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Evening news: On AA, Zadina and Day 2 Wings videos

Updated at 6:44 PM: Of Red Wings-related mainstream media note this evening:

1. As the Free Press’s Helene St. James notes, Andreas Athanasiou believes that the chicken comes before the egg, and that ice time begets performance:

Consistency is an issue: at one point last season, Athanasiou went 15 games without scoring a goal and contributing only four assists. He later went 13 games without a goal.

“I think it’s just consistently playing – I think when I get those consistent minutes, I consistently produce,” Athanasiou said. “So as long as those minutes don’t fluctuate from a lot to a little, if it’s a comfortable amount of minutes, I definitely can produce with it.”

Athanasiou’s minutes did fluctuate during the 15-game stretch, but he topped 14 minutes in eight of those games. Athanasiou has been vocal about ice time – or lack of it – before.

“I think any player would argue more minutes will equal more production,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I don’t know that’s necessarily always true. I’d also argue there’s lots of players in the league that have found ways to be very, very good without lots of minutes, and then what generally happens then is more minutes follow.”

Blashill said he plans to be vigilant that “whatever line is really going, they have to keep getting lots of ice time.”

St. James continues, and you can watch Athanasiou’s comments here:

2. MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with Filip Zadina regarding his rebounding from an up-and-down prospect tournament:

Continue reading Evening news: On AA, Zadina and Day 2 Wings videos

Impressions from the second day of Red Wings training camp ’18

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

Afternoon round-up: Videos and articles from the second day of training camp, Zetterberg stuff and chatter about Jussi Jokinen

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…

2. And the Red Wings posted clips of David Pope, Andreas Athanasiou and Evgeny Svechnikov speaking with the media:

Continue reading Afternoon round-up: Videos and articles from the second day of training camp, Zetterberg stuff and chatter about Jussi Jokinen

Audio from the second day of training camp ’18, part 3: Cholowski and Zadina

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:

Audio from the second day of training camp ’18, part 2: Green, Mantha, Blashill

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:

A pair of audio clips from the second day of training camp ’18: Athanasiou and Pope

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:

Morning news: Wojnowski, St. James pay tribute to Zetterberg; Duff on the rebuild; a bit about Rasmussen

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.

Wojnowski continues…

2. The Free Press’s Helene St. James also wrote a tribute to Zetterberg…

Continue reading Morning news: Wojnowski, St. James pay tribute to Zetterberg; Duff on the rebuild; a bit about Rasmussen

Wings training camp day 1 video post

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…

And here are the rest of the Day 1 videos:

Continue reading Wings training camp day 1 video post