Of Red Wings-related note as of midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning:
- The Detroit Tigers had a rough go on Tuesday, but the Red Wings were at least there to witness the game from a suite:
Let’s gooo @tigers 🐅 pic.twitter.com/iLDSOLq2Yb
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 7, 2025
2. Both the Free Press’s Helene St. James and MLive’s Ansar Khan also posted short articles about the LEGO Little Caesars Arena which impressed the Wings’ locker room and coaches on Tuesday:
3. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff took note of Red Wings coach Todd McLellan’s comments regarding the rookie trio of Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Axel Sandin Pellikka:
If Sandin Pellikka, Finnie, and Brandsegg-Nygard keep performing into the regular season as they’ve delivered during the preseason, they’ll be NHLers for a long time. But the fact of the matter is that their development won’t be linear. It never is.
“There’s ups and downs and there’s lessons to be learned along the way,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “There’s going to be nights when they drive home or we drive home and we’re a little disappointed in everything, and then there’ll be a lot of joy the following night. It’s just the way it happens.”
When the bumps occur, when they hit ruts, that’s when the veterans must step in and help smooth out the road.
“Everybody, starting with them, has to pull their weight,” McLellan said. “And then everybody else around it, the coaching staff, teammates, have to help them along but still take care of our jobs and make sure that the rest of the team is focused as well.”
McLellan’s message to the kids as they navigate the rapids ahead is simple. Keep on paddling.
“They know what’s ahead of them,” McLellan said. “They’re probably as excited as can be. And if I was going to tell them anything, I’d say, ‘Just go play.’ If a mistake occurs, we can live with that. That’s what we coach for. We’ll help you fix it. You have teammates around you that’ll protect you in certain situations from mistakes. Just go play.”
4. MLive’s Khan spoke with Patrick Kane and coach McLellan about the Red Wings’ need to make a playoff push this upcoming campaign:
“A lot of positive changes and a lot of familiar faces back,” Kane said. “I think we saw how important Todd was coming in last year and what he did for our group and how he helped everyone play at their best level, not just certain guys, but across the whole lineup. You think about the position we’re in, I think it’s extremely important to get off to a good start, getting ahead of the 8-ball in case there’s any lulls or stretches that don’t go our way. But I think we’re confident in the way we play. If we play up to our capabilities, I think we’re going to be in a good position.”
Aside from a power play that ranked fourth in the league, the Red Wings must improve across the board. They need more five-on-five scoring (tied for 27th). They must lower their team goals-against average (21st at 3.16). They must improve their penalty kill (ranked last).
They must avoid falling into a deep hole with a difficult early season schedule that features two West Coast trips by mid-December. And if they’re in the race at the March 6 trade deadline, they can’t falter to the finish line again.
“When we were playing well, we played on our toes, we were aggressive. We played with an attacking mentality, kind of the herd mentality,” McLellan said. “But there were segments where I thought we were defeated a little too easily. Sometimes you have to win with your ‘B’ game. It’s not always going to be rosy, and I think in those situations we can do better.”
5. The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan also filed a notebook article in which he found that coach McLellan was getting a little antsy:
McLellan would have liked to have a game Wednesday, rather than wait until Thursday for the Wings’ opener.
“I wish we were playing,” McLellan said. “It felt like we were running on fumes (after the preseason), eight games in (12 days) and all of a sudden, this break comes. It would have been nice to play (Wednesday) but so be it. We pushed them hard (Monday) and tapered down (Tuesday). We’ll try to make them feel fast and clean and crisp (Wednesday) and let them go.”
6. If you’re interested in the Red Wings’ history, you have to start in Victoria, British Columbia, where the Victoria Cougars first played. The Victoria News’s Tony Trozzo tells part of that tale:
A century ago, the Victoria Cougars were 1925 Stanley Cup champions, and a year later, the team’s story would help spark one of the NHL’s most enduring legacies: the Detroit Red Wings, who are now gearing up for their centennial season in Hockeytown.
“You could make the argument the Victoria Cougars were the greatest hockey team in the world in 1925 and 1926,” said Jason Beck, curator and facility director at the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
The Cougars defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 in a best-of-five Stanley Cup final, with three of the games played at Oak Bay’s Patrick Arena, and returned to the finals the following year, narrowly losing to the Montreal Maroons.
That success, however, coincided with the end of the Western Canada Hockey League.
“The Cougars were scooped up and transferred to Detroit,” Beck said. “That team eventually morphed into the Falcons and then into the Red Wings, who have been around for a century now.”
Frank Fredrickson, Frank Foyston, and Harry Holmes were among the Hall of Famers who relocated south, alongside other elite players like Haldor Halderson.
“It wasn’t just a team moving,” Beck said. “It was an elite team. They beat one of the great Montreal teams of all time in 1925. That was a massive accomplishment.”
7. And finally, if you’re attending Thursday’s home opener, WXYZ’s Evan Sery filed a report about what you might expect to see at Little Caesars Arena, from the Red Carpet Walk to new merchandise and food offerings. I can’t embed the videos, but there are three reports from the rink:
According to the team, the Red Wings opening night will start with the annual red carpet walk in the Chevrolet Plaza. Gates open at 2:30 p.m. for that, and the red carpet walk will take place from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Doors for the game open at 5 p.m. and fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:35 p.m. to watch team introductions and the recognition of the “origins era,” which is part of the Red Wings’ Centennial celebrations.
“With such an exciting season nearing, all of us with the Red Wings look forward to welcoming our Hockeytown faithful back to Little Caesars Arena,” said Ryan Gustafson, President and CEO of Ilitch Sports + Entertainment. “For a century, fans have been at the center of this franchise’s iconic story – passing down traditions, creating memories and bringing unmatched energy to every game. Beginning in earnest on Opening Night, Red Wings Centennial is truly a celebration of our fans, and everyone that’s played a role in building this organization’s incredible legacy.”
All fans for the home opener will receive a Red Wings centennial rally towel.
The Red Wings Team Store is also opening on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., to purchase special Centennial celebration apparel.
Detroit will also have a variety of different drink concepts and food items for the season. To start, there will be The Roaring Red on Oct. 9. It’s Light and dark rum, blood orange juice, passionfruit juice, fresh lime and grenadine served in a hockey puck cup.
