Freep excerpt from “The Russian Five”: June 13, 1997

June 13th, 1997. I still remember standing in line at the Meijer in Canton when I first heard that several Red Wings players were involved in a car accident, and things went downhill from there as we found out that Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Mnatsakanov and Slava Fetisov were all injured in the accident…

Seven days after the Wings won their first Stanley Cup in 42 years, the celebration was over, and a summer of prayer and hoping against hope began. This morning, the Free Press published part of Keith Gave’s The Russian Five novel, and today’s excerpt discusses the crash that paralyzed Mnatsakanov and ended Konstantinov’s playing career:

The last of the golfers had come off the course at about 8:30 p.m., including athletic therapist John Wharton, who with assistant trainer Tim Abbott had spent the day escorting the Stanley Cup around the course. Stanley was the hit of the party. At some holes, players poured cold beer into the bowl and quenched their thirst. At others, the trophy was laid gently on the green, giving putters a much-needed bigger target.

Inside the club, dinner dishes were being cleared and plans made for the rest of the evening. Darren McCarty made a phone call to a tattoo artist. He was leading a group that included teammate Aaron Ward, Wharton, Abbott and a few others. They were all going to get their flesh decorated with the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings logo. Some players were staying behind to play cards and catch up with the group later. For these newly minted Stanley Cup champions, the hours in one last memorable night together celebrating a lifelong brotherhood etched in silver were just beginning. They were relaxed, relieved, radiant.

Then Sergei Fedorov’s cell phone rang. It was shortly before 10 p.m.

“All of a sudden, Sergei handed his phone to Steve (Yzerman),” Shanahan said. “Sergei looked like a ghost.”

The others grew quiet, their faces a mixture of confusion and anguish. Several teammates asked Fedorov at the same time: “What’s going on?”

The excerpt continues at length…

 

Custance discusses Kovalchuk and the Wings

The Athletic’s Craig Custance penned a lengthy article about Ilya Kovalchuk’s attempt to find the right fit as he returns to the NHL at 35, and Custance addressed the Red Wings’ interest in Kovalchuk:

The Red Wings are rebuilding but management wants to do it in a way where the young players feel like they have a shot to win on any given night. The organization still wants Detroit to be a place where players still enjoy coming to the rink on a daily basis. Bottoming out completely typically doesn’t create that kind of environment. There’s also a new building in Detroit that was half empty at times in year one and would get some needed juice with a player like Kovalchuk.

But really, it only makes sense on a one-year deal that can be spun at the trade deadline. In fact, that’s a great idea if you’re Detroit. It’s almost like buying draft picks and prospects in free agency. But if that’s the case, why would Kovalchuk do it?

It’s a longshot but the best pitch would have to be a one-year deal on a huge salary that also gives Kovalchuk complete control of where he goes at the trade deadline, with Detroit retaining some of the cost. Going that route would, in theory, buy Kovalchuk time to see which of the contending teams offer him the best chance to win. Again, that’s just a working theory.

Custance continues at length (paywall), suggesting that Kovalchuk would rather be on a team with more stable playoff footing.

Update: The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan mentioned the Wings’ interest in Kovalchuk as well:

The Wings’ interest in Kovalchuk is understandable in the fact the team lost a staggering 27 one-goal games last season, and ranked 24th on the power play (17.5 percent).

Adding a goal-scorer such as Kovalchuk, who still possesses one of the hardest and most accurate shots in the world, would likely help the Wings offensively.

But the Wings are admittedly in a rebuild, and are trying to add young players into the lineup.

Signing a player such as Kovalchuk could take ice time away from prospects such as Michael Rasmussen, Evgeny Svechnikov or Tyler Bertuzzi.

Kovalchuk has yet to win a Stanley Cup, and is reportedly looking for a team close to winning, as well as a two- or three-year contract at around $6 million per season.

The Wings would likely be more interested in a one- or two-year deal, which might not interest Kovalchuk, who can’t officially sign a contract until July 1.

HSJ weighs in regarding her all-time greatest Wings

As the Free Press holds its fan vote for the greatest Red Wings of all time, the Free Press’s Helene St. James offers her list:

That Gordie Howe is the No. 1 seed is a no-brainer: he is synonymous with the franchise. He is considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Among his myriad of accomplishments, he won four Stanley Cups with the Wings.

The next two names were going to be Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom – but in which order? I know that if I asked either of them, they would put one another in the No. 2 spot. I ultimately went with Yzerman – like Howe, he came to be the face of the franchise. He was the quiet, unassuming teenager who led the team out of the “Dead Wings” era and onto glory. He was named captain at 21 and served in that role for two decades. He became known simply as “the Captain.”

It speaks to the significance of Howe and Yzerman that Lidstrom, the best defenseman of his generation and one of the all-time greatest players, sits at No. 3 on my list. He embodied perfection – on the ice, off. In all my years of covering him, not once did I see him lose his temper. I remember during the playoffs one year, a reporter asked him why the Wings had trouble converting on 5-on-3s. Lidstrom, the most polite person I’ve ever met, pointed out their two-man power play had only lasted 2 seconds.

St. James continues…

Kulfan compiles a “Top 20” Wings prospect list

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has compiled a list of the Red Wings’ top 20 prospects.

It’s probably never been a better time to be a prospect in the Wings’ organization over the past two decades.

If a young player shows the ability, work ethic and determination, he’s likely to find his way onto the Wings’ roster.

More roster spots will be available, as the Wings’ watch contracts on established veterans expire over the next few seasons — meaning more spots for draft picks.

“I’m hoping and expecting that two, maybe four or five kids, between the ages of 19 and 22 are on the roster next year that weren’t won the team (this season),” Holland said. “I want to get those young people onto the roster when they can help us be competitive.”

With the organization’s young players never more important, here’s a look at the the Red Wings’ top 20 prospects.

Among Kulfan’s comments via photo gallery:

4. Filip Hronek, defenseman. Age: 20. Height/weight: 6-0/178. 2017-18 stats: Grand Rapids (AHL) – 67 games, 11 goals, 28 assists, 39 points. Acquired: Drafted, 2016, second round (No. 53 overall). Skinny: He was one of the most improved players on the Griffins’ roster over the course of the season. Hronek isn’t the biggest guy around, but plays with a lot of heart and isn’t afraid to mix it up physically. He’s further along offensively, including showing a real awareness on the power play.

The Athletic’s ‘Mock Draft 2.0’ has the Wings picking Hughes

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has penned a “Mock Draft 2.0,” and as he believes that Evan Bouchard will go to Ottawa 4th overall, Pronman and Craig Custance suggest that the Red Wings will draft Michigan native Quinn Hughes at #6:

No 6 Detroit: Quinn Hughes, D, Michigan-Big 10 What does the team typically value in players? The Red Wings ideal during their rebuild would be to build a team with skill and size. Even as the league is trending smaller, they value size along with character players they believe will put in the work to develop. That said, they understand the organizational need for high-end skill so they may be more willing to take on risk with their stockpile of draft picks.

Is there any major area of need? The Red Wings focus at the top of the draft will be on defense and at center.

Rationale? If the draft plays out like this, expect the Red Wings to look to trade down, although they won’t go outside the top 10. They might prefer Noah Dobson in this spot because of his size and his right-handed shot, but it’s hard to pass up Hughes’ skating and playmaking.— Craig Custance

Pronman’s comments: The Wings pick out of their backyard to get the defenseman with the second highest pure upside in the class, and the best pure skater in the class. He immediately becomes the organization’s top prospect and the most talented young defense prospect they’ve had in decades.

Continued (paywall), and I’d be surprised if Bouchard doesn’t slide down to 6th, but that’s my take.

 

Custance: Wings have offered Bylsma a spot on Blashill’s staff

According to The Athletic’s Craig Custance, the Red Wings have offered Dan Bylsma an assistant coaching job:

Kovalchuk? No, thanks…

Via WDIV’s David Bartkowkiak Jr.:

Nyet, spasiba.

Three things: Recalling 2002’s Wings-Canucks series; UFA’s of note and Nyquist’s ‘numbers’

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. Sportsnet’s Sean McIndoe examined 8 Stanley Cup champions “who survived early deficits“:

3) 2002 Detroit Red Wings

If there are any Canucks fans still reading after we mentioned the 2011 Bruins, this section should finish them off.

The 2001–02 Red Wings were easily the Cup favourites heading into the season; they were coming off a 116-point season in a year when nobody else managed more than 101. But the eighth-seeded Canucks seemed poised to pull off the upset, stealing the opener on Henrik Sedin’s OT winner and then rolling to a 5–2 win in Game 2.

With the Red Wings on the ropes and a raucous home crowd cheering them on, the Canucks tied Game 3 with a goal midway through the second period and were headed into the intermission with a chance to shove the favourites into an impossible hole.

Every Canucks fan remembers what happened next:

The goal held up as the winner, and the Canucks didn’t win another game. The Red Wings went on to beat the Blues and Avalanche on their way to an easy final matchup with the overmatched Hurricanes.

But look on the bright side, Canucks fans. While the series may have featured one of the most devasting gut-punch goals in modern NHL history, at least it served up a legendary Brian Burke press conference.

2. USA Today’s Kevin Allen compiled a list of 15 potential unrestricted free agents of note, and the Wings are mentioned in the cases of two potential UFA players:

Continue reading Three things: Recalling 2002’s Wings-Canucks series; UFA’s of note and Nyquist’s ‘numbers’

Khan discusses developmental curves for the Wings’ top prospects

This morning, MLive’s Ansar Khan examines the Red Wings’ top prospects, attempting to estimate when Michael Rasmussen, Evgeny Svechnikov, Filip Hronek, Dennis Cholowski, David Pope, Libor Sulak, Givani Smith, Filip Larsson and Vili Saarijarvi will be ready to arrive in the NHL:

Michael Rasmussen
Position: Center
Height/Weight: 6-6/221
Shoots: Left
Drafted: First round in 2017 (No. 9)
2017-18 season: He tallied 31 goals and 59 points in 47 games with the WHL Tri-City Americans in a season interrupted by wrist surgery. He was even more dominant in the playoffs, with 16 goals and 33 points in 14 games.
Timeline to NHL: The Red Wings are counting on Rasmussen to make the team in training camp. They plan to ease his transition to the NHL by starting him on wing, like they did with Dylan Larkin as a rookie in 2015-16. If Rasmussen isn’t ready for the NHL he will return to Tri-City for his final junior season. He is not eligible to play in the AHL in 2018-19.

‘Two Things,’ video version: On Ben Simon’s hiring and more ‘Best of Joe Louis Arena’ from AWood40

Of video-related note this morning:

1. Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon spoke with WOOD TV’s Jack Doles regarding his hiring by the Griffins:

2. And AWood40 posted “The Best of Joe Louis Arena, Part 12”: