Red Wings-Capitals morning skate Tweets and articles: a video of Jeff Blashill speaking with media, and some Tweets

The Detroit Red Wings sit at 15-13-and-3 today, and hope to make forward progress against the 19-6-and-7 Washington Capitals, who they host in the final game of 2021 (7:30 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit/NBCS Washington/97.1 FM).

Washington returned to play after the NHL’s pause with a 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, but WashingtonCapitals.com’s Mike Vogel’s game preview for tonight’s affair reports that the Caps have some COVID issues on defense still, with Dennis Cholowski, Martin Fehervary, Nick Jensen and Justin Schultz all hitting the COVID list, so Washington brings a patchwork defensive corps into Detroit.

As you already know by now, the Capitals have an explosive offense, so if the Wings plan on sitting on their 11-3-and-2 home record, it’s going to be a bumpy New Year’s Eve.

I apologize for not having posted a more thorough game preview…Last night I had a bad anxiety attack, and it shut me down for about 2-and-a-half hours. I felt the attack coming, and took some medication to help shut it down, but living with chronic mental illnesses can be a pain in the ass.

You’ve got me this morning, at least.

Anyway, your friendly neighborhood Red Wings took to the ice at LCA for their morning skate at 10:30 AM, per the Wings’ Twitter account…

Continue reading Red Wings-Capitals morning skate Tweets and articles: a video of Jeff Blashill speaking with media, and some Tweets

Tweet of note: BCSN posts highlight clip from Walleye Alumni vs. Red Wings Alumni game last night

The Red Wings Alumni team played against a group of Toledo hockey legends last night at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, and BCSN posted a highlight clip from the game:

? Hockey Legends in Action ?

The ?????? ?????? and ??????? ??? ????? Alumni Game at Fifth Third Field was nothing short of incredible last night. In the end, it didn’t matter who won the game. ???????? ??? ? ??????! ? pic.twitter.com/9VXCGgczPp— BCSN (@BCSNsports) December 31, 2021

HSJ in the morning: New Year’s Eve games of note

The Free Press’s Helene St. James looks back at memorable New Year’s Eve games ahead of tonight’s match-up vs. the Washington Capitals (7:30 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit/NBCS Washington/97.1 FM):

The Worst Eves: The 1970s — fittingly, considering it was the decade of the “Dead Wings” and the “Darkness with Harkness” — featured some terribly un-festive eves. On December 31, 1970, the Wings were hammered, 8-3, by the Black Hawks at Olympia Stadium. The Black Hawks were up, 3-0, halfway through the first period. The Wings got as close as 4-2 in the second, but neither Jim Rutherford, who started the game and allowed five goals on 23 shots, nor Don McLeod, who allowed three goals on 16 shots, were able to withstand Chicago’s attack. In 1977, the Wings endured a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of the Boston Bruins, with Ron Low getting shellacked in net and future color commentator Paul Woods among those in the lineup.

Steve’s Fantastic Eve: New Year’s Eve 1987 was a memorable one for Yzerman: He had a goal and three assists in leading the Wings to a 7-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. That stretched Yzerman’s scoring streak to 18 games, breaking Alex Delvecchio’s franchise record of 17 straight games, set in Feb. 20-March 17, 1965. “The Captain has been fantastic,” then-coach Jacques Demers said. “He’s been phenomenal.”

Yzerman was his usually unassuming self about breaking a legend’s record, saying, “It’s nice, I guess. Alex was a great player, but I’m sure somebody will come along and break this record some day.” Yzerman’s point streak ended after 22 games (20 goals, 30 assists) and he was right, somebody did break it — him. From Nov. 1, 1988-Jan. 4, 1989, Yzerman had a point in 28 straight games, with 29 goals and 36 assists.

…

The Starry Eve: New Year’s Eve 1999 got a lot of attention because of Y2K fears that the change in digits would lead to a worldwide infrastructure collapse. The Wings spent the evening playing to a 4-4 tie with the Los Angeles Kings. The Wings hosted the Kings again on New Year’s Eve in 2000, and that night was one to cheer. Yzerman scored first and last, with assists both times from fellow Future Hall of Famers Nicklas Lidstrom and Igor Larionov. The Captain, the Perfect Human and The Professor — now those were auld acquaintances that should not be forgot.

Continued (paywall)

Monroe recaps Walleye-Red Wings alumni game at Fifth Third Field

The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe reports from Fifth Third Field in Toledo, where the Walleye Alumni and Red Wings Alumni took the game outside:

There were plenty of smiles on the benches at the Winterfest alumni game on Thursday night but the legends also quickly rediscovered their competitive juices at the special outdoor event.

Fog blanketed the lights at Fifth Third Field where a crowd of 6,095 gathered to recognize the local Toledo greats along with Detroit Red Wings legends.

Former Toledo Storm forward Iain Duncan scored for the Toledo team late in the first period at the Mud Hens baseball stadium.

“This brings back so many great memories of this area,” said Duncan, a former Bowling Green State University standout who went on to play in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets. “We were talking about it after the hall of fame banquet [on Wednesday]. Hockey is an emotional sport. We have a lot tied up in this sport. We’re big tough guys but we’d also do anything for anybody. I played against a couple of those guys in the NHL. It was great to see Joey Kocur and Larry Murphy again.”

The Toledo legends, who were coached by Walleye head scout Ed Burkholder and 2021 Toledo hockey hall of fame inductee Lorne Molleken, fell 7-4. The Red Wings, who were coached by Nick Libett and Phil Myre, scored on the first shot of the game.

…

Kocur, the former Red Wings tough guy, scored for a 4-1 Detroit lead. Kocur, who led the Red Wings to Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998, said the last time he played in such an event was against the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs.

“It’s just so much fun to get out here under the stars or under the clouds in this case,” Kocur said. “To be outside is a lot of fun. That’s how we all grew up playing the game. It’s perfect weather, too.”

Continued; a photo gallery accompanies the story.

Duff: Robby Fabbri fits wherever he sits

Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri has impressed Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff with his ability to fit into the lineup in various roles and be presented with different responsibilities:

The latest opportunity for Robby Fabbri to display his value to the Detroit Red Wings was scuttled on Thursday. However, in this case, that was good news for the team.

Lucas Raymond is out of COVID-19 protocol and that means he’ll be able to take up his usual slot on the right wing of Detroit’s top forward line with captain Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi for Friday’s game against the Washington Capitals. Had Raymond not been good to go, Fabbri was the one who would’ve been going into his spot.

It would’ve marked the third time that Fabbri had been elevated to the top line. Previously, he’s filled in for Larkin (personal leave) and Bertuzzi (unvaccinated for COVID-19 and unable to play in Canada). That meant had the original plan come together, Fabbri would’ve found himself filling in for a third different player on the team’s top line.

“Fabbs feels comfortable playing all the positions,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “He’s played some center for us and feels comfortable there for us, and I’ve used him mid-game sometimes, even coming out of a penalty kill.

“Certainly when Larks wasn’t there I used him a little bit. He can play either wing. That’s certainly one of the things that makes him valuable.”

Continued

Kulfan’s notebook: the Wings are ready to get back to work

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article in which he discusses the Red Wings’ desire to get back to work after their long NHL-imposed pause due to COVID issues:

“Eager to get back in a game,” Blashill said. “It was good to watch (Wednesday’s games) and you could see there was a lot of emotion getting back at it. This is what we do and to a large degree, what we live for. It’s good to get going.”

Forwards Lucas Raymond and Adam Erne, and defenseman Jordan Oesterle, were removed from the protocol list Thursday, leaving defenseman Nick Leddy as the lone Wings’ player on the list. Leddy will not play Friday. Many of the Wings who’ve been on the list recently have only missed one game, at most, before the NHL shut things down. From that perspective, the Wings feel fortunate.

“We’re real lucky,” Seider said. “The guys didn’t have to sit out, and we had a real good practice (Thursday) and we can build on that and go from there.”

The Wings are also able to return to game action at Little Caesars Arena, which has been a decided home-ice advantage. The Wings are 11-3-2 at LCA — one of those losses, to Washington — while only 4-10-1 on the road.

There’s also the knowledge the New Year’s Eve crowd is usually one of the more festive and loud gatherings of the season.

“The crowd has been awesome, and I’m certain (Friday’s) crowd will be awesome,” Blashill said. “New Year’s Eve is always a great crowd. I’ve got a large contingent of the family coming down to be here. These types of nights just increases it (the emotion).”

Continued

Khan offers ‘5 areas of focus’ for the Red Wings

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed an article focusing on five areas of the Red Wings’ game coming out of their nearly two-week break, and its preface is as good as the items of focus:

“It was good to watch last night’s games; you could see there was a lot of emotion,” [Red Wings coach Jeff] Blashill said. “That’s great, just getting back at it. This is what we do and to a large degree what we live for, so it’s great to get back going.”

The Capitals returned to play after a nine-day break with a 5-3 win over Nashville Wednesday, so they might have a leg up in shaking off the rust.

“Probably the biggest challenge is playing 60 minutes of competitive hockey,” Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider said. “I think if we find a way to figure that out, we can be very successful during the next stretch. I think everybody’s really looking forward to playing games again. I know it was a rough stretch for us, but all in all I think the boys are really hungry and are willing to give every single thing to go back to work.”

The Red Wings had as many as 11 players in protocol at one time during the break. Many reported only mild symptoms.

“I think we were really lucky,” Seider said. “A lot of guys didn’t even have to sit out for even one game. We had a really good practice today. I think we can build on that and go from there and get excited for tomorrow.”

Continued, with those 5 items of note…