Author: George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!

Duff: Coach McLellan wants the Wings to play pedal-to-the-metal hockey

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted a subscriber-only article in which he speaks in depth with coach Todd McLellan about the Wings’ narrow playoff miss last season, setting up the following:

“The value of two points is no different on any game day 82 times a year,” McLellan said. “I don’t think players think like that all the time.”

Whether it’s the last game of a long road trip, perhaps the third game in four nights, or another game in an extended homestand, there are games that offer the potential for a team to let down their guard.

“There was a game during the year where they gave themselves permission – ‘You know what, it’s not that important tonight’ – and they played poorly and it cost them,” McLellan said.

Coaches get paid to worry. McLellan worries that his team’s last game before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, a 6-3 home-ice loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, might ultimately turn out to be that game that costs his team.

“Let’s hope that Tampa game the other night wasn’t our night,” McLellan said. “I was disappointed because I didn’t think we accepted that challenge. I think we gave ourselves permission to get to the break four hours early. We can’t afford that and it’s unacceptable. We talk about that a little bit. This could be the night it really matters.”

Continued (paywall) with a discussion of the Wings’ need to have a strong “B-game” for when they’re not at 100%…

Press release: Jiri Fischer helps ‘Pulse3’ raise $40K at CMU

Per Central Michigan University‘s Kelly Belcher:

At the beginning of February, local physicians, medical students and residents took to the ice at the Dow Event Center alongside former professional hockey players for Shocks and Saves, a charity hockey game that supports cardiovascular wellness in our region.  This event has become a beloved tradition thanks to the dedication of the Pulse3 Team, Peter Fattal, M.D., and former Detroit Red Wings player, Jiri Fischer.

Fischer suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on the ice during a televised game in November of 2005.  He was successfully resuscitated with prompt CPR and AED usage by Dr. Toni Colucci and the Red Wings medical staff.  Turning tragedy into triumph, Fischer partnered with Dr. Fattal and the Pulse3 Foundation to create Shocks and Saves and raise funds for AED placement and CPR training.  Since its inception, the event has helped place over 400 AEDs throughout mid-Michigan and has provided CPR training to thousands of people.  Collectively, these efforts have resulted in more than 20 lives saved and have helped to drastically improve cardiac arrest outcomes in Saginaw County. 

Continue reading Press release: Jiri Fischer helps ‘Pulse3’ raise $40K at CMU

Red Wings look to embrace a new identity down the stretch

As the Red Wings continue their “mini camp,” MLive’s Ansar Khan asked several players about the team’s success under coach Todd McLellan, who asked a big question today:

“Who are we? That’s going to get answered in the next 27 games,” McLellan said. “Are we October to December or are we December to February? Who are we? … Are we a playoff team? Are we close to a playoff team? Are we distant? We got to figure all this out.”

Ben Chiarot told Khan that he’s excited about the stretch run…

“I think you’re seeing, and not just for a short amount of time now, it’s been a while that we’ve been playing a certain style of hockey and that’s worked for our group and seem to be getting the most out of the guys in the room,” Ben Chiarot said. “So, I’m looking forward to seeing it as well.”

And that new players have stepped up…

“Guys that maybe didn’t have as big a role as before you see kind of break out into important roles for us, Albert Johansson being one of them, Justin Holl playing great hockey for us on the back end,” Chiarot said. “So, I think you’re seeing guys elevate their game, and it’s great. We need that from everybody.”

Quickly instilling belief into a team that was tied for last in the Eastern Conference in late December was important.

“It doesn’t guarantee us anything moving forward, just that at this moment they’re buying in,” McLellan said.

So, to answer the question…

“He asked us the same question, and the only way to find out is to go play the game,” J.T. Compher said. “We believe in what we can do in the locker room, and we think we’ve shown it, but it’s not worth anything if we don’t come do it after break. And I think these last few days of practice have been a really good start for us, getting ready for the second half of the season and dialing in our details so that come Saturday, we’re ready to push for that spot.”

Continued

Video: Holl, Veleno and coach McLellan speak with the media after Thursday’s practice

The Detroit Red Wings took part in day 3 of their 4-day “mini camp” at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Thursday, and the team remains without Lucas Raymond (arriving on Friday) and Dylan Larkin (not back until Saturday’s game against Minnesota).

After Thursday’s practice, Justin Holl, Joe Veleno and coach Todd McLellan spoke with the assembled media:

Tweet of note: Vote for Trey Augustine for the AAU Sullivan Award

From Michigan State University comes this reminder:

The return of ‘Ammo’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses the Grand Rapids Griffins’ struggles of late, and their hope that the return of Amadeus Lombardi might spark the team’s offense:

Grand Rapids, with Lombardi playing for the first time since Dec. 1, lost 5-2 Wednesday night to Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Griffins have lost seven out of eight games and only scored 11 goals in those contests. That’s 1.375 goals per game.

“I think I have a lot more to give this group,” said Lombardi who had one assist in the game. “I felt OK at times. I’ll be better Friday. I thought we played well. We generated chances. It will come.”

Lombardi, 21, was off to a tremendous start (nine goals and six assists for 15 points in 20 games) before going down with an upper body injury. The timing couldn’t have been much worse because the Red Wings hoped they were witnessing a breakout season.

While the injury was frustrating, Lombardi has tried to concentrate on the positive.

“It was almost like I got an extra summer,” Lombardi said. “I was able to work out five or six days a week once I healed.  I am ready to be back.

Continued

Tweets from Thursday’s practice: Red Wings’ ‘mini camp’ continues

The Detroit Red Wings’ mini-camp continued at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Thursday, ahead of a daunting 27-game sprint through the NHL’s stretch run.

While Team USA prepares for the Four Nations Face-Off Final with a call from the President…

We will leave politics aside for a moment (please?)…

And instead, we’ll focus on what’s going on in Detroit. The Red Wings hit the ice at the BELFOR just after 11 AM, per the Free Press’s Helene St. James:

Again, MLive’s Ansar Khan confirms that we won’t see Lucas Raymond at practice until tomorrow, with Dylan Larkin slated to join the Wings’ lineup for Saturday’s 12:30 PM game vs. Minnesota:

Continue reading Tweets from Thursday’s practice: Red Wings’ ‘mini camp’ continues

A bit more about Dylan Larkin’s appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter

WXYZ posted some pre-Four Nations Face-Off final comments from Red Wings captain and Team USA forward Dylan Larkin, per his appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter last night:

“Feeling good. A lot of excitement,” Larkin said. “It’ll be hard to sleep.”

He said he expects the rematch to be a great game.

“It’s such a big hockey game. I expect it to be intense again, but, you know, guys are going to have to stay disciplined, guys are going to have to stay on the ice. We want Brady and Matthew (Tkachuk) to be out there and playing hockey and finishing hockey and scoring big goals,” Larkin said. “I expect it to be intense again, but I expect, you know, a really good hockey game.”

Larkin said that he knows he’s in a different role with this team than he is on the Red Wings, and it felt really good to contribute to the team and get the game-winner.

“I’m looking to play my game tomorrow with speed, and, you know, attack the net,” Larkin said. “To win something, with that jersey on, with the USA on your chest, it doesn’t get better than that. On home soil as well. So we’re fired up for it,” Larkin added.

The Red Wings posted the clip of Larkin on SportsCenter via a Tweet:

Pregame hype begins ahead of tonight’s Four Nations Final

Detroit captain Dylan Larkin will center Team USA’s third line, alongside J.T. Miller and Matt Boldy, as the Americans battle Canada for Four Nations Face-Off supremacy this evening (8 PM EST start on ESPN/Sportsnet/TVA Sports), and the pre-game hype has begun at 8 in the morning:

Here are tonight’s game notes:

F_CANvsUSADownload

As you might imagine, the Canadian Press is already playing up the political tensions between the U.S. and Canada right now, but Larkin told the CP that the rivalry is an organic one:

U.S. forward Dylan Larkin said any bad blood is more about NHL players taking part in a high-level international competition for the first time since the 2016 World Cup. The league missed the last two Olympics, but is poised to return to sports’ brightest spotlight in 12 months.

“We’ve all grown up playing against Canadians, playing against Canada at minor hockey tournaments, going over the border,” he said. “That rivalry starts from a young age. As an American, you learn to not like playing against Canadians.  I’m sure every guy in Canada will say the same about Americans.” 

I am of course a proud American, so I’m rooting for my home country and “my team’s” captain, but I love Canada and Canadians, too, so today I put aside my respect for our brother nation and try to dislike our neighbors.

I hope that the majority of the TD Garden fans respect the Canadian anthem and don’t boo a sovereign country’s song (let’s save the, “Why have an anthem at the start of sports games at all?” debate for another day), and when the puck drops…

It’s business, and a matter of winning the game. It’s not about beating down a country for political gain; it’s about Larkin getting to lift that Four Nations Face-Off trophy when the game is over.