MLive’s Ansar Khan has filed a game-day article in which he speaks with Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill about tonight’s game against the unbeaten, 7-and-0 Florida Panthers (7 PM EDT on ESPN+/hulu/97.1 FM):
“From a hockey perspective, we focus like we normally would to play against Florida,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “There are no real adjustments, probably, to their systems and all that stuff is probably going to remain the same. Obviously, there is a lot going on there and I can’t speak to that within their own dressing room.
“That’s the hockey perspective. From a life perspective, I think all of us in our locker room, our biggest thoughts, me personally, I speak for myself, my heart going out to Kyle Beach, to Joe Doe in Hope, Michigan (another alleged victim of Aldrich), in what they’ve had to go through in the hands of a predator. It’s something that’s not going to go away, something they’ll have to live with the rest of their lives. From a personal perspective, in our room we all have great sympathy for what those two have to go through and any others.”
Blashill continues, and offers this take on the Wings’ supports for their players:
“The first part and the most important part is doing everything possible to not be in situations where people are exposed to predators, but that’s sometimes impossible to understand and know,” Blashill said. “When that type of action happens, no matter what happens after it, it doesn’t take away from the fact that action happened. It’s something that none of us would ever want to subject anybody to.
“From our perspective, we have to make sure our players understand there’s support here for them in a lot of different areas. We have to make sure we’re making the best decisions we can with our players and our staff and anybody around us, their personal lives first and foremost.”