Power Edge Pro is in Metro Detroit for a skill development camp held with locally-based professional and NHL hockey players, and it appears that they have a returning attendee who might interest you:
The latest addition to the @DetroitRedWings – Alex Debrincat made his way to Detroit early for some Pro Camp reps. Expect big things this year as the dynamic right winger lines up with Larkin. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/qtBJJpwS5m
— Power Edge Pro (@PEPHockey) August 31, 2023
It’s the end of August, and the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton spends today’s column examining the ESPN documentary of the Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche’s bloody, bitter rivalry throughout the late 90’s, a.k.a. “Unrivaled.”
There was nothing like that particularly vicious rivalry between Detroit and Colorado, and, as Stockton suggests, the documentary feature–aired among what seems like an endless sea of (pardon the pun) hard-hitting sports documentaries–stands alone:
Unrivaled couldn’t be confused for a SportsCenter highlight pack because games defined by players like these don’t seem to exist anymore. As if the game highlights from the era aren’t enough to make this clear, Brian Burke—then the NHL’s player safety boss—tells us that any wound requiring fewer than 10 stitches was then considered a “shaving cut.”
Of course, prioritizing McCarty and Draper within this story would only work if those players had something new to add to this well-told story, and that’s where Unrivaled works best. From a film-making perspective, its most powerful tool is live footage of McCarty and antagonist Claude Lemieux at a sports bar in Royal Oak. By bringing together the erstwhile combatants, Unrivaled arrives at a fresh perspective on an evening—March 26, 1997—that has been discussed by Red Wing fans in exhaustive detail for 25 years.
The documentary also uses its interviews to make plain that even with the passage of time, tensions are still beyond a simmer. This is never clearer than when Draper is asked directly at the outset of the film whether he’s forgiven Lemieux. Draper’s response?
“Um…It seemed like was brought of what he did, but in the end, I quote my good friend Darren McCarty, karma’s a b**ch.
As Stockton continues, he notes that the most important part of the documentary, from a Red Wings fan’s perspective, at least, is the footage of Vladimir Konstantinov during and after his heyday as one of the NHL’s most punishing and complete defensemen. I happen to believe that the dignity with which Konstantinov lives his life today is a beautiful thing, and, as Vladdy himself summarizes the rivalry, what mattered?
“Beat them.”
DetroitRedWings.com’s Art Regner continues his “How Swede It Is” series with an article about defenseman Borje Salming. Salming only played one season in Detroit–his last in the NHL–but his importance to the Red Wings’ Swedes is massive:
Though he meshed well on and off the ice with his Red Wings teammates Salming retired from the NHL at the conclusion of the season. Yet, his impact on the Red Wings Swedish players that followed him is immeasurable.
“Back in ’91, before I joined the Wings, he was my partner (at the 1991 Canada Cup). I was actually an extra defenseman when the tournament started and someone got hurt and I got paired with Börje and I played all the games with him,” Red Wings legend Nick Lidstrom said. “I was nervous. I was nervous to meet him, but he made me feel so relaxed. I remember he told me, ‘Just go out there and play your game, I’m going to take care of the defense, you can go join the offense’ and be the offensive player that I was at a young age. He made me feel comfortable right away, which was huge for me.”
Lidstrom remembers how Salming showed up for every game and how he never took a shift off, something he tried to emulate during his Red Wings career. He was also impressed with how Salming conducted himself.
“He probably exceeded what I expected. Off the ice he was such a nice man. He cared for other people in the locker room, he didn’t act like the superstar he was. He was just being himself and really was thinking about everyone else as well,” Lidstrom said. “He paved the way for not only Swedes but for European players when he came over in the early ’70s. He wasn’t the first European player, but he was one of the first that became a star. So, he paved the way for all the Europeans the way he played and the way he stood up to the tough hockey that was played back then.
“He was my idol growing up.”
Via the Grand Rapids Griffins’ Twitter account, Michigan State University held its annual “pro camp” last week, inviting their professional hockey-playing alumni to take part in drills under coach Adam Nightingale at the revamped Munn Arena in East Lansing. Red Wings players/prospects Jeff Petry, Taro Hirose and John Lethemon are featured in a 1:30 video highlighting the best of the pro camp:
Spartan hockey Pro Camp one of our favorite weeks of the summer – thanks for stopping back home, boys! pic.twitter.com/DqEcd0zcSJ
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) August 26, 2023
The Grand Rapids Griffins posted their 2023-2024 season’s promotional schedule yesterday afternoon:
The Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday announced their promotional schedule for the 2023-24 season, featuring a number of giveaways and the return of many popular season-long promotions. Single-game tickets for each of the team’s 36 regular-season home games at Van Andel Arena will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. at griffinshockey.com/tickets.
The Griffins will launch the home portion of their 72-game slate on Friday, Oct. 13 against the Colorado Eagles with Opening Night presented by Huntington Bank. Promotions for the home opener include a magnet schedule giveaway, $2 beers/hot dogs, and a post-game open skate.
Grand Rapids’ other giveaways this season include a team calendar (Oct. 14), bucket hat (Nov. 11), sugar skull bobblehead (Nov. 26), Cousin Griffy bobblehead (Dec. 15), adult Flying Toasters jersey (Jan. 27), Friends hat (Feb. 16), belt bag (March 2), and a mystery bag (April 21). Key promotional dates include: Military Appreciation Night (Nov. 11 – 8 p.m. start); 22nd annual School Day Game (Nov. 15 – 11 a.m. start); Teddy Bear Toss (Nov. 24); Hispanic Heritage Night (Nov. 26); Eighth annual Red Kettle Game for The Salvation Army (Dec. 1); A Griffins Christmas Vacation (Dec. 15); 26th annual New Year’s Eve Celebration (Dec. 31 – 6 p.m. start); Heroes vs. Villains (Jan. 13); What Could’ve Been Night (Jan. 27); Princess Night (Feb. 10); Friends Night (Feb. 16); Hockey Without Barries/Sensory Friendly Game (Feb. 24); the Jake Engel Memorial Dog Game (Feb. 25); Salute to Badges (March 2); 12th annual Purple Community Game for Van Andel Institute (March 15); Star Wars Night (March 16 – 8 p.m. start); HOPE Network Night (April 12); and Fan Appreciation Night (April 21).
The popular Friday night beer and hot dog promotion returns for all Friday home games this season, featuring $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last. Free Ride Fridays allows fans to enjoy a complimentary fare on The Rapid by showing their ticket to that night’s game. Visit ridetherapids.org for schedule information, routes and maps.
Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen offered an early look at the developmental curves of the Red Wings’ 2020 NHL Draft picks yesterday.
The “Lucas Raymond draft” afforded Detroit 12 player selections, and some of the players are already out of the organization, so Allen deemed it time to examine the situations of the Wings’ NHL prospects from the ’20 draft, including William Wallinder, Cross Hanas and Eemil Viro:
The Red Wings’ two second round picks — defenseman William Wallinder (drafted 32nd overall) and left wing Cross Hanas (drafted 55th overall) — are both pointed toward Detroit. Hanas (nine goals, 17 points in 30 games) made a favorable impression in Grand Rapids last season before being lost to injury. Wallinder (seven goals, 26 points in 50 games for BK Rogle) is coming off a strong season in Sweden and will play his first North American season for Grand Rapids in 2023-24. He’s a 6-foot-4 two-way defenseman.
A third second rounder, Theo Niederbach (drafted 51st overall), is developing slower than anticipated. Because he’s only 21, he’s in the maybe category.
GM Steve Yzerman dealt third-round pick Donovan Sebrango (drafted 63rd overall) in the Alex DeBrincat swap. The Senators liked Sebrango, and he’s from the Ottawa area. Considering how important DeBrincat is, the Red Wings earn some credit for using the asset.
The Red Wings drafted goalie Jan Bednar (107th overall) and he has already signed with the Grand Rapids Griffins, although he may play with the Toledo Walleye this season. He’s in the mix.
The jury remains out on Eemil Viro (drafted 70th overall). Last season, the Griffins had an overcrowded defense and Viro was sent to the Toledo Walleye. This will be an important season for Viro to show he is on the path to the NHL. Like Niederbach, Viro is a “maybe.”
Continued; I’m guessing that Bednar and John Lethemon will be the goaltenders for the Walleye, and I’m a bit iffy on his long-term potential;
To me, the player to watch is obviously Wallinder, as he’s a massive left-shooter who could be used in a two-way role; Hanas is speedy and has a good shot, and had success at the AHL level before his shoulder gave out; Viro…
Viro is in a bit of a pickle as he’s kind of squeezed out in Grand Rapids. If he’s patient, he could find his way back to the AHL, but he could probably make more money in Europe, should this year not work out for him.
We’ve discussed the fact that Red Wings defensive prospect Antti Tuomisto bet on himself in a big way last season, leaving the University of Denver for TPS Turku of the Finnish Liiga.
The move looked puzzling at the time, because he was leaving North America to play pro hockey in Europe, but Tuomisto posted 20 points in 60 games, he established himself as an efficient and “heavy” defenseman at 6’5″ and 205 pounds, and the Red Wings saw enough in the right-shooting defenseman to sign him to an entry-level contract late last spring.
DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills looked back toward Tuomisto and Red Wings director of player development Dan Cleary’s comments about “Big Antti” from the Wings’ summer development camp:
“I thought he had a good season in Finland,” Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary said on July 5. “He certainly progressed well. He’s a smart, cerebral player.”
Tuomisto said this past season with TPS was a learning experience.
“There’s a lot of skating in Finland, too, with the bigger sheet,” Tuomisto said. “Also, puck battles and stuff like that with bigger guys. It’s harder, so I think that helped me a lot.”
While playing overseas, Tuomisto gathered plenty of hockey tidbits from former NHL defensemen Niklas Kronwall and Sami Salo. Kronwall, who spent his entire 15-year career with Detroit, including a 2008 Stanley Cup championship, currently serves as the Red Wings Director of European Player Development.
“I want to use my shot,” Tuomisto said. “That’s one thing I worked on a lot with Sami Salo, who was our D-coach in Finland. And of course, with Niklas Kronwall a lot on that. I think I got a lot better in that last season.”
Continued; Tuomisto will probably play this upcoming season in Grand Rapids, but he’s got “all the tools” necessary to succeed as a physical defender going forward…
And it’s important to note that prospect development isn’t always linear. Sometimes players have to take a perceived step backwards to really step forward, and that’s what Tuomisto did playing for a TPS team that’s known for developing young players.
Yesterday afternoon, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulffan filed an article which discusses the Red Wings’ revamped roster as it applies to the Wings’ hopes of improving on their power play:
Last season, the Wings ranked 17th (of 32 teams), with a 21.1% success rate. It was actually their best season since 2014-15 (23.8%). As the Wings gradually rose in the standings, a better power play helped.
With the opening of training camp in three weeks, the Wings have the potential for a much more dangerous power-play unit. Which in turn, possibly, could help a push toward the playoffs.
General manager Steve Yzerman’s off-season acquisitions have provided the coaching staff with much more depth, different options to look at, and the potential for two equally effective units.
“Potential being the key word,” Yzerman said after he completed his summer acquisitions. “We have more options. We have more left and right shots, a bit better balance. I would hope that both units are a little deeper and we can put both units out there and be a little more effective, and in turn, bump that power-play percentage up a little bit.”
Continued; the Red Wings will theoretically have two capable power play units this upcoming season, and Kulfan spotlights the Wings’ power play point men in Shayne Gostisbehere and Jeff Petry as important parts of a power play which includes defensemen firing bombs at the net from the point.
Kulfan’s right, and I’m a big believer in the concept that pushing the puck back to the point to generate shots and rebound opportunities. The Wings haven’t had many shots on the point other than Moritz Seider, and that’s changing this upcoming season.
The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a morning profile of Red Wings free agent signing Christian Fischer, a middle-six, penalty-killing forward who hopes to bring physicality to his new team:
Christian Fischer is 6 feet 2, 212 pounds and shoots right; he adds size to the lineup, but he’s not the type whose physicality leads to penalties that hurt his own team.
“His role as a right winger was something of need, a little bit bigger guy,” Yzerman said after signing Fischer for one year, $1.25 million in July. “I won’t speak for Derek (Lalonde), but at times he likes a big matchup line, a defensive line, and Christian helps on the right side. Christian is a real good checker, straight up and down right winger.”
Yzerman signed Fischer, 26, on the second day of free agency. Fischer is coming off a solid season with the Arizona Coyotes, posting 13 goals and 14 assists in 80 games. He’s a veteran of 398 career NHL games, all with the Coyotes, who drafted him in the second round, No. 32 overall, in 2015. He has 56 goals, 55 assists and 99 penalty minutes in six-plus seasons, along with a minus-60 rating that’s more reflective of how much the franchise has struggled than Fischer’s commitment to a two-way game.
“It’s very cliché to say, but I value playing the D side of the puck,” Fischer said. “Over my years in Arizona, I’ve really solidified a role of playing a lot, and for the last three to four years, I was taking every D-zone draw with our team’s top line. I was PK-ing as one of the first guys out the front door. I’d like to say I do a lot of those dirty things. They’re not goals and assists, but everyone knows that’s how you win hockey games.”
Continued; if Fischer is on the third line with J.T. Compher, one wonders who earns that coveted third spot on that particular line…Presuming that everyone is healthy coming out of training camp.
Former Red Wings prospect goaltender Filip Larsson will play for Lesksands IF of the SHL this upcoming season, and he spoke with SHL.se recently. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff translated pertinent portions of the article:
Filip Larsson is still harboring disappointment over the way his time in the Detroit Red Wings organization wound down. At the same time, he is utilizing the life lesson he was learning from the failed experience to bolster him as he seeks to further his hockey career in Europe.
“The first two years were very good,” Larsson told SHL.se of his time playing in North America. The 167th overall selection by Detroit in the 2016 NHL entry draft, the decision was made to bring Larsson across the Atlantic Ocean to play junior hockey in 2017.
Playing for the Tri-City Storm in 2017-18, Larsson would earn the honor as USHL Goaltender of the Year. He was also named to the USHL 1st All-Star Team. Moving to NCAA hockey with the Denver Pioneers, Larsson was an NCHC All-Rookie Team choice in 2018-19. That summer, he would be making the decision to turn pro with the Red Wings.
Duff continues; Larsson is going to be a back-up in Leksand with Mantas Armalis, and he is of course backstopping Wings prospect Anton Johansson, whose father is Leksands’ GM.
