The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed an interesting-to-read evening notebook article (of the subscriber-only variety), sharing some of coach Derek Lalonde’s remarks on the fact that the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings are “sister organizations” as the Tigers make their playoff run…
The Ilitch family owns both the Red Wings and Tigers, and there is a level of camaraderie and cooperation between the organizations. Both have undertaken patient rebuilds, relying on draft picks and young talent, to fuel the rebuild.
“Analytics is a big part of it,” Lalonde said. “We’re a fluid sport and it’s different, but of course, what a resource to be owned by the same group, same umbrella, and to be able to lean on those guys. We share the same ownership and even some internal growth beliefs and approach on some things. It’s been pretty cool what they’ve done.”
Kulfan asked coach Lalonde what the lineup might look like tomorrow when the Red Wings travel to the Windy City to pla. Chicago (8 PM EDT start on DetroitRedWings.com), a game in which the Blackhawks plan on icing a very NHL-heavy lineup…
“Because we end up with five games in six days and three in three days, which is certainly not ideal, with some of the objectives we want to accomplish in camp, you’re going to see a lot of mixed (veterans, youngsters) lineups,” Lalonde said. “Maybe a couple of NHL experienced lines with a couple (lines) with new guys.”
The schedule is pretty brutal. At Chicago on Wednesday the 25th, at home vs. Chicago on Friday the 27th, at home vs. Pittsburgh on Saturday the 28th, at Buffalo on Monday the 30th, and then in Pittsburgh on Tuesday the 1st of October…
With one whole day off before three games in three nights to finish the exhibition season, with the Wings hosting Toronto and their ill-behaved fans on Thursday the 3rd, hosting Ottawa on Friday the 4th, and heading to Toronto for the exhibition finale on Saturday the 5th.
I’ve said repeatedly that I don’t like the concept of playing 8 games over the course of only 12 nights, even though I understand that it’s about maximizing revenue and, to a lesser extent, tweaking the Red Wings’ “A Team” and “B Team” until the coaching staff and management find a cohesive unit…
But it’s just a bad idea in my book.
Anyway, Kulfan concludes his notebook with a bit about the Red Wings’ two pro try-outs, scrapper Austin Watson and power play specialist Alex Chiasson, and Kulfan concludes with this quote from Lalonde about the incredibly busy exhibition season as it applies to the coaching staff:
“You expect it and plan on it,” Lalonde said. “We’ve been around it and it’s always exciting. You’re running basically two teams at once, and these fly-in-and-out road trips. It’s just all part of it.”
The Red Wings will receive 4 full days off before the regular season begins on Thursday, October 10th vs. Pittsburgh at home, and the Wings then host the Predators on Saturday the 12th and head to New York to battle the Rangers on the 14th as the first half of a home-and-home series vs. the Rags…
But it could be argued that, especially as the Red Wings are trying to give both the Grand Rapids Griffins and Toledo Walleye some semblance of roster plans (and players) with which to determine the shapes of their respective teams, all while balancing the development of NHL chemistry with affording prospects some true tests in high-pressure environments…
Well, it might be harder to coach during the exhibition season than it is during the regular season. I can certainly tell you that, as a blogger at least, things crank up to crazy levels at training camp news-wise, and they don’t really calm down until the second week of the regular season.
