Category: Uncategorized

Three things: Today is Patrick Kane Day in Chicago; Wings single-game tix go on sale at 10 AM; Seider, Raymond to take part in ASG in Zurich

Just a quick reminder as to what’s happening today:

  1. Today is Patrick Kane Day (8/8) in Chicago, which will involve several autograph-signings, a sold-out dinner event, and likely media appearances where Kane will regale the audiences with tales of his Stanley Cup wins with Chicago;
  2. Red Wings single-game tickets go on sale to the general public today at 10 AM EDT;
  3. And in Zurich, Switzerland, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond will take part in an All-Star Game called “Fiala’s Friends” to benefit Zurich-area charities.

Update:

Have the Red Wings delivered a middling ‘Summer Splash,’ or are they a cannonball not yet taken?

Perhaps in a sign that the NHL’s summertime free agency period and post-draft trades haven’t been exactly scintillating, the Hockey News’s Adam Proteau affords the Red Wings the 11th-best “Summer Splash” ranking of the NHL’s 32 teams.

Proteau makes sure to state that the middle-of-the-pack “summer splash” teams have not necessarily improved, nor have they necessarily gotten worse, and, after analyzing the Red Wings’ additions and subtractions, he issues the following “Bottom Line“:

The Bottom Line

Let’s be clear – the Red Wings are where they are in our summer splash rankings primarily because of the Gibson move. Goaltending had been an issue in Detroit for a long time, and Yzerman finally found the big fish in net that he and Wings fans have been aching for.

However, when you look at the big picture in the Atlantic, the Red Wings are still going to face a hellacious battle just to land a wild card playoff berth, let alone contend for a top-three spot in the division. Yzerman didn’t do much to address his team’s defense corps, and at forward, Yzerman is still banking on a group of young players rising and justifying Yzerman’s belief in them. 

The Wings are still in the mid-tier of our summer splash ranks because, even with Gibson in town, they’re not quite a top-10 team in terms of summer improvements. Yes, they’re technically better, and that’s why they’re not 15th or 20th in these ratings. But looking at Detroit as a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference is a major-league stretch. 

By season’s end, it would surprise no one if the Red Wings were on the outside of the playoff picture looking in for the 10th consecutive season. Gibson will have to steal a lot of games just to keep them fighting for a playoff spot, and of course, that’s not guaranteed. And if the Wings falter yet again, Yzerman’s job security will be in jeopardy.

Continued; Gibson, Cam Talbot and Sebastian Cossa will all earn time in the Wings’ crease…

But there’s no doubt that “everybody’s got to give a little bit more” if the Red Wings don’t make any further improvements over the remainder of the summer or start of fall.

“Improvement from within” will mean better consistency from both veterans and young players alike, pushes from the Wings’ prospects to “steal jobs” from veterans, and perhaps some in-season trades for a top-six forward with a scorer’s touch and/or a top-four defenseman with some two-way capabilities.

But you also know my bottom line: the Red Wings’ success or failure during its “Centennial Season” will not determine the course of Steve Yzerman’s managerial career. As long as Mrs. Ilitch is still running the show alongside Christopher Ilitch, Steve Yzerman is the executive vice-president and general manager for as long as he wishes to be the EVP and GM.

Continue reading Have the Red Wings delivered a middling ‘Summer Splash,’ or are they a cannonball not yet taken?

On the athletic art of ‘putting on weight without adding bulk’

Back on June 28th, Red Wings prospect Carter Mazur told DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills that he’s put 15 pounds on a 170-pound-listed frame.

Today, MLive’s Ansar Khan took note of the remarks made by Red Wings assistant GM/director of amateur scouting Kris Draper and Red Wings director of player development Dan Cleary regarding the ways in which players can add muscle without adding “bulk“:

“All these kids that we talk to, they talk about, ‘I got to put weight on,’ ” Kris Draper, Red Wings assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting, said. “But in the end, it’s going to happen over time, and we just have to be patient.

“I’ll give you a perfect example of Carter Mazur. I think he was at 165 when we drafted him (2021), and he’s weighing in at almost 195 pounds right now. He’s 23 years old, and he’s finally been able to put all that weight on. And he’s putting on the right weight, and it’s something that he knows he needed to do. Some kids, it takes a little bit longer.”

I’ve talked to several prospects who say that the first time they put on weight, they ended up finding themselves too heavy or too slow, so they end up losing 5 or 10 pounds to find their optional weight.

The Europeans have said that to me more than anybody else, but it seems to be an issue with a significant minority of prospects (under 50%, but not far under 50%), so it’s incredibly important that Mazur told Mills that he’s worked under the tutelage of the Grand Rapids Griffins’ training staff in order to add muscle but not “bulk” to his wiry frame.

Continue reading On the athletic art of ‘putting on weight without adding bulk’

Fundraising doesn’t have to be fun; it has to get done

We’ve managed to raise $145 of the $617 in server fees and yearly bills that I have to pay this month to keep the website up and running, so that’s good news.

Overall, I believe that we can hit the necessary marks, but it’s going to take daily donations to get ‘er done–the urgency remains, and I’m going to be worrying until we hit our goal–and as such, I have to nag you every day, whether you and I like it or not.

I will admit, however, that this has been a miserable week in terms of anxiety and depression, so I’m fighting through as best I can. I say this not to “milk it” for donations’ sake, but to simply tell you the truth as to how things are going.

So the grind continues, with me working as best as I can to provide content, and we’ll go from there.

In terms of fundraising…

Continue reading Fundraising doesn’t have to be fun; it has to get done

Press release: Red Wings confirm return to Traverse City for training camp from September 18th-20th

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

RED WINGS TRAINING CAMP RETURNS TO TRAVERSE CITY IN SEPTEMBER

  … Centre ICE Arena to Host Practice Sessions from Sept. 18-20 …

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman today announced that the Red Wings will return to Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City, Mich., to host their annual NHL Training Camp.

The 2025-26 Red Wings hit the ice for the first time for Training Camp on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 18, and continue daily through Saturday, Sept. 20. Red Wings players, prospects and tryouts will be divided into teams that will practice and scrimmage throughout camp before heading to West Michigan for the annual Red and White Game on Sunday, Sept. 21 at Van Andel Arena, home of the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Following the Red and White Game, the team will break camp for Detroit to begin their preseason schedule at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 23 against the Chicago Blackhawks. A full camp roster and the complete training camp schedule will be announced at a later date.

TICKETS FOR TRAINING CAMP ON SALE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13

Advance tickets for all Red Wings Training Camp sessions in Traverse City will be available online this season at www.mynorthtickets.com/organizations/centre-ice starting on Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 10:00 a.m. Ticket prices are as follows: 

  • Training Camp Practice (Thursday, Sept. 18): $20 per day (general admission)
  • Training Camp Practice (Friday, Sept. 19): $20 per day (general admission)
  • Training Camp Practice (Saturday, Sept. 20): $30 per day (general admission)

Select 2025 Training Camp merchandise will also be available for purchase in the arena store on the upper level behind the concession stand. For additional information, please call (231) 933-7465 or visit www.centreice.org.

Red Wings announce ‘Centennial Nights’ game tickets on sale; single-game tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 AM

The Detroit Red Wings’ single-game tickets go on sale for the 2025-2026 season on Friday at 10 AM EDT (there is a pre-sale going on right now), and today, the Wings have made tickets to their Centennial Nights available to the public.

Here’s their PR release:

Centennial Eras Nights tickets are officially ON SALE NOW! Score single-game tickets for one of our seven eras nights and get ready to celebrate 100 years of Hockeytown history, together!

Centennial Eras special ticket packages, presented by Little Caesars, for these nights are also on sale, and with limited-edition, once-in-a-century items up for grabs, you’ll want to act fast! From Opening Night to April, you can become a part of this historic season TODAY.

Roughly translated: Michal Svrcek confirms that he’s staying with Brynas IF of the SHL

HockeyNews.se posted an article about Anaheim Ducks prospect Lucas Pettersson and Red Wings prospect Michal Svrcek, who both confirm that they’re staying with the Brynas IF organization this upcoming season.

Svrcek already told HockeyNews.se’s Mattias Persson that he’s staying in Sweden, despite the fact that the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires selected him in the CHL Import Draft.

The Spitfires recently told the Windsor Star’s Jim Parker that they haven’t given up on bringing Svrcek over to North America…

But both Pettersson and Svrcek make it very clear to HockeyNews.se’s editorial staff that they’re going to battle for spots on Brynas‘ men’s team:

Michal Svrcek is also back with Brynas after a summer in which sporting director Johan Alcen celebrated his progress. The Slovak played in 27 SHL games last year, and is aiming for an even bigger role.

The competition for the team he sees only to spurn him on.

“It just motivates me,” Svrcek said.

At the same time, he states that he never considered gambling with the OHL–Brynas has always been the goal.

Both have the World Junior Championship in Minnesota in sight. Pettersson wants to lead Sweden, while Svrcek is chasing a place on Slovakia’s team.

“The World Junior Championship is obviously a goal, where I want a place to be a leading player for Sweden and play for the noblest of medals,” Pettersson said.

Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond will take part in a charity hockey game in Zurich on Friday, August 8th

Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider will be in Zurich, Switzerland tomorrow to take part in a charity hockey game organized by Kevin Fiala…as will Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond.

This morning, Sport.ch’s Damian Moschinger reports that the following players will play against the Swiss champion ZSC Lions to raise funds for St. Gallen Children’s Hospital, and the youth foundations of ZSC Lions and EHC Uzwil.

The lineup is heavily made up of Swiss stars, but Seider and Raymond aren’t alone in terms of the NHL star power skating in Zurich tomorrow:

Fiala recently announced his team’s lineup, and now the final two names have been revealed. They are Swiss national team goalie Akira Schmid and former Kloten defenseman David Reinbacher. The complete lineup of the Fiala selection is as follows:

Kevin Fiala

Jonas Siegenthaler

Nico Hischier

Timo Meier

Nino Niederreiter

Mats Zuccarello

Lucas Raymond

Tim Stützle

Moritz Seider

Marco Rossi

Andres Ambühl

Pius Suter

Janis Moser

William Lagesson

Petr Čech (Goalie)

Philipp Kurashev

Alexandre Texier

Lian Bichsel

Akira Schmid (Goalie)

David Reinbacher

Unsurprisingly, the coach is Patrick Fischer, and Marcel Jenni will assist him. Fans can look forward to a small hockey spectacle, which will also feature musical accompaniment by Bastian Baker.

Tweet of note from THN: 40-year-old David Booth combines a Savardian spin-o-rama and a Datsyukian deke

Former Red Wings forward and 40-year-old David Booth is dominating the Australian Ice Hockey League this summer, having posted 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points over the course of only 11 games played for the AIHL’s Melbourne Ice.

The Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker found a Twitter clip of Booth engaging in a Denis Savardian spin-o-rama, and then a Datsyukian deke, while scoring one of his of his 5 goals and 8 points yesterday:

Not bad for the former Vancouver Canucks star.