A bit more about the ‘All in 4 ALS’ game today in Windsor

The “All in 4 ALS” game takes place at Windsor’s WFCU Centre today at 2 PM EDT, and the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch penned an article discussing what the game is about:

Bob Jones was always willing to lend a hand as he climbed the hockey ladder and moved into his current role as an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators.

Now, the club’s kindly coach is trying to help those facing the difficult battle with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The Senators announced in January that the club’s 53-year-old Jones has been diagnosed with ALS and he opted to share the news publicly to help raise awareness for the ailment, which is widely referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

A literal who’s-who of the hockey world will gather to honour Jones and help raise money for a good cause at the the “All in 4 ALS” fund-raiser in support of the Sunnybrook Hospital foundation on Saturday afternoon with a charity NHL all-star game at the WFCU centre Arena in Windsor.

Among the participants will be Senators captain Brady Tkachuk along with centre Josh Norris and former Ottawa winger Alex DeBrincat. Detroit’s Dylan Larkin, Boston’s Taylor Hall, Anaheim’s Adam Henrique, Philly’s Scott Laughton and Arizona’s Clayton Keller will be part of an impressive roster.

“The response has been outstanding and the amount of sponsorship we’ve been able to get has been unbelievable,” Smith said in a telephone interview from his Windsor home Thursday.

Continued

Kulfan profiles Shayne Gostisbehere

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a profile of Red Wings free agent signing Shayne Gostisbehere on Friday:

“When you sign a one-year deal, you’re betting on yourself,” Gostisbehere said. “You’re trusting that organization and that opportunity that’s given to you. I need to have the right opportunity to show what I can do, and I thought it was a great fit.”

Gostisbehere pointed to defenseman Olli Maatta, who was in a similar situation the previous summer and signed a one-year contract with the Wings. Maatta played so well, the Wings extended Maatta for two more years (at a $3 million annual average value), showing one-year deals can work out for both sides.

“Olli was in the same situation as me,” Gostisbehere said. “Fell out of favor somewhere, go somewhere else and resurrects his career and springboards that into a contract extension. That’s the dream of every NHL guy when he gets an opportunity somewhere.”

For Gostisbehere, playing in Arizona the last two seasons was a chance for him to re-establish himself on the NHL radar.

After three seasons of subpar performance in Philadelphia, the Flyers traded Gostisbehere to Arizona in July 2021. Gostisbehere regained his confidence and scored 82 points (24 goals, 58 assists) in 134 games with the Coyotes, before being dealt to Carolina at last season’s trade deadline. In Arizona, Gostisbehere earned significant ice time and sparked the Coyotes’ power play and offensive attack.

“I had a few good years in Philly and then injuries really caught up with me,” Gostisbehere said. “It’s just a blend of falling out of favor there. Thankfully, I got a great opportunity in Arizona and I got to showcase that I could still play in this league and resurrect my career, and a chance in showing people that I’m still a good player. I’ll be forever thankful to the Coyotes organization.”

Continued

A bit belated: Pius Suter signs 2-year contract with Vancouver Canucks

Per TSN, former Red Wings center Pius Suter signed a 2-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Friday afternoon:

Free agent forward Pius Suter has signed a two-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks, the club announced Friday.

The contract carries an average annual value (AAV) of $1.6 million.

Suter, a 27-year-old Swiss centre, arrives in Vancouver after spending the last two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.

He contributed 29 goals and 31 assists in 161 games with the Wings.

Suter broke into the NHL as an undrafted rookie with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2020-21 season, recording 14 goals and 13 assists in 55 games.

“Bringing in Pius for the next couple of years really helps us strengthen our centre ice position,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in release. “Adding a player who has scored 43 goals the past three seasons will be a boost for us up front and he will also add to our penalty killing unit as well.”

Promotion: Red Wings holding ‘silent disco’ night on August 26th

For the price of a preseason game ticket to the Pittsburgh Penguins on September 26th or the Washington Capitals on September 30th, the Red Wings are offering a “silent disco” night on August 26th:

A profile of Amadeus Lombardi

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills filed a profile of Red Wings prospect Amadeus Lombardi this morning:

Detroit Red Wings forward prospect Amadeus Lombardi does has not let his 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame deter him from pursuing his professional hockey dreams.

“I was always small growing up,” Lombardi said on July 3. “Late-bloomer, still kind of growing into my body. It’s obviously gonna take time. I think it kind of helped me growing up, being so small, because I had to learn how to deal with it at such a young age and dealt with it my whole life. It’s always gonna come up, but there’s a lot of small guys who play.”

That approach helped Lombardi enjoy a breakout 2022-23 campaign with the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League. This past season – his second with Flint – Lombardi recorded a team-high 102 points (45-57-102) in 67 regular-season games.

“Hockey is such a team sport,” said Lombardi, who became the first player in Firebirds franchise history to reach the 100-point plateau. “I think we had a really good staff that helped give us a lot to go out and play our best. I had great teammates and linemates, and it all kind of clicked together. For my game, I’m a fast-paced player, more of a playmaker than a shooter. But this year, I really tried to shoot more and be more deceptive.”

Continued

Oh, fun.

I don’t know whether any of this is true, and I’m going to be blunt: if the accusations are true, then Mr. DeMelo should file a police report. Period.

Anyway, per Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff, Daniel Sprong is being accused of assault via social media:

IndyCar driver Zach Claman DeMelo is accusing Detroit Red Wings forward Daniel Sprong of assaulting him. DeMelo claims the assault took place in a nightclub during the week of the Detroit Grand Prix. He’s also claiming that there were two separate incidents involving him and Sprong.

DeMelo took took social media to make his accusations, posting it on his Instagram stories. He also included a trio of photos of damage he claims Sprong did to his face. in the photos, DeMelo is displaying chipped teeth and a bloodied mouth, along with some scrapes on his arm. He also says he suffered a concussion from the alleged incident.

Continued; again, if these accusations are true, then Mr. DeMelo should file a police report, and these accusations should follow the legal process.

Reminder: ‘All in 4 ALS’ game takes place this Saturday at Windsor’s WFCU Centre

Just as a reminder…

The All in 4 ALS game takes place on Saturday at 2 PM EDT, and tickets are anywhere between $15 and $35 Canadian.

As noted by Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Michael Rasmussen, Robby Fabbri, Andrew Copp and Jake Walman are all taking part in the game, as are Brady Tkachuk, Cam Fowler, Matty Beniers, Senators coach D.J. Smith, Red Wings assistant coach Bob Boughner, and more:

A bit of praise for Lucas Raymond’s potential

NHL.com asked its columnists to vote upon the league’s best players under 23 years of age who play on the wing, as to whether the players might become the NHL’s best wingers over the next 3 seasons, and Lucas Raymond received the 5th-most votes:

Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings (52): The 21-year-old is entering his third NHL season, and his future is quite bright. The No. 4 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft had 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 74 regular-season games last season, a slight step back from the 57 points (23 goals, 34 assists) he had in 82 games as a rookie in 2021-22. But now that Detroit has added veteran talent up front for the second straight offseason, it’s expected that Raymond’s game will start to grow considerably.

Continued; I’m surprised that Raymond received more votes than Juraj Slafkovsky.

NHL.com’s ’32 in 32′ series previews the Red Wings’ 2023-2024 season

NHL.com will focus on the Red Wings Friday as part of their “32 in 32” series of season previews. This evening, their articles hit the wires a little early, starting with NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika’s “Inside Look” at the team:

The Detroit Red Wings hope to take another step in their rebuild this season after making several offseason additions, highlighted by two-time 40-goal scorer Alex DeBrincat.

“You see a team that’s maybe frustrated with being in a rebuild and wants to get out,” DeBrincat said. “I’m excited to be here and kind of join that and hopefully be part of the solution to get out of that. I’m just really excited to join these guys, and I definitely see the potential in this group.”

The Red Wings have not made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for seven straight seasons, tying the longest drought (1970-77) in their 97-year history.

But after bottoming out with 39 points in 71 games in 2019-20, their first season under general manager Steve Yzerman, they have improved steadily season by season. They had 48 points in 56 games in 2020-21, 74 points in 82 games in 2021-22 and 80 points in 82 games last season.

They held the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference on Feb. 23 last season before finishing 12 points behind the Florida Panthers.

Detroit was active in the offseason, adding DeBrincat, forwards J.T. Compher, Daniel Sprong, Klim Kostin and Christian Fischer; defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Justin Holl; and goalie James Reimer.

Cotsonika continues, and he asks three important questions regarding the team’s performance this upcoming season…

Continue reading NHL.com’s ’32 in 32′ series previews the Red Wings’ 2023-2024 season