Month: December 2021

NHL.com’s Dan Rosen filed his Wednesday mailbag feature, and in said article, he discusses the Red Wings’ best rookie thus far:

If only one Red Wings player could be considered for the Calder Trophy, who would you pick thus far: Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Alex Nedeljkovic? — @AmadoDesperado

Seider has to be the favorite for the Calder Trophy given to the player voted NHL rookie of the year. A 20-year-old defensemen averaging 22:26 of ice time per game with 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in his first 31 NHL games is rare and should be celebrated. Raymond, a forward, has been dynamic with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists), but I’m going to side with the defenseman if it’s close because he must play more and handle more responsibilities, including shorthanded situations. Raymond, through no fault of his own, doesn’t play on the penalty kill. 

Seider plays with confidence and swagger. He’s good, and maybe the best thing about him is he knows it and doesn’t shy away from it. Seider projects to be for the Red Wings what Victor Hedman is for the Tampa Bay Lightning, what Roman Josi is for the Nashville Predators, what Cale Makar is for the Colorado Avalanche, what Adam Fox is for the New York Rangers and what Drew Doughty is for the Los Angeles Kings.

Continued; I’d give the nod to Raymond by a nose, but Seider is definitely learning to master a harder position to play.

No Tweets from today’s practice, so we go straight to video:

FYI:

NEWS: #NHL has officially shortened isolation period to 5 days with a negative test – IF allowed by local health authorities.#NHL now in line with CDC guidelines, according to memo distributed to teams today which was obtained by @DailyFaceoff.

Here’s the updated protocol ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/XLp9Ghq0va— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) December 29, 2021

Per new CDC guidelines, NHL/NHLPA have agreed to possibility of vaccinated individuals leaving isolation five days after a positive COVID test if they have no symptoms or “symptoms are resolving.” Key phrase: “providing such exit is permitted by your local health authority”…— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 29, 2021

NHL changing its standard isolation requirement from 10 days to 5 days, sources tell ESPN.

Players can exit after 5 days if they are asymptomatic & test negative — as long as local health authorities OK it.

More details from the memo the NHL sent today⬇️https://t.co/coXFJotXN8— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) December 29, 2021

This is very unfortunate:

BREAKING: @narodnitym to miss game against @leijonat due to a mandated team quarantine.

More at https://t.co/iJM9Sx2g9q#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/gCSqp62izJ— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 29, 2021

One CZE player tested positive overnight. Therefore, due to close contact/IIHF Covid protocols, entire CZE team goes into 24 hour quarantine/two-test phase. Therefore, CZE assessed 1-0 forfeit loss to FIN for today’s game.— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) December 29, 2021

Of Red Wings prospect-related note on Tuesday:

In the Finnish Liiga, TPS Turku lost 5-3 to Ilves without Eemil Viro;

Otto Kivenmaki finished at -1 with 3 shots in 12:17 played as the Lahti Pelicans lost 2-1 in a shootout to JYP;

In the SHL, Rogle BK lost 5-2 to Leksands IF without William Wallinder, who’s injured;

Albert Johansson finished at -1 with 2 shots on goal in 16:31 played, and Gustav Berglund finished at -2 with 1 shot in 7:19 played as Farjestads BK lost 8-0 to Lulea;

In the HockeyEttan, Jesper Eliasson wasn’t on Vasby IK’s roster during their 2-0 win over Vimmerby HC;

At the World Junior Championship, Donovan Sebrango finished at +2 with 2 shots in 16:03 played during Canada’s 11-0 win over Austria;

In the OHL, Pasquale Zito scored the game’s first goal, finishing at +1 with 3 shots and a 3-for-6 faceoff record in the Windsor Spitfires’ 6-3 loss to Kitchener;

In the WHL, Sebastian Cossa’s Edmonton Oil Kings lost 7-5 to Moose Jaw;

Cross Hanas did not play in the Portland Winterhawks’ 9-2 win over Tri-City;

And in NCAA Hockey, Sam Stange finished even in the University of Wisconsin Badgers’ 3-2 overtime win over Vermont at the Holiday Faceoff in Milwaukee.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen offers 5 storylines to watch for the Red Wings during the upcoming calendar year:

2. Cleaning Up Defensive End

To stay in playoff contention, or just to remain competitive, the Red Wings must be better defensively in their own zone.

“One thing, through the course of the rest of the season that will have to be better for us to improve our record or even maintain our record is give up less chances,” Blashill said.

Blashill said the team needs to learn when they can make a play and when they can’t make a play.

“And also how to push pucks up the wall with slash support so you can keep possession without making hope plays in the middle of the ice,” Blashill said.

The Detroit Red Wings have been sloppy defensively, particularly on the road. They have won at home because they have overcome their defensive shortcomings. But to win on the road, they have to be better defensively.

“Another area would be just continue to work on D-zone coverage and become great at it,” Blashill said. “Making sure we’re not giving up Grade A chances in D zone coverage. That’s a big area.”

Continued

Here’s another plug for my appearance on the Jablam Sports podcast on Monday. Again, many thanks to Peter Bojarinov and everybody at Jablam for having me:

Why is Moritz Seider on Santa’s nice list? @georgemalik details his game and possibilities, listen to more on #JablamSports #NHL #hockey #RedWings #LGRW (2:10)

Full Podcast at: https://t.co/2a1D1hpGIG pic.twitter.com/U1qzPIWkYR— Jablam Sports (@jablamsports) December 29, 2021

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins comes an important community announcement:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – With the need of blood on the rise during the holiday season, the Grand Rapids Griffins and Versiti Blood Center of Michigan will once again host a blood drive at Van Andel Arena, on Saturday, Jan. 8 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Versiti will be taking appointments and walk-ins on Jan. 8 in the B, C, and D banquet rooms at Van Andel Arena. Please click here to schedule an appointment or call 866-642-5663. Versiti is looking to collect 54 pints of blood and has openings for 100 registered donors.

As a reprise of their highly successful blood drive at the arena last January, the Griffins and Versiti are offering everyone who registers and attempts to donate a Griffins swag bag, along with an entry into the Drive to Save Lives Sweepstakes to win a brand-new car. Participants must be 18 years or older.

With coronavirus safety measures in place, all donors must wear a face covering. Please visit the Versiti website to view the most up-to-date COVID-19 guidelines.

ABOUT VERSITI BLOOD CENTER OF MICHIGAN

Versiti Blood Center of Michigan is a non-profit blood center headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich. Founded in 1955, it is the sole blood provider to all of Kent County and over 70 other hospitals across Michigan. Versiti collects more than 120,000 units of blood each year throughout the state at eight permanent donation sites and more than 3,400 community blood drives. For more information, visit versiti.org/Michigan.

Continued

Good news:

UPDATE: Forwards Sam Gagner and Joe Veleno have been removed from the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2021

This leaves Erne, Oesterle, Raymond and Leddy in protocol. Erne and Oesterle might exit tomorrow. https://t.co/t8hRE61nMR— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) December 29, 2021

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski posted an Insider-only article which ranks the 14 Winter Classics based upon their “venue, hype and style,” and the 2014 Winter Classic comes out on top:

1. 2014: Michigan Stadium, Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Detroit Red Wings 2 (37 points)

Environment: 10
Hype: 10
Game: 8
Style: 9

This was a special kind of cold. The seat cushions handed to the 105,491 hockey fans at the Big House — an NHL record — could barely protect their posteriors from the numbing metal benches. The balls inside the linesmen’s whistles froze in place during the game. Snow fell, winds whipped. It was truly hockey vs. the elements that day in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

All of it helped create a legendary environment for the outdoor game. So did the split loyalties in the crowd, which was dotted with blue Maple Leafs jerseys and contrasting with Red Wings jerseys. On the ice, the teams’ throwback jerseys — both wore full-color uniforms — were among the best looking in the event’s history.

Impossible as it might seem, the game was actually good! Jonathan Bernier saw 43 Red Wings shots sail his way, and Detroit needed a late third-period goal to force overtime. Toronto won in a shootout on a Tyler Bozak tally, sending tens of thousands back over the border happy.

An entertaining game, in many ways, is the cherry on top for a Winter Classic. There are other aspects more central to the event’s success. Like having a compelling matchup, challenging winter conditions and a memorable venue with a personality of its own. But a great Winter Classic should also be a celebration of hockey: To that end, the Leafs and Wings played an alumni game doubleheader at Comerica Park in Detroit because they had so many darn great players who wanted in, and so many fans who wanted to watch them.

The Winter Classic at the Big House satisfied all these obligations. Which is why it’s the classic among Classics.

Continued (paywall)