"The end of the second-period goal was a backbreaker."Head Coach Derek Lalonde
Twenty minutes.
There were 20 minutes left in the game that, apparently, didn’t matter to the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings against a team ranked 30th in the standings. The San Jose Sharks have given up 70 goals against (third most in the league).
I’m not sharing these facts about the San Jose Sharks to speak to their season, but the opportunity that the Detroit Red Wings had in front of them. In the last couple of seasons, although up and down, it seemed like no deficit was too much for them to overcome.
Maybe it was the fun, undisciplined Jake Walman who made the difference. Or possibly the great David Perron. Someone whom I did not give enough credit to (primarily because I wanted Jonatan Berggren to have a regular gig with the Detroit Red Wings, but I concluded last season that both deserved to be in the lineup for the Detroit Red Wings each night).
According to Sean Shapiro, a great journalist who covers the Detroit Red Wings, shared his insights of the dressing room:
"It’s a very quiet team, effectively a team of introverts and business-like professionals. The largest personalities were effectively weeded out this summer when David Perron walked in free agency, and Jake Walman was traded…Lalonde himself admitting publicly how it’s one of the quietest hockey teams he’s ever been around."Sean Shapiro
It’s a great read that I highly recommend.
A new voice is needed behind the bench for the Detroit Red Wings, here's why
While silence can be golden, these words concern me more than anything else.
Sometimes, being in one’s own head can be the scariest, slipperiest slopes to plummet on—especially in the darkest of times. It is true that nobody can pull another person out of a dark time (a person must wake up on their own), but other people can help make it easier to see the light.
Not to mention, the personality of some of these players doesn’t fit the quiet profile.
There can be a difference in personality on camera versus behind-the-scenes that we fans aren’t privy to, and that could be the case here.
I take a guy like Jonatan Berggren, though, an interesting fellow. He doesn’t have the tenure to be a leader on the team by any measure, but I remember seeing Berggren being a fun guy throughout the Skellefteå dressing room (his Swedish Hockey League (SHL) team). There were pranks of unpacking clothes right before the bus leaves, dancing throughout the arena, and interviewing his teammates (sometimes in English, which made things more entertaining).
Point is, the guy knows how to have fun. To hear he’s in a dressing room where there isn’t any isn’t just disappointing but alarming. I’m mad for Berggren and every person in that dressing room. It’s not how it’s supposed to be.
Other young guys have shown great personalities as well, Berggren is just the name that is in the front of my mind with this insight.
Thinking back to my softball days growing up, one year, we started as the worst team in our league. Like the Bad News Bears coming to life. Rather than get upset or angry, our coaches focused on the most important thing. Having fun. Just like magic, we beat the unbeatable team—don’t ask me how or why. After which point, we couldn’t lose. Going on to win the title was something special that I’ll hold in my heart forever.
Understandably, the stakes are way different in the NHL, yet the premise is the same in any facet of life.
"Never underestimate the importance of having fun."Randy Pausch
Ya’ll can talk about how it’s business or that the team isn’t good enough to win games every night, yet I think it’s quite the contrary. We might have lost a power play guy in Shayne Gostisbehere, the vocal leader in Perron, and the fun guy in Walman, but there’s no reason this team cannot compete a full 60 minutes against most teams every night.
At the end of the day, it’s the same game these guys played when they were three years old. They could have picked any sport or any career choice, I reckon, but they elected for ice hockey. They’re all exceptional at it (despite the number of times I express my displeasure for certain players or actions they take), and they’re still in the top 1% of their career choice, something most of us won’t ever boast in our lives.
The silence is thunderous.
I’m not sure if people are uncomfortable speaking out. If it’s a coach, a player, management, fans, a combination of those things, or something else, but something is not right.
It might not seem like an important task to switch the coach. I can see how people argue it’s a lost season; they weren’t expected to make the playoffs. Yet, the playoffs are not and will not ever be my concern.
My biggest concern: are the young players being put on the best possible path to succeed in this league three to five years down the line? If the answer is no, then any step further down that path is a step backward.
Maybe the young guys rebound from it, but maybe they don’t. Maybe they will grow comfortable with the silence. That their voice isn’t worthy of speaking or being heard. This silence represents more than just the example.
Guys like Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson, and Lucas Raymond are still forming who they are as individuals and who they will become.
While we have great prospects in the system, I’d be inclined to say that these three are the most pivotal players in the rebuild—the make or break of the core, if you will. If they succeed, the Yzerplan works, but if any of them fail or become less than their highest ceiling, then the Detroit Red Wings are in deep water.
Some people might wonder about Marco Kasper. I kind of wondered after I typed those three names as well, but in my mind, Kasper is one of the special players. It won’t matter where he is, who he is surrounded by, what the dressing room is like, or who his coaches are. Kasper will get where he’s going and reach his highest ceiling. Of course, reaching that higher ceiling helps when a guy like Patrick Kane is on your wing or watching an engine like Dylan Larkin, but I don’t fear for Kasper’s development.
Then, there is Sebastian Cossa, who is playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the American Hockey League (AHL), but I don’t really worry about him. I’m not sure how much he talks in the room, either, but he’s a much more vocal/affable kind of goaltender than I’m used to seeing. Maybe he helps resolve the dressing room wall of silence?
As frustrating and upsetting as this season has been, I get inquisitive with general manager Steve Yzerman.
So far in the Yzerplan, we have seen the teardown and the slow climb up. Now, it’s time to watch him work his magic. Magic that hasn’t dwindled for me.
I have said and will continue to say, that I believe Yzerman is dedicated enough to the Detroit Red Wings that if he thought he wasn’t the right person to rebuild the Detroit Red Wings, he would step down himself. Time will tell if his boss will give him an infinite leash (I would), but I would hope so.
Likely, Yzerman will overhaul his NHL coaching staff this season and off-season, and hopefully, his pro scouting department gets a revamp as it’s not been the best. I get we are in a rebuild, and it’s not a desirable city. Yzerman is responsible for the contracts, but there’s a breakdown somewhere along the line.
In the short term, I think the Detroit Red Wings coach has given up on his team far too often. Instead of creating an environment for growth and building each other up, players are afraid to play their games that make them special. They don’t want to make a mistake.
Perfection isn’t attainable, but the Detroit Red Wings have players who can make a difference every shift. Players who can make up for mishaps and who have vibrant personalities that might come out more if they aren’t being smothered out.
As soon as possible, Yzerman needs to replace his head coach. Derek Lalonde may be a great guy, but we need someone different behind the bench. Someone who instills confidence (especially self-worth) and revitalizes a dying star.
It’s not about the season or playoffs but the players who will carry the dynasty forward.