The Malik Report

Initial shot, second shot, and booster:

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was targeted by a vicious cross-check by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Mathieu Joseph, but Larkin was the one given a match penalty for what ensued here, per Sportsnet:

Per DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter:

In honor of Larkin’s No. 71, the Captain Jersey Auction lasts for 71 hours, with proceeds benefiting the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, which is committed to providing funds and resources to worthy causes that contribute to the growth of the sport of hockey.

“The Detroit Red Wings have a tremendous history of captains who serve as leaders on and off the ice – including our newest captain, Dylan Larkin,” Red Wings and Tigers director of community impact Kevin Brown said. “The Detroit Red Wings Foundation is proud to join the celebration of Dylan Larkin being named Red Wings captain in front of a packed house at Little Caesars Arena through an exciting 71-hour auction in his honor.

“With every bid, fans are helping the Detroit Red Wings Foundation continue to expand the legacy of Hockeytown for future generations of children in our community.”

This special auction ends on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m., so be sure to bid now and bid often on these authentic jerseys signed and worn by the Red Wings leaders who have helped make Hockeytown what is it today.

For more information or to bid on your very own captain-signed jersey, visit DetroitRedWings.com/Auction.

Per Bally Sports Detroit and NHL.com:

The Red Wings Tweeted out a video of the on-ice introductions as well:

Your 2021-22 Detroit Red Wings. ? #LGRW pic.twitter.com/KftFC9hvp8— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 15, 2021

Update: The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a story about the event:

Former Detroit Red Wings captains Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg were on the ice Thursday for a delayed celebration honoring Dylan Larkin becoming the 37th captain in franchise history.

Yzerman bestowed the “C” on Larkin before the start of the 2021 season, but the pandemic made it impossible to have much of a ceremony. Yzerman and Larkin met in Yzerman’s office, and shook hands. 

Thursday was more fitting for such an honor. Before a lively crowd at Little Caesars Arena, a red carpet was rolled out to welcome a who’s who of former Wings captains: Red Berenson, Nick Libbett, Paul Woods, Dennis Hextall and Mickey Redmond joined Yzerman, Lidstrom and Zetterberg.

97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield filed an article discussing Dylan Larkin’s need for a bounce-back season this year:

You can view last year for Larkin any way you like. The simplest assessment is the truth: it wasn’t good enough. Larkin crashed offensively and created more questions than he answered in Detroit’s search for a No. 1 center. The search was all but over when last season began. It resumes in earnest Thursday night.

“Certainly for Dylan, there’s lots on his shoulders as a young captain of a team that’s going through a rebuild,” Jeff Blashill said Thursday morning. “We’ve faced a number of hard times and that’s not easy. But he’s an extraordinary young person — or really at this point, an extraordinary guy who’s been in the league now for seven years.”

Seven years — it’s hard to fathom. Larkin just turned 25. Then you remember the faces who were here when his was fresh — Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen, for two — and seven years feels right. Back then, Larkin was the whirling winger under the wing of a franchise great. He scored goals, Henrik Zetterberg took care of the rest. Now the rest belongs to Larkin. He’s the shepherd for Raymond, the center who counters the opposition’s best, the player who leads his team onto the ice.

“He has to go out and win a ton of puck battles, he has to be dynamic with his skating and he has to be responsible defensively,” said Blashill.

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From my friend Courtney Fathers:

@georgemalik @JDReed18 @WingedWheelPod for anyone looking for the cash-to-credit machine at LCA, i found one across from portal 57/58. i’ll share when i find the other one. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/XC9Q1z33Jq— courtney fathers (@corkboards) October 14, 2021

Of Twitter-related note from Bally Sports Detroit’s Red Wings Live pregame show:

It might take fans a minute to get to know this season’s @DetroitRedWings as there are nine new players. Executive VP and GM Steve Yzerman talks about the young group. John Keating, Larry Murphy, Chris Osgood and Manon Rhéaume weigh in. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/6SlSL1wLK1— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) October 14, 2021

Lucas Raymond is the latest Swede to make his NHL debut for the @DetroitRedWings. John Keating caught up with Raymond to see how he is feeling about making the team. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/0fXwGEQixU— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) October 14, 2021

John Keating, Larry Murphy and Chris Osgood are joined by trailblazer Manon Rhéaume as they get you ready for the puck to drop on the 2021-22 season. It’s Opening Night and the Red Wings welcome the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/Oj7fqoiVPO— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) October 14, 2021

Update: The Twitter videos continue:

Continue reading Tweets of note from Bally Sports Detroit’s pregame show

WXYZ posted a pair of pregame videos tonight, with Brad Galli discussing the Red Wings’ happiness regarding welcoming fans back into the building after a pandemic-shortened season…

And Galli and Jeanna Trotman discussed Danny DeKeyser and Marc Staal becoming the Red Wings’ alternate captains:

DetroitRedWings.com’s Art Regner appeared on The Woodward Sports Nettwork’s “Big D Energy” show to discuss his expectations of the Red Wings this upcoming season:

The Grand Rapids Griffins have posted their weekly press release ahead of games against the Rockford IceHogs, Friday at home (7 PM EDT on WXSP/AHL TV [Free!]) and Saturday on the road against the Milwaukee Admirals (7 PM EDT on AHL TV [Free!]):

This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS vs. Rockford IceHogs // Fri., Oct. 15 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

TV: WXSP-TV

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7 p.m.

Watch: AHLTV (Free view for opening weekend)

Season Series: First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 52-36-9-11 Overall, 33-11-5-5 Home

NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks

Noteworthy: The Griffins came away with points in seven of the eight games last season against the IceHogs with a 4-1-2-1 record. Grand Rapids is also 16-10-6-6 in the last five seasons against Rockford. Prior to their 9-4 win at Rockford on March 3, 2021, the Griffins’ last nine-goal outing was a 9-1 win at Rockford on Feb. 5, 2016. They came within two goals of matching their team record, set in an 11-6 victory at Rockford on Jan. 19, 2013.

GRIFFINS at Milwaukee Admirals // Sat., Oct. 16 // 7 p.m. EDT // Panther Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.

Watch: AHLTV (Free view for opening weekend)

Season Series: First of 12 meetings overall, first of six at Panther Arena

All-Time Series: 102-68-7-7-8 Overall, 48-35-5-5-5 Road

NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators

Noteworthy: Grand Rapids’ 102 victories over Milwaukee are the most against any opponent in franchise history. Furthermore, the Griffins have faced the Admirals more than any club in the AHL, competing in 192 games dating back to the 2001-02 campaign when both teams joined the AHL from the International Hockey League. Last season was the first year that the Griffins and Admirals did not play each other due to Milwaukee opting out of the shortened season.

26th Season of Hockey: The Grand Rapids Griffins begin the franchise’s 26th overall season of play, 21st as a member of the American Hockey League and 20th as the primary affiliate of the 11-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings on Friday evening when they host the Rockford IceHogs. This marks the first time the Griffins will begin their season at Van Andel Arena since 2017. Grand Rapids has competed in 1,913 games between the IHL and AHL and has amassed a 1,010-695-27-64-117 regular season record (0.582), to go along with 17 playoff appearances, seven division titles and two Calder Cups (2017, 2013).

Simon Says: Ben Simon, 43, begins his fourth season as Grand Rapids’ head coach. A year ago, he guided the Griffins to a 16-12-3-1 record (36 points, 0.563) and a third-place finish in the Central Division. Simon has only coached in one full AHL season as head boss, as his second and third campaigns were cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During his inaugural year at the helm in 2018-19, he became the eighth head coach in franchise history to lead the Griffins to the postseason during his first full season behind the bench. Simon served as an assistant coach in Grand Rapids from 2015-18 under Todd Nelson and helped the franchise win its second Calder Cup in 2017. He is the fourth former Griffins assistant to then become the head coach. Appearing in 21 games and scoring nine points (4-5—9) with the Griffins in 2006-07 as part of an 11-year professional playing career, Simon is the third former Griffins player to serve as Grand Rapids’ head coach, joining Nelson and Danton Cole (2002-05).

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