NHLPA.com’s Chris Lomon filed a feature article regarding new Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry yesterday:
Two weeks after receiving the news of being traded to his hometown team from the Montreal Canadiens, the 35-year-old defenceman was reached in Michigan, just minutes removed from an on-ice session as he prepares for his 14th NHL season.
“It’s a special moment for sure,” said the native of Farmington Hills, a 30-minute drive northwest of Detroit. “Not only to play closer to home, but to play for the team that I watched growing up.”
The Red Wings acquired Petry, a veteran of 864 regular-season NHL games and 48 playoff contests, on August 15.
As the son of 13-year MLB veteran and current TV analyst, Dan Petry, Jeff grew up surrounded by the Detroit professional sports scene. Dan, who was an MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers from 1979 to 1987 and 1990-91, helped the Tigers to a World Series title in 1984. Despite his dad’s chosen sport, Jeff was always drawn to the hometown Red Wings.
“We went to a handful of [Red Wings] games,” said the blueliner, who will wear No. 46 with the Red Wings, the same number his father sported with the Tigers. “My room in my house was painted red with the big Red Wings logo on it, along with the old-school plaques and pictures, along with lots of other memorabilia that we collected over the years. My brother and I would play mini sticks in the basement, and we would always fight over who was going to be the Red Wings.”
