Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:
It’s the #AHLTV Free Game of the Week!
This Friday, the @IAWild take on @griffinshockey at 7 ET/6 CT, and you can watch for free at https://t.co/gjMuSbtKI1. pic.twitter.com/89pQs0IJ00— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) November 3, 2021
WDIV’s David Bartkowiak Jr. posted an article in which he discusses Red Wings fans’ expectations for the 4-4-and-2 Red Wings as the team reaches the 10-game mark:
Our expectations for the Red Wings this season were raised a bit higher than the previous two. General Manager Steve Yzerman, who is now in his 3rd season at the helm in Detroit, was outspoken about making the team more competitive while he works through a rebuild. He was busy during the offseason, moving pieces and making acquisitions to try to bolster the blueline and jumpstart the offense.
A preseason poll of Red Wings fans suggested most did expect the Red Wings to be more competitive, but still fall short of making the playoffs — something they have not done since 2016. In the poll, 50% of respondents said they expected the Red Wings to win 26-35 games. Another 34% said 36-45 wins were possible. But only 20% said they expected a postseason appearance.
Those expectations appear to be right on target after 10 games. We’re seeing a team that is willing to battle for wins despite often being outmatched down the lineup. There have been some tough losses that would have been more demoralizing just a season ago. All we can ask for now is that the team works to be better, to get better, as the 82-game campaign continues.
The Red Wings practiced in Boston on Wednesday ahead of a stretch of 3 games to be played over the course of 4 nights, starting with Thursday’s game vs. the Bruins, and the Detroit News’s John Niyo filed a notebook article based upon coach Blashill’s remarks:
Tyler Bertuzzi, the Red Wings’ leading scorer, rejoined his teammates at practice Wednesday in Boston after missing the team’s last two games in Canada due to his vaccination status. But still missing from the ice was top-line center Dylan Larkin, the team captain who was out of the lineup for Tuesday night’s 3-0 loss at Montreal while dealing with what the team is calling “personal reasons.” Head coach Jeff Blashill said Wednesday afternoon he had no update to provide on Larkin’s status.
Asked if Larkin will miss Thursday night’s game against the Bruins, Blashill said, “I don’t have that answer. I don’t know.”
Bertuzzi, who leads the team with nine points (six goals) in seven games, stayed home in Detroit skating on his own the last four days because he has opted not to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and isn’t allowed to travel to Canada. Per NHL rules, Bertuzzi wasn’t paid while away from the team and he was responsible for arranging his own travel to Boston ahead of Thursday night’s contest.
But Bertuzzi was back in his usual spot at practice Wednesday, skating on a line with rookie Lucas Raymond and Robby Fabbri, who was filling in for Larkin as the No. 1 center.
“He’s up to speed,” Blashill said of Bertuzzi. “He skated at home, he has put himself in position to step in and have success. I have no worries about him stepping into the lineup.”
From the Hockey Hall of Fame:
HOCKEY HALL OF FAME PARTNERS WITH NETWORK ENTERTAINMENT AND TSN TO PRODUCE NEW LEGENDS OF HOCKEY 10-PART SERIES
TORONTO (November 3, 2021) – The Hockey Hall of Fame is pleased to announce today that they have teamed up with Network Entertainment and TSN to produce a new 10-part series entitled Legends of Hockey: Greatness Calling 2000-20.
Carrying on the proud tradition of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s original award-winning landmark series Legends of Hockey launched in 1996, the upcoming series – Legends of Hockey: Greatness Calling 2000-20 will showcase, in an epic and heartfelt style, the personal stories of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s inductees from 2000 to 2020, including hockey greats Mark Messier, Ray Bourque, Brett Hull, Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, Hayley Wickenheiser, Dominik Hašek, Pavel Bure, Nicklas Lidström, and more.
“I’m excited about the upcoming new chapter of the Legends of Hockey series – it’s a fitting tribute to our game’s greatest players who for decades have inspired our youth and entertained and delighted hockey fans around the globe,” said Jeff Denomme, the Hockey Hall of Fame’s CEO. “Along with TSN, the Hall is thrilled to collaborate with Derik Murray and his Network team on our continued tradition of excellence and to once again partner together to produce this deserving tribute to the Honoured Members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.”
The original Legends of Hockey five-part series premiered on TSN in 1996 – an entertaining and inspiring portrait of the game’s origins and its evolution over a hundred years as told by hockey’s legendary players as they shared their personal journeys from frozen ponds to backyard rinks and on to the bright lights of the NHL. At the series’ core are original and inspiring interviews with Hall of Fame players including Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Jean Béliveau and Frank Mahovlich. In 2001 Legends of Hockey: The Second Season premiered nationwide on TSN and showcased interviews with Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier. Both series, produced by Derik Murray, presented a rich tapestry of storytelling, together featuring 70 Hockey Hall of Fame Honoured Members sharing their personal and emotional journeys, complemented by rare archival footage and photographs. The Legends of Hockey series received both popular and critical acclaim, being awarded both Can Pro and Gemini nominations and awards.
Network’s Founder and Executive Producer of the series, Derik Murray, said, “We are indeed both honoured and privileged once again to be able to share stories from an illustrious lineup of legendary players and inspirational men and women. We’re equally honoured to be working with the dedicated and talented team at the Hockey Hall of Fame to continue our collaboration of excellence that first started 25 years ago. We are proud that TSN, a longstanding partner of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the foundational broadcaster of the Legends of Hockey series, will showcase this latest chapter in the history of the game we love and the players and plays of a lifetime.”
Following this proud tradition, Legends of Hockey: Greatness Calling 2000-20 has commenced production and will be interviewing over 60 Honoured Members with cameras travelling the globe to capture the inspiring stories of the men and women who have etched their name into the game’s pantheon of greatness. The series will feature original interviews, personal photographs and the best of both NHL and international game footage creating a compelling and entertaining profile of the game’s modern day heroes.
“TSN is pleased to continue our longstanding partnership with the Hockey Hall of Fame, and to work alongside Network Entertainment, to showcase hockey’s greatest players,” said Nathalie Cook, VP, TSN & RDS. “With this all-new edition of Legends of Hockey: Greatness Calling 2000-20, we’re looking forward to sharing their stories with fans across the country.”
The series will be presented in 10 one-hour episodes that will air exclusively on TSN in the fall of 2022.
The Red Wings practiced without Dylan Larkin on Wednesday in Boston, and after practice, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill spoke with the media…
As did defenseman Moritz Seider, albeit very briefly:
?️??
Full ?️ » https://t.co/JJBYRqzeTX pic.twitter.com/pKCGacWc51— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 3, 2021
Red Wings announcer Ken Kal let us know that the Detroit Red Wings had taken to the ice at TD Garden in Boston, hoping to recover from last night’s 3-0 loss to Montreal ahead of tomorrow night’s battle with the Bruins:
Back at it in Boston today. Practice at TD garden! pic.twitter.com/lwUOxYiglD— Ken Kal (@KenKalDRW) November 3, 2021
Not optimal:
Dylan Larkin not on the ice today as Red Wings practice in Boston pic.twitter.com/JqawOitnuh— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) November 3, 2021
Red Wings still without Dylan Larkin at practice in Boston. Fabbri with Bertuzzi and Raymond. pic.twitter.com/o8tAb4e6g2— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) November 3, 2021
Update:
Jeff Blashill said there is “no update” on the status of Dylan Larkin. Larkin missed Tuesday’s game due to personal reasons & did not practice today. @DetroitRedWings #LGRW— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) November 3, 2021
Jeff Blashill had no update on Red Wings F Dylan Larkin (personal reasons). Did not practice today in Boston.— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) November 3, 2021
Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted a subscriber-only article which reveals a unique detail from Red Wings history, from Red Wings advisor Jimmy Devellano:
“Mike Ilitch and I understood we were in the entertainment business,” Devellano said. “I was big on that. I signed all kinds of guys at the end. Anything to be able to make a big announcement, to shake things up. Some were OK and some were not. You had to sell tickets.”
Devellano, still with the Red Wings organization as a senior vice president, was just trying to keep fans and media interested until he could build through the draft.
Recently, Devellano told Detroit Hockey Now that even tried to lure Mike Bossy out of retirement.
“He had retired because of a bad back,” Devellano said. “His career was cut short.”
Bossy retired at age 30, after being limited to 67 games in 1986-87. He scored 50 or more goals for nine consecutive seasons before being limited to 38 in his final season.
According to Devellano, he saw Bossy a year or two later when he was working for Quebec Nordiques’ television. That’s when he hatched the idea of signing him.
Continued (paywall), with the reason that Bossy declined the Wings’ offer…
Per the Grand Rapids Griffins, this might indicate that the Red Wings are looking to call up some players:
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday signed left wing Max Humitz and defenseman D.J. King to professional tryouts.
A second-year pro, Humitz totaled five points (3-2—5) and two penalty minutes in eight appearances with Grand Rapids in 2020-21. The Livonia, Mich., native began this season with the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL and recorded two goals in their season opener against the Toledo Walleye. Through three games, Humitz has two points (2-0—2) and a plus-one rating.
King hails from Scottsdale, Ariz., and has spent the previous three seasons in the OHL with Hamilton and Saginaw. The defenseman bagged 24 points (7-17—24) and 140 penalty minutes in 104 appearances at the junior level. King made his pro debut on Oct. 23 with Fort Wayne and is yet to register his first point through two outings.
King’s father Derek also played with the Griffins from 1999-01 and 2002-04, totaling 203 points (73-130—203) in 264 games to rank fifth on the team’s all-time scoring list. The IHL’s regular-season scoring champion from 2000-01 remains the Griffins’ career playoff scoring leader with 41 points (16-25—41) in 46 games. When D.J. makes his debut with Grand Rapids, they will join Chris (2008-09) and Jake (2018-19) Chelios as the second father-son duo to have played for the Griffins.
As you know by now, this is my least favorite thing to post about, but this blog doesn’t have ads, paywalls or commercial sponsors, so:
If you’re willing to lend a hand as I try to pay off the taxes on the condo for the aunt (we’ve made a great dent in that so far, about $500, but there’s a long way to go to pay off the $1,200 bill as my “gift” to AA), earn enough money to purchase a new cell phone ($500), and save up for a couple of trips to Grand Rapids, I would greatly appreciate your support.
This is “a little blog that can,” and it does so through the financial contributions of its readers. Any denomination is appreciated; I promise to continue working my tail off to deliver as much content as possible as the Wings play 10 more games over the course of 16 nights.
November is crunch time, schedule-wise, up until Thanksgiving, and we’ll see what happens in terms of being able to post some more meaningful prospect updates and maybe even some player grades, time permitting.
So if you’re willing to lend a hand, you can use Paypal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com. And you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.
As always, thank you for your time and your readership.
The Red Wings just posted a two-minute video profiling prospect Jonatan Berggren:
