Of Red Wings-related note this evening:
1. The Athletic’s Prasanth Iyer penned his Red Wings season grades:
Anthony Mantha:Midseason Grade (B) | Final Grade (B)
Similar to Athanasiou, Mantha also struggled to end the season on a high note. Mantha scored just one goal in his final 16 games, despite playing the majority of his minutes with Zetterberg and Bertuzzi. Looking at the big picture, Mantha led the Red Wings in goals (24), had a 5v5 score-adjusted Corsi For percentage greater than 50 and was a force on the power play. It’s important to remember that he’s still just 23. The Red Wings will definitely need Mantha to be better moving forward, but it’s difficult to penalize someone that young for scoring at close to a first-line rate in just his second full NHL season.
Iyer continues (paywall)…
2. The Detroit News’s Sarah Rahal and Free Press’s Chris Nelsen penned articles regarding Murray Howe’s appearance in Canton, MI to sign copies of his book, Nine Lessons I Learned From My Father:
Murray, who has done other book signings in Michigan, Ohio and Canada, was excited to be at Waltonwood. His father- and mother-in-law, Jerry and Maureen Moore, have been residents at the community for more than a year.
“It means a great deal to us,” said Sherie Ingels, executive director at Waltonwood, said. “He was such a wonderful man, and so many people loved Gordie Howe. We weren’t expecting such a big crowd at first, but everyone was ecstatic to have Murray here. They loved hearing all his stories.”
While dating his future wife, Colleen, in 1980, Murray discovered that Jerry Moore was a huge Gordie Howe fan.
“He knew my dad better than I did,” Murray said. “We could talk for hours, and that really meant a lot to me. (Coming to Waltonwood) is a way of giving back to my father-in-law. He has always honored me and honored my father.”
Jerry Moore recalled his first encounter with Mr. Hockey.
“About a year after Murray and Colleen began dating, he said, ‘You have to meet my mom and dad,'” Moore said Saturday. “I stayed home from work that day, and as Gordie and (his wife) Colleen drove up the driveway, my heart was beating. It was like meeting Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb at one time. Gordie came in our kitchen and we sat there for an hour talking hockey. That was one of my biggest thrills ever. I followed him since the day he got to the Wings; I watched him all the time. As a person, he was so gentle. I never heard him curse or do anything bad. He was so very, very nice.”
3. And the Free Press’s Carol Cain reports that Ken Daniels is starting a foundation to honor his departed son Jamie’s memory while advocating against opioid addiction:
Paperwork for the Jamie Daniels Foundation as a 501(c)3 is underway and Daniels hopes to have the foundation ready within a few months. You can visit the site at jamiedanielsfoundation.org and pledge to make a donation in the future, while work continues.
Ken Daniels also is active on the speaking circuit and will appear May 3 at the Northeast Guidance Center’s Anti-Stigma Forum: Opiates — Wonder Drugs for the Wonder Years event held at the Salvation Army Center on Conner in Detroit.
