Press release: Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider to take part in NHL/NHLPA media tour in Milan

According to the NHL and NHLPA, Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider will be taking part in a media tour in Milan, Italy starting on August 22nd:

Lega Serie A welcomes National Hockey League stars to Milan for opening weekend of 2025-26 season

Lega Serie A, the NHL and NHLPA unite to collaborate on content and cross-promotional activities in advance of NHL Player participation in the Olympic Winter Games.

NEW YORK, NY (AUGUST 19, 2025) – Lega Serie A, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) will bring their groundbreaking Content Collaboration Partnership to life in Milan this week, as a selection of the NHL’s top European stars take part in a series of joint activations with Serie A clubs and legendary players.

The partnership activities and celebrations coincide with the annual NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour, which takes place in Milan on August 22 one day before the 2025-26 Lega Serie A season kicks off. The NHL and NHLPA’s visit to Italy represents a key milestone ahead of NHL players’ participation at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Players and executives from both leagues and members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will participate in events aimed at strengthening ties between the sports, while highlighting the shared passion of soccer and hockey fans worldwide. Among the 26 NHL players expected in Milan for the European Player Media Tour, seven (7) were named to preliminary Olympic rosters: Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho (Finland); Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel (Germany); Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (Finland); Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider (Germany) and forward Lucas Raymond (Sweden); New Jersey Devils forward Nico Hischier (Switzerland); and Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (Sweden).

Continue reading Press release: Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider to take part in NHL/NHLPA media tour in Milan

Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane among 44 players invited to Team USA’s Olympic orientation camp on August 26th, 27th

Per USA Hockey:

More details and a roster are available at USA Hockey’s website. The event will take place at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, on August 26th and 27th, but it’s not open to the public.

Thoughts about Sergei Fedorov’s tricky legacy

Sergei Fedorov was the reason that I got into hockey. In the summer of 1991, my middle school friend Joe Kim kept on telling me about this great Russian player on the Red Wings who was blazing fast and tremendously talented.

So I started collecting hockey cards over the summer, and as I said yesterday, my dad took me to that pivotal exhibition game against Toronto on September 22nd, 1991 that sold me on hockey fandom.

Sergei scored one of the goals during that game, and he scored a hell of a lot more during his 13-year tenure with the Red Wings, dazzling fans, driving equipment managers crazy, and displaying his skill set and unbelievably high level of natural athletic talent. Fedorov wasn’t a player, he was a phenomenon, and a superstar whose ego was part of the package.

Today, the Red Wings announced that they’re retiring Sergei Fedorov’s #91 after a long, long wait on January 12th, 2026. The Red Wings’ media corps knew before the announcement, so they’ve already weighed in on Fedorov’s complicated legacy as a Red Wing for 13 years and then…Elsewhere…

So there was bad blood between Fedorov and the organization for a long time, even after the Winter Classic alumni game at Comerica Park, even after Fedorov was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015, for a very long time, honestly.

Whatever the issues were have been at least partially forgiven, and we’re going to see #91 head up to the rafters when the Carolina Hurricanes come to town on the 12th of January, but EliteProspects’ Sean Shapiro addressed the elephant in the room on his Substack:

Continue reading Thoughts about Sergei Fedorov’s tricky legacy

Tweet of note: Grand Rapids Griffins remind us of charitable drive with Texas Stars for TX flood relief

A good time for a reminder:

Rounding up the Red Wings media corps’ reaction to #retire91

The Detroit Red Wings are retiring Sergei Fedorov’s #91 on January 12th, 2025. The Wings’ media corps reacted almost immediately to the news, which was posted in Tweet form, with Sergei’s trademark purple Corvette being the star:

So, here’s MLive’s Ansar Khan…

Continue reading Rounding up the Red Wings media corps’ reaction to #retire91

Red Wings to retire Sergei Fedorov’s #91 on January 12th, 2026

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

Press release:

RED WINGS TO RETIRE SERGEI FEDOROV’S NO. 91

… Sergei Fedorov played 13 seasons with the Red Wings, winning three Stanley Cup championships, earning two Frank J. Selke Trophies and claiming the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 1993-94  â€¦

… Fedorov was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in conjunction with the league’s Centennial celebration in 2017 …

… Fedorov was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015 and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2016 …

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings Governor and Chief Executive Officer Chris Ilitch today announced the organization will officially retire Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91 in a special pre-game ceremony on January 12, 2026, when the Red Wings host the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena.

“We are honored to celebrate Sergei Fedorov and raise his #91 to its rightful place hanging in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena, among the all-time greats who have worn the Winged Wheel,” said Ilitch. â€śHis exceptional skill, relentless drive, and lasting impact playing a pivotal role bringing three Stanley Cup championships to Detroit make him the perfect embodiment of the qualities deserving of our franchise’s most prestigious honor. My parents, Mike and Marian Ilitch had a special reverence for Sergei as one of the most dynamic and charismatic players of his era, and someone who made a tremendous impact on our organization. All of us at the Red Wings look forward to hosting Sergei and his family in January to pay tribute to his remarkable career.”

“I’m extremely grateful for this tremendous honor,” said Fedorov. “Thank you to everyone with the Red Wings organization, especially those who helped bring me to Detroit and gave me the chance to play for such a historic franchise. I was fortunate to be part of some unforgettable teams, and above all, I’m proud of the three Stanley Cup championships we won for our amazing fans in Hockeytown. The memories made along the way – with legendary teammates, coaches, and exceptional ownership – will stay with me forever. Lastly, I want to thank Chris Ilitch for the call yesterday to share the news about retiring my number. It’s a moment I’ll always cherish. I can’t wait to see everyone in January.”

Continue reading Red Wings to retire Sergei Fedorov’s #91 on January 12th, 2026

Server goal met; fundraising continues

I’ve got some great news and some not-so-great news.

First, the great news: We hit the server fundraising goal! TMR will remain alive for another year. I am super grateful to each and every one of you who donated, sent good thoughts, etc. because here we are on the 19th of the month, having raised enough to keep ‘er going.

The not-so-great news, perhaps for both of us: I’m going to have to continue to fundraise to plain old pay the bills for the remainder of the month. Trying to survive on $200 between now and September 12th just isn’t going to happen for Aunt Annie and I, so I’ve got to plain old ask for your support.

TMR is definitely going to survive, which is wonderful. Whether Aunt Annie and I can last on the other $200 in my bank account is in question. So we move forward.

Continue reading Server goal met; fundraising continues

Duff on the youth movement coming to the rescue

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted a subscriber-only story which wonders aloud whether the Red Wings will finally improve in the 2026-2027 season as a significant crop of Wings prospects will likely mature to NHL readiness at that time.

Here’s Duff’s take on the future state of the Red Wings’ defense…

Nowhere will the turnover be as readily apparent as along the blueline. Just two defensemen are signed beyond this season – Moritz Seider and Albert Johansson. Pacts agreed to by Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, Erik Gustafsson, Jean-Bernard Docker, and Travis Hamonic all expire on July 1 of next year. Each will be a UFA.

Of course, at some point, Yzerman will get impending restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson’s name on a new pact. This is a factor he’s already pondering, perhaps looking to lock Edvinsson up sooner rather than later.

“I’ve personally thought about it,” Yzerman acknowledged earlier this summer. “We’ve thought about it internally.”

Expect 2023 first-round pick Axel Sandin Pellikka to start this year with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Likewise, 2020 second-rounder William Wallinder will also be back with the Griffins. But both should have worked their way to Detroit by the start of next season at the latest.

And Duff does offer a caveat:

It might not take until next season for some of these young players to force their way into NHL duty. We saw it last year with Kasper and Soderblom that the Red Wings aren’t afraid to move a prospect in when they’re ready to make a difference in the show.

The thing is, a number of these kids must be ready to play by the fall of 2026. If they aren’t, then it might be time to slap a failure label on the Yzerplan.

Continued (paywall); there’s no denying that the Red Wings have a fairly large group of prospects who should step into NHL skates over the next 2 to 3 seasons, but it’s up to the Red Wings’ coaches and management group to get the best out of the players that are currently on the roster, flaws included…

And it’s harder to say for certain whether every prospect discussed is a sure-fire NHL’er. Predicting prospect development is particularly difficult, and I don’t think that prospects alone will be the answer.

Detroit will need to continue pursuing trade and free agency routes to help the team as well, because the harsh truth is that some of the Wings’ prospects might not slide into NHL roles next season.

The gang’s all there

ColumbusBlueJackets.com’s Jeff Svoboda headed to Plymouth, MI to check in with Blue Jackets stars Adam Fantilli and Zach Werenski as the pair train at USA Hockey Arena.

The article also serves as a quiet reminder that there’s something of an All-Star Team’s worth of U.S. National Team Development Program alums spending their summers training and skating in Plymouth, including the Red Wings’ captain:

The scenes in the gym and on the ice aren’t necessarily dramatic – there’s no ear-splitting music in the gym, no screaming strength coaches getting in the faces of the players – but the intensity is real when you’re working with the best of the best.

The on-ice session was split into drills and mini-games, and the competitiveness among the high-level athletes is palpable. While there are light moments like stick taps for a player who loses an edge and slips to the ice, each 3-on-3 game ends with joyous winners celebrating and losers who start moving nets and pucks into place for the next battle.

Through it all, [Adam] Fantilli – who has often talked about learning and getting better every day of his NHL career – is a keen observer of what’s going on around him.

“It’s all All-Stars out there,” he said. “You’re going against guys that are the best in the league in a lot of senses. I can take from a lot of guys’ games. You have Jack [Hughes] and Quinn [Hughes] out there that are two of the most shifty guys in the NHL, and that’s something I want to add to my game as well. Cole (Caufield) is such a great shooter. Usually Kyle Connor and (Dylan) Larkin are out there, and those are both world-class forwards as well.

“They’re guys I want to take from their games. Learning from them every day has been really beneficial.”

Continued; it’s a good read from Svoboda, especially if you’re a Blue Jackets and/or U of M hockey fan.