's School | |
| 10 | 197 | Erik Hamalainen | Lukko | |
| 11 | 218 | Bo Svanberg | Farjestad BK | |
| 12 | 239 | Mikael Lindman | AIK IF |