Detroit Red Wings: 8 Things To Know About The New Season

Jan 1, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; A general view of the Detroit Red Wings during the playing of the national anthem before the 2014 Winter Classic hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

#3: The Stadium Series Game

The Detroit Red Wings and their old arch-rivals the Colorado Avalanche will take their bitter and storied history outside this February in one of the NHL’s Stadium Series Games. If you didn’t get instantly excited when the league announced that these two teams would be playing in an outdoor game, I don’t want to know you. Or maybe you are just too young to have the bitter blood for the Avalanche in your veins. Either way, this game should be a definite day circled on your calendar.

Though the rivalry between the Wings and Avs has died down over the last two-decades, their wasn’t a much better rivalry during the mid to late 1990’s than Detroit and Colorado. The NHL was a much different league back then, much more “wild-west” than it is today, back then if you had a problem with another player or a team you didn’t wait for the Department of Player Safety to hand down suspensions, you handed down your own. The Wings and Avs left no wrongs go unanswered during this period.

Aside from the actual Stadium Series Game itself, fans of both the Avalanche and Red Wings are eagerly awaiting the Alumni Game. The Avs have already confirmed Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg and Rob Blake will participate and the Wings are expected to include Chris Chelios, Brendan Shanahan and Nicklas Lidstrom. Yet as far as fans who remember this feud are concerend, if Claude Lemieux and Darren McCarty (along with the rest of the Grind-Line) aren’t involved, don’t even bother. I’m aware that there wont be a repeat of “Fight Night At The Joe” but just the thought of seeing these legends out there on the ice again brings a smile to my face.

Next: #2: Euro-Twins Activate!