Ilitch played minor-league baseball for four years after a stint in the Marines. The Detroit Tigers were added to the family portfolio in 1992, purchased for $85 million from Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan. But we all understand we have to produce to be around for a long time.” “They create a family atmosphere with stability, loyalty and a personal touch. Ilitch are incredibly passionate about Detroit and their teams,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told The Associated Press in a 2010 interview. In that span, the Red Wings won four Stanley Cups (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008) and made two other finals.
The team has not missed the playoffs since the 1990-91 season, a streak of 25 years, although it appears it will come to an end this season. The Ilitches purchased the Detroit Red Wings in 1982 for US$8 million from the Norris family. Ilitch, along with his wife Marian, built an empire and became a billionaire after starting with a single Little Caesars pizza store in the the Detroit suburb of Garden City in 1959.
