How Times Change: The Last Time the Red Wings Didn’t Make the Playoffs….

The last time the Detroit Red Wings didn't qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoff, its was the 1980-90 season. Here's what was going on around here in 1990.The KFR Morning Show was led by John Dial in the Morning. Phil Britain did middays, Some guy named Benson did afternoons. The Bonehead, Jerry Balletta did night, was followed by Andy Miller and "The Fox on the Box that Rocks, Kim Brixton".

The hot bars were Wayside (which just closed a few years ago) and Bourbon Street was building a major following. KFR celebrated New Years' 1990 down on Sprinkle Road, at a place south of Wings Stadium named Top of the Rock. It now houses the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Kalamazoo.

Google Street View

In Kalamazoo, Fetzer Cable was transitioning to Cablevision and carried Ch. 50 from Detroit, which carried the Red Wings.

The top TV shows were The Cosby Show, Roseanne, Cheers, A Different Word and one of the first "reality shows", America's Funniest Home Videos.

Canadian Alannah Myles had the No. 1 song in the country with Black Velvet.

(Alannah Myles VEVO via YouTube)

Bobby Hopewell was in his mid-20's and was thirteen years away from being elected to the City Commission. The Mayor was Ed Annen, Jr.

Wings Stadium was still a major concert venue at the time, as was Kellogg Arena (where we saw a young Richard Marx put on a great show while fighting the flu, opening for REO Speedwagon), and the Kalamazoo Wings were the main farm club of the Minnesota North Stars. (They were still three years away from becoming the Dallas Stars).

General Motors had a major stamping plant across Sprinkle Road from Wings. Upjohn was still Upjohn.

And George H. W. Bush was the President.

BONUS VIDEO

This was a KFR Pool Party in 1991 with the band Firehouse. The pool was filled about a dozen years ago, but the band still has great memories of that day.

(Kurt Common via YouTube)