According to Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff, the Red Wings have discussed the mechanics involved in improving their defensive game this upcoming season. Andrew Copp and coach Todd McLellan suggest that the team can bear down and check their way to better outcomes:
“Goaltending is going to have to be good,” Copp said. “We obviously got to find a way to produce offense too. But I think if the defense takes care of their defensive side, the offense will take care of itself.
“So check, check hard, and hopefully that gives us a little bit more time in the offensive zone. We can turn pucks over, get a little bit more odd-man rushes, more entries, which is kind of where we excel.
“So I think that’s gonna have to be the focus for sure to start. How little time can we spend in our own zone, and how structured can we be?”
Coach McLellan duly notes that belief and execution are two very different things:
“It’s easy for all of us to say that right now,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “The coach, the player, before we’ve even started, but are we still committed to that in January?
“And we have to improve defensively. We have to break out better. And I think we have to do it over and over and over again. We’re not going to be perfect. We’re going to give up goals, but we can’t give any up for free. And I think what Copper is saying is enough of that. We can’t.
McLellan went back to last season’s opener, a 5-1 home-ice loss to Montreal in which the Red Wings gave out goals to the Canadiens like welcoming gifts.
“If you remember Game 1 last year against Montreal, I think I lost my marbles,” McLellan said. “At least my son told me I did. And if I remember correctly, I said, when’s enough enough? Or are they not tired of it anymore?
“Then we got it back for a while, and then we gave it away. We have to capture that and take pride in driving home after the game. And maybe not getting on the score sheet individually, but stopping Connor McDavid twice on a rush like that, that’s worth thinking about on the way home, in my opinion.”
