Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted a subscriber-only article which discusses the intangibles brought to the Red Wings’ team by defenseman Justin Holl and forward Christian Fischer:
Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde once received some advice that always enters into his thinking when it comes to special teams.
“A coach told me a few years ago and it really stuck with me,” Lalonde said. “You can be successful without your power play for stretches… Guys will go dry with the power play and still find ways to win hockey games. You have no chance if you really struggle on the penalty kill.”
The Red Wings were 19th in penalty killing last season. Their 78.3% efficiency almost put them in the middle of the pack. But that is still an area of emphasis for the Red Wings. Lalonde wants Detroit to be better– much better — in its penalty killing.
That’s one of the reasons why GM Steve Yzerman brought in Christian Fischer and Justin Holl as free agents.
Continued (paywall)
