Of Red Wings-related note this evening:
- Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen offered an assortment of notes and quotes this evening…
What’s the value of having a consistent line like the Michael Rasmussen-Andrew Copp-Christian Fischer trio?
Lalonde: “I’ve been a little more comfortable of keeping some guys together, that project as a line and that’s certainly one of them. And I think there’s a comfort level with that group and I think there’s an identity that they formed towards the end of last year. So I think not only a comfort from me with them, I think there’s a comfort between the three of them.”
Do they have another level they can reach?
Lalonde: “I hope so. We’ll see going forward. Certainly hope so. I think their offense is going to be honest offense, which I like, but I think you can create offense by playing the right way. When they’re out there they do a lot of the right things, manage pucks, forecheck properly, get on top, create turnovers. They can create some offense.”
2. And, from the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:
If there’s anything the Tigers’ unexpected season-ending surge has taught the sports world it’s “believability,” according to Lalonde.
Lalonde remembered watching the Tigers in August playing the Yankees in the annual Little League event in Williamsport, Pa.
“At the time I heard the announcer say the Tigers had a 5 percent chance to make the playoffs,” Lalonde said. “This wasn’t six or four months ago. This was midseason, and it’s amazing. The lesson on believability is pretty neat.”
Lalonde took a nap Thursday in his office at Little Caesars Arena with the Tigers trailing Tampa 3-0. When he awoke, the Tigers were 4-3 winners. They won again on Friday night against the White Sox and clinched a playoff berth.
“Pretty inspiring for anyone, pretty cool to see,” Lalonde said. “Just the lesson in believability by that group.”
Lalonde compared where the Tigers and Red Wings are in their progression.
“The Tigers might be a year ahead of schedule,” Lalonde said. “We may have been probably a year ahead of schedule last year but unfortunately we didn’t finish the job. The difference is they did that. Our guys know where we are. We’ve taken natural progressions over the last two years and we want to keep pushing that forward.”
