Congratulations to Justin Abdelkader!
Yesterday my wife and I welcomed our biggest blessing into this world. These past 24 hours have given life a whole new meaning. Words cannot express the love we have for you Jaxon Joseph Abdelkader. ??? pic.twitter.com/BJKObRJxKi
— Justin Abdelkader (@justinabss) September 15, 2018
The Detroit Red Wings’ second day of training camp began with a little bit of a shock treatment for Team Lindsay, which woke up a little rusty: coach Blashill made the first practice group skate lateral laps for a couple of minutes, and Blashill himself explained that he wanted to issue some “immediate punishment” for a case of the sleepies.
Eventually, Team Lindsay woke up and took part in a complicated hour-and-a-half’s worth of attacking and gap control drills, so many that I’ve got four pages worth of drill notes in my notebook.
It’s hard to emphasize how fast the Red Wings are executing their drills this season, but the pace is break-neck, if not, dare I say it, “Babcockian.” It’s been impressive to watch the Red Wings emphasize not just team speed, but also execution of high-tempo plays at high speed. The average fan in the crowd may not understand the intricacies of a looping retrieval and counterattack, but things like urgency and pace translate to any level of hockey-speak…
And Filip Zadina’s 2 goals and an assist, Tyler Bertuzzi’s goal and 2 assists and the tremendous level of play during the scrimmage between Team Howe and Team Delvecchio spoke to the level of competition for jobs, even on the second day of training camp.
Continue reading Impressions from the second day of Red Wings training camp ’18
Fox Sports GO is going to live stream the Red Wings Alumni vs. Guns N Hoses game tonight at 7 PM EDT:
LIVE STREAM: Red Wings Alumni & Celebrity Game tonight at 7 p.m. https://t.co/gNIZwoG6nl pic.twitter.com/lscanzh2EJ
— FOX Sports Detroit (@FOXSportsDet) September 15, 2018
Of Red Wings-related note on a Saturday afternoon:
1. Fox Sports Detroit’s John Keating conducted an interview with Jeff Blashill from Centre ICE Arena this morning…
The final crop of audio from Saturday’s sessions at Red Wings training camp come in the form of interviews with Dennis Cholowski, who addressed his form over the course of a 2-minute chat, and Filip Zadina, who was a little bit wordier in discussing his renewed level of confidence for about five minutes:
Red Wings defenseman Mike Green, forward Anthony Mantha and coach Jeff Blashill spoke with the media during scrums at the Red Wings’ training camp on Saturday, and:
Mike Green discussed his return to health after neck surgery and his preparations for what he hopes will be an improved season:
Anthony Mantha talked about his hopes of playing on a fast line with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi, his inability to box this past summer and his non-decision regarding the shot blockers on his gloves:
Finally, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill addressed his sleepy campers this morning, the chicken-or-egg game that is ice time vs. opportunity for Andreas Athanasiou, his hopes that AA and Thomas Vanek skate well together on the Wings’ third line, his take on tonight’s alumni game and much more over the course of an 11-minute interview:
Of Red Wings-related note from the early media availability at Centre ICE Arena:
1. Andreas Athanasiou discussed the ice time vs. opportunity debate while speaking with the media today, suggesting that he needs consistent ice time to play well…
2. And Red Wings prospect David Pope spoke about his high confidence level as he attempts to battle for a spot on the Wings’ roster:
Of mostly Henrik Zetterberg-related note this morning:
1. The Detroit News’s Bob Wojnowski wrote a column praising Zetterberg as he “hangs up his skates“:
He’s one of the all-time stand-up guys, always willing to face the questions after an ugly loss, offering no excuses. Zetterberg wouldn’t rip teammates, but when he said something forcefully, you knew it mattered. It certainly mattered to the team.
“He leaves a massive hole for a lot of reasons,” GM Ken Holland said. “Not only all those minutes (played), but when you’re trying to go younger, you need role models, and there was no better role model than Henrik Zetterberg. … On one hand, obviously it’s a massive downer. But on the other hand, as we move forward, there’s an opportunity for somebody in that locker room, from a leadership standpoint and time on the ice, to grab it.”
To grab it, you have to earn it, and that was what Zetterberg represented. No, he wasn’t as smooth as Lidstrom, or as gifted as Pavel Datsyuk, or as fast as others. Zetterberg had to work harder, as time passed and injuries mounted, to keep playing, and he did.
The Wings’ next captain might indeed be Larkin, although maybe not right away. He said he’s eager to take on more responsibilities but doesn’t need the “C” to do so, a mature stance in itself. Niklas Kronwall and Justin Abdelkader wear the “A” as alternate captains, and perhaps another will be added. Holland said he’d discuss it with Blashill, but it sounds like there might not be a captain this season, a symbol of how hard it is to earn, and how difficult Zetterberg will be to replace.
Lots of players endure pain, but Zetterberg also endured a pressure no Wings captain had for 25 years, missing the playoffs during a difficult (but necessary) rebuild.
2. The Free Press’s Helene St. James also wrote a tribute to Zetterberg…
I’m not quite sure where to post these, so here are the Red Wings’ videos of interviews with Thomas Vanek, Jonathan Bernier and Joe Hicketts, as well as coach Jeff Blashill…
Friday was by far the strangest, most surreal and plain old unusual day of training camp that I’ve ever experienced since first coming to Traverse City in 2010, and I must regrettably admit that it was one of the worst in terms of being able to actually watch players skate.
Instead, the 9:30 AM practice began with Ken Holland announcing that Henrik Zetterberg would no longer play, and Zetterberg himself confirming the news, for about 25 minutes. Watching one of your favorite all-time Wings essentially retire in front of you is weird enough; witnessing that happen while there’s hockey going on in the other rink is…well that’s just hard.
I was able to gather glimpses and glimmers of Team Delvecchio, Team Lindsay and Team Howe skating through what were mostly dump-and-chase retrieval drills, I mean drills which focused on puck retrieval and breakout plays, as well as a little bit of Team Lindsay’s 5-1 victory over Team Howe in the daily scrimmage, but I’d be full of even more crap than usual if I were to suggest that I could give you full player assessments.
All in all, I was able to watch a fair bit of goaltending drills, I saw chunks of players in action between player media availabilities, and I at least got the flow of the scrimmage, but I usually take in excess of 10 pages of notes regarding a practice alone, and today, I took four pages of scribbled garble.
Continue reading Training camp ’18 day 1: Glimmers, glimpses and shot-blockers
