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!

Thoughts about Sergei Fedorov’s tricky legacy

Sergei Fedorov was the reason that I got into hockey. In the summer of 1991, my middle school friend Joe Kim kept on telling me about this great Russian player on the Red Wings who was blazing fast and tremendously talented.

So I started collecting hockey cards over the summer, and as I said yesterday, my dad took me to that pivotal exhibition game against Toronto on September 22nd, 1991 that sold me on hockey fandom.

Sergei scored one of the goals during that game, and he scored a hell of a lot more during his 13-year tenure with the Red Wings, dazzling fans, driving equipment managers crazy, and displaying his skill set and unbelievably high level of natural athletic talent. Fedorov wasn’t a player, he was a phenomenon, and a superstar whose ego was part of the package.

Today, the Red Wings announced that they’re retiring Sergei Fedorov’s #91 after a long, long wait on January 12th, 2026. The Red Wings’ media corps knew before the announcement, so they’ve already weighed in on Fedorov’s complicated legacy as a Red Wing for 13 years and then…Elsewhere…

So there was bad blood between Fedorov and the organization for a long time, even after the Winter Classic alumni game at Comerica Park, even after Fedorov was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015, for a very long time, honestly.

Whatever the issues were have been at least partially forgiven, and we’re going to see #91 head up to the rafters when the Carolina Hurricanes come to town on the 12th of January, but EliteProspects’ Sean Shapiro addressed the elephant in the room on his Substack:

Continue reading Thoughts about Sergei Fedorov’s tricky legacy

Tweet of note: Grand Rapids Griffins remind us of charitable drive with Texas Stars for TX flood relief

A good time for a reminder:

Rounding up the Red Wings media corps’ reaction to #retire91

The Detroit Red Wings are retiring Sergei Fedorov’s #91 on January 12th, 2025. The Wings’ media corps reacted almost immediately to the news, which was posted in Tweet form, with Sergei’s trademark purple Corvette being the star:

So, here’s MLive’s Ansar Khan…

Continue reading Rounding up the Red Wings media corps’ reaction to #retire91

Red Wings to retire Sergei Fedorov’s #91 on January 12th, 2026

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

Press release:

RED WINGS TO RETIRE SERGEI FEDOROV’S NO. 91

… Sergei Fedorov played 13 seasons with the Red Wings, winning three Stanley Cup championships, earning two Frank J. Selke Trophies and claiming the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 1993-94  …

… Fedorov was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in conjunction with the league’s Centennial celebration in 2017 …

… Fedorov was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015 and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2016 …

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings Governor and Chief Executive Officer Chris Ilitch today announced the organization will officially retire Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91 in a special pre-game ceremony on January 12, 2026, when the Red Wings host the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena.

“We are honored to celebrate Sergei Fedorov and raise his #91 to its rightful place hanging in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena, among the all-time greats who have worn the Winged Wheel,” said Ilitch. “His exceptional skill, relentless drive, and lasting impact playing a pivotal role bringing three Stanley Cup championships to Detroit make him the perfect embodiment of the qualities deserving of our franchise’s most prestigious honor. My parents, Mike and Marian Ilitch had a special reverence for Sergei as one of the most dynamic and charismatic players of his era, and someone who made a tremendous impact on our organization. All of us at the Red Wings look forward to hosting Sergei and his family in January to pay tribute to his remarkable career.”

“I’m extremely grateful for this tremendous honor,” said Fedorov. “Thank you to everyone with the Red Wings organization, especially those who helped bring me to Detroit and gave me the chance to play for such a historic franchise. I was fortunate to be part of some unforgettable teams, and above all, I’m proud of the three Stanley Cup championships we won for our amazing fans in Hockeytown. The memories made along the way – with legendary teammates, coaches, and exceptional ownership – will stay with me forever. Lastly, I want to thank Chris Ilitch for the call yesterday to share the news about retiring my number. It’s a moment I’ll always cherish. I can’t wait to see everyone in January.”

Continue reading Red Wings to retire Sergei Fedorov’s #91 on January 12th, 2026

Server goal met; fundraising continues

I’ve got some great news and some not-so-great news.

First, the great news: We hit the server fundraising goal! TMR will remain alive for another year. I am super grateful to each and every one of you who donated, sent good thoughts, etc. because here we are on the 19th of the month, having raised enough to keep ‘er going.

The not-so-great news, perhaps for both of us: I’m going to have to continue to fundraise to plain old pay the bills for the remainder of the month. Trying to survive on $200 between now and September 12th just isn’t going to happen for Aunt Annie and I, so I’ve got to plain old ask for your support.

TMR is definitely going to survive, which is wonderful. Whether Aunt Annie and I can last on the other $200 in my bank account is in question. So we move forward.

Continue reading Server goal met; fundraising continues

Duff on the youth movement coming to the rescue

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted a subscriber-only story which wonders aloud whether the Red Wings will finally improve in the 2026-2027 season as a significant crop of Wings prospects will likely mature to NHL readiness at that time.

Here’s Duff’s take on the future state of the Red Wings’ defense…

Nowhere will the turnover be as readily apparent as along the blueline. Just two defensemen are signed beyond this season – Moritz Seider and Albert Johansson. Pacts agreed to by Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, Erik Gustafsson, Jean-Bernard Docker, and Travis Hamonic all expire on July 1 of next year. Each will be a UFA.

Of course, at some point, Yzerman will get impending restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson’s name on a new pact. This is a factor he’s already pondering, perhaps looking to lock Edvinsson up sooner rather than later.

“I’ve personally thought about it,” Yzerman acknowledged earlier this summer. “We’ve thought about it internally.”

Expect 2023 first-round pick Axel Sandin Pellikka to start this year with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Likewise, 2020 second-rounder William Wallinder will also be back with the Griffins. But both should have worked their way to Detroit by the start of next season at the latest.

And Duff does offer a caveat:

It might not take until next season for some of these young players to force their way into NHL duty. We saw it last year with Kasper and Soderblom that the Red Wings aren’t afraid to move a prospect in when they’re ready to make a difference in the show.

The thing is, a number of these kids must be ready to play by the fall of 2026. If they aren’t, then it might be time to slap a failure label on the Yzerplan.

Continued (paywall); there’s no denying that the Red Wings have a fairly large group of prospects who should step into NHL skates over the next 2 to 3 seasons, but it’s up to the Red Wings’ coaches and management group to get the best out of the players that are currently on the roster, flaws included…

And it’s harder to say for certain whether every prospect discussed is a sure-fire NHL’er. Predicting prospect development is particularly difficult, and I don’t think that prospects alone will be the answer.

Detroit will need to continue pursuing trade and free agency routes to help the team as well, because the harsh truth is that some of the Wings’ prospects might not slide into NHL roles next season.

The gang’s all there

ColumbusBlueJackets.com’s Jeff Svoboda headed to Plymouth, MI to check in with Blue Jackets stars Adam Fantilli and Zach Werenski as the pair train at USA Hockey Arena.

The article also serves as a quiet reminder that there’s something of an All-Star Team’s worth of U.S. National Team Development Program alums spending their summers training and skating in Plymouth, including the Red Wings’ captain:

The scenes in the gym and on the ice aren’t necessarily dramatic – there’s no ear-splitting music in the gym, no screaming strength coaches getting in the faces of the players – but the intensity is real when you’re working with the best of the best.

The on-ice session was split into drills and mini-games, and the competitiveness among the high-level athletes is palpable. While there are light moments like stick taps for a player who loses an edge and slips to the ice, each 3-on-3 game ends with joyous winners celebrating and losers who start moving nets and pucks into place for the next battle.

Through it all, [Adam] Fantilli – who has often talked about learning and getting better every day of his NHL career – is a keen observer of what’s going on around him.

“It’s all All-Stars out there,” he said. “You’re going against guys that are the best in the league in a lot of senses. I can take from a lot of guys’ games. You have Jack [Hughes] and Quinn [Hughes] out there that are two of the most shifty guys in the NHL, and that’s something I want to add to my game as well. Cole (Caufield) is such a great shooter. Usually Kyle Connor and (Dylan) Larkin are out there, and those are both world-class forwards as well.

“They’re guys I want to take from their games. Learning from them every day has been really beneficial.”

Continued; it’s a good read from Svoboda, especially if you’re a Blue Jackets and/or U of M hockey fan.

Coach McLellan’s under pressure for sure, but his job isn’t on the line

The Hockey News’s Adam Proteau offers a list of 5 coaches with “the most to prove” in the NHL this upcoming season, and it comes as no surprise that Red Wings coach Todd McLellan is on Proteau’s list:

Todd McLellan, Detroit Red Wings

When McLellan took over from fired Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde in late December of 2024, he initially had a stellar run with the Wings. But the longer the season played out, the worse Detroit looked, and the Red Wings failed to make the playoffs for the ninth straight season.

Needless to say, the pressure on McLellan to turn the Wings into a playoff team will be massive this coming year. McLellan has 17 seasons as an NHL coach under his belt, so if anyone has the experience to weather any storm the Red Wings will be facing next year, it’s him. But Detroit GM Steve Yzerman also is facing a ton of pressure to get this Wings team back into the post-season – and that means nobody’s job in Detroit is safe, McLellan’s job included.

Coaching in the highly competitive Atlantic Division means McLellan’s work is cut out for him. So the pressure on McLellan couldn’t be more evident, and he has just one goal – lead this group into at least a wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.

Continued; we all know that, barring a couple of trades for top-six forward and a top-four defender, the current roster is going to be expected to step up significantly on both collective and individual bases…

But I don’t think that the Wings are going to fire Yzerman as long as the Ilitches own the team, and I don’t think that Todd McLellan’s job is in jeopardy going into his first full season in Detroit.

Does he face pressure? Hell yes, quite a bit of it. But he’s not going to be fired if the Wings flop.

‘My favorite memory’ as a Red Wings fan

The Detroit Red Wings posted a thoughtful question today on Twitter…

And I’ve got a fairly long answer.

On September 22nd, 1991, I was a 13-year-old kid who beginning to fall in love with hockey and the Detroit Red Wings. My friend Joe Kim kept on telling me about how great this Russian guy named Sergei Fedorov was, and over the summer of 1991, I started collecting hockey cards, but I had to see a game for myself.

So dad picked up exhibition game tickets (upper-bowl, $22 a ticket) for a Red Wings-Toronto Maple Leafs game at Little Caesars Arena.

We headed down to LCA through Greektown, stopping for burgers at the old Athens Bar, where dad’s dinner was half delicious hamburger and coffee and cigarettes as he was a chain-smoker. We would board the People Mover to get down to the Joe, and after a circuit around the massive, dark concourse of the Joe, we took our seats.

There were a lot of Maple Leafs fans in the crowd, so the atmosphere was electric, even though it was an exhibition game. I was super excited to take part in it.

Continue reading ‘My favorite memory’ as a Red Wings fan