from Ethan Sears of DetroitRedWings.com,

Twenty-five years ago last Saturday - October 9, 1996 - the Detroit Red Wings officially launched their Hockeytown campaign.

In the run-up to that day, the Red Wings had alerted media by sending a package with five items, all of them with the phrase "Hockeytown" superimposed over the Winged Wheel logo. The Red Wings started that season on the road, and beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-3, on Oct. 9 to move to 2-1 on that season.

But at their home opener four days later, the Red Wings officially kicked off the Hockeytown campaign with a 9-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

You probably know much of the history from there: Four Stanley Cup titles, an unprecedented playoff streak and a fan base that has lived up to the Hockeytown moniker in every way.

Starting with the run-up to the campaign, here are 25 top moments of the Hockeytown era, in chronological order:

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