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Baby of the Detroit Red Wings is all grown up &...?

Team Sweden has named its captain and alternate captains for the IIHF Mens World Championships. Although surprising, this alternate captain selection is well earned. He’s seemingly all grown up and making waves. The Detroit Red Wings should take notes.

By Kaitlyn Glaza

Sweden v United States - 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Czechia
Sweden v United States - 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Czechia / PressFocus/MB Media/GettyImages
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The Dark Ages

The 2019-20 season was some of the worst ice hockey I have witnessed. Possibly the only thing worse than playing in those games was paying to watch them. Why any Detroit Red Wings fan would pay to watch those games is beyond me, but I was glued to my screen every game.

As a Detroit Red Wings fan, pain and suffering don’t begin to describe that terrible season. Pre-Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, it was a tale of untold gloom and despair. Then, not getting the a top pick in the draft for the awful season seemed asinine.

The Detroit Red Wings general manager, Steve Yzerman, graciously participated in a media availability following the 2020 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Level Draft. Wise words crossed his lips:

“We can sit here today and feel sorry for ourselves if we want, it doesn’t matter. The system is what it is and it’s the same for all the teams. We’re gonna get a great prospect and we’re gonna do everything we can to develop him… 

You know what? Maybe we will get lucky…Colorado lost the lottery a couple years ago and ended up with the 4th overall spot and got Cale Makar, a player that definitely moves the needle…

We’ll get our lucky breaks along the way and maybe this will be one of them in an odd-looking way.”

Maybe Yzerman was giving lip service or maybe he knew something fans didn’t.