Perhaps no other trophy in professonal sports carries the pressure the Stanley Cup does. Former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Aaron Ward knows it better than most. Ward joined Jonny Lazarus of Daily Faceoff to discuss just how important letting loose can be when it comes to the contentious world of playoff hockey:
This time of year it’s so important to find the balance between being dialed in and keeping things loose. @NHL_AaronWard told us a great story about what his Red Wings team did to keep things light, maybe not the best idea 😂
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"If you're not a tight locker room, you're not going to be successful," Ward said. "When I was in Detroit, we started to realize that there was so much pressure that we - I wouldn't call it loosey-goosey, but...we went and played paintball in Orange County," Ward begins.
The Stanley Cup-winning defenseman goes on to share a story about how Brendan Shanahan and Tomas Sandstrom were the only two remaining players in a game of paintball. At the end of the match, Shanahan shot Sandstrom in the chest, who, afterwards, got a cross tattoo on his heart to remember the occasion.
"Team bonding is massive," Ward added. "You gotta like each other during the tough times to get through the anxiety of what is presented."
Red Wings can learn a thing or two from Ward's story
It's no secret that the Detroit Red Wings have a lot of pressure to succeed. The most successful hockey franchise in the United States currently hold the longest playoff drought in the NHL. The team has been mired in a rebuild under the Steve Yzerman era for seven straight years. Prospects have come and gone and there are times where it seems like Dylan Larkin is the only one that cares on the ice.
But Ward's story isn't about coaching or lineup schema. It's a story about bonding as a group. Plenty of other teams like the Vegas Golden Knights attend concerts together or pay tribute to other teams in the area. You'll see occasions where Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond attend Pistons games or stop by the Tigers, but rarely do you see the entire group as a whole attending events together.
Now, more than ever, the Red Wings need to learn how to relax. It's understandable to feel the pressure, but the sign of a good team is one that can shrug off the "outside noise" and get back to doing what they do best.
The offseason is long and, at times, quite grueling. If the Red Wings want to truly improve their group, they need to focus on cohesion by bonding together like Ward and the 1997 Red Wings did.
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