Guess who’s back? The Detroit Red Wings, tell a friend. Part 1

The NHL’s most hated team, the Detroit Red Wings, are rising from the ashes of the fallen dynasty. As they say what goes up must come down, but this is the story of being reborn from a few surprising characters. Here’s who and why.

Since the Detroit Red Wings fell from grace, the NHL has felt so empty, but the emptiness is soon to be filled with the gear changes for the Detroit Red Wings.

One of my favorite shows is Psych. The comedy/mystery series consists of a duo who have a private detective agency. In the show, one of the duo is Burton Guster (Gus). He’s a straight edge, disciplined, and mature pharmaceutical salesman. 

At one point, Gus meets a man who informed viewers (and Gus) that he was just released from prison. As a response, Gus told us that he’s been to jail. Only once. In monopoly. He said it was awful.

It’s kind of how I feel as a Detroit Red Wings fan, sitting in monopoly’s jail. Waiting for the perfect roll of the dice or number of turns to pass, as other teams get to celebrate. Whether it’s victories on or off of the ice, I kind of feel left out.

Our highest pick in the draft was fourth overall. Although I wouldn’t trade Lucas Raymond for anything or anyone, I’m annoyed that a team who has struggled for so long and so much hasn’t received any help from the National Hockey League (NHL). Meanwhile other teams are handed multiple top-three picks in the draft. Yes, I understand it’s a lottery, but it doesn’t make it less frustrating to experience.

Then, we get to see teams watch either their star players rocking it out on the ice every night or hoisting Lord Stanley. Try with all his might, Dylan Larkin is an incredible player who gets fans out of their seats and leads the team on and off the ice, but it’s not the same.

As we approach a new generation of ice hockey stars, fewer people (both players and fans alike) know or remember the Detroit Red Wings dynasty of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In the past few seasons, the Detroit Red Wings have been in a renaissance–a movement starting with Olli Määttä, Alex DeBrincat, and Patrick Kane.

The Detroit Red Wings are preparing to take flight with a healthy mix of winning veterans and budding youth, but is the NHL ready for it?

This feeling of hope is a bit new in this rendition of the Detroit Red Wings.

The long, winding road, thus far, has been a tiring teardown and rebuild. It left broken hearts, anger, and despair in its wake. But, there was a flash of light in the seemingly endless tunnel. 

The turning point & the fresh to death Finn: Olli Määttä

Of all the possible names and turning points, the first that comes to my mind is Olli Määttä.

A stoic Finn with an unexpected sense of humor and warm persona chose the Detroit Red Wings twice. Some people might say the Detroit Red Wings were a last resort but I know general managers love safe, reliable defensemen with a pedigree of winning the Stanley Cup. With this thinking in mind, I find it hard to believe that the Detroit Red Wings were the only interested team in Määttä.

Regardless of the opportunities Määttä did or didn’t have, he brought with him a bit of a new look to the Detroit Red Wings blueline. 

The perfect compliment to a young, wild Filip Hronek, Määttä provided the stability needed for Hronek to spread his wings without crippling his team in their own zone. Hronek has since moved on to the Vancouver Canucks, earning a healthy contract (in both dollar and term), I have to wonder where Hronek might be without the help of Määttä. I guess we’ll never know, but Hronek seemed like a different player after he spent time with Määttä.

Whenever a defenseman needed a reset or was coming back from an injury, Määttä seemed to be the prime candidate to pair him with as the coach and teammates trusted him in any situation with any teammate.

Määttä was a breath of fresh air from the veterans of old. Previously, veterans arrived only to get a steady paycheck and a reliable place to live for 2-5 years. 

I see Määttä’s continued hunger for another Stanley Cup, dedication to the young defensemen coming up, and his reliability that the Detroit Red Wings desperately need.

It’s been a privilege watching Määttä play no matter the outcome of this season and beyond.

The ascent & a lazy goalscorer demanding a trade to Detroit: Alex DeBrincat

Before anyone jumps down my throat, please hear me out.

I don’t think this guy is lazy, and I don’t think anyone can really be that lazy and play in the NHL. 

However, it was speculated that Alex DeBrincat was lazy. 

This storyline came from a quote from his media availability when he joined the Detroit Red Wings in the middle of the previous offseason.

Rocking the slick Detroit Pistons hat (the retro teal) in the video, he seemed stoked to play for his hometown team. The feeling was mutual for us fans.

DeBrincat spoke some choice words:

Maybe it is truly laziness, as that’s the specific word choice of DeBrincat. 

When I watched him play all season, though, I didn’t see a lazy player. Instead, I saw someone who tried a bit too hard. He wanted to do too much. It’s quite the contrary of a lazy player, in my opinion. 

In doing these things, he gripped his stick too tight, put too much weight on his own shoulders, and struggled to find the back of the net.

Up until a certain player signed with the Detroit Red Wings, DeBrincat lit the ice on fire. He was everything that I hoped he would be and more.

Then, it was almost a complete 180. DeBrincat’s effort didn’t wane, but his effectiveness came under fire from both fans and outsiders alike.

To me, DeBrincat kept getting chances, so I had no worries about him last season (I also have no worries about him this upcoming season). If he wasn’t getting opportunities, wasn’t moving his feet, or he was making the same mistakes without reprimand, I would be concerned. 

I can hear a discussion about how his impact on the scoresheet needs to improve, but I always want more goals from every player so he’s not alone.

What’s more wild than anything to me is that he chose to come to Detroit, Michigan.

Granted, his family is close to Detroit and it’s his hometown team, but the Detroit Red Wings couldn’t have been the only team interested in a high-end goalscorer. I’m not sure of any other possible landing spots for DeBrincat, however, I tend to think he had better options in terms of winning, a better contract, or a nicer lifestyle (weather, tax breaks, subjectively nicer cities, etc.).

The fact that he chose the Detroit Red Wings amazes me. If Määttä was the turning point, where things kind of started moving in the upward trend, DeBrincat is the step in the right direction.

He made sure that, in doing his part, the Detroit Red Wings didn’t regress. 

Yes, he has to improve, as does the rest of the team. I suspect he drowns out the concerns from fans and then some. If he gets reliable, consistent linemates and continues to build his confidence, I think he’ll turn heads for all of the right reasons.

DeBrincat choosing the Detroit Red Wings also brought in another piece to this vast puzzle.

Upward & onward: bad guys becoming good guys? Patrick Kane

Good and bad are matters of perspective. 

As a Detroit Red Wings fan spending part of my life in Western New York, I was aware of one Patrick Kane. 

It hadn’t occurred to me that he would ever wear the Winged Wheel. I saw reports that the Detroit Red Wings and Kane had mutual interest, but come on. It’s Patrick Kane, he could sign anywhere, right? Right?

The closer it became to being a reality, the more confused I became (nothing new in my world).

I just didn’t understand why he would choose the Detroit Red Wings. If I’m being honest, I’m still not sure why. With the kind of contract he could get on the open market (longer term, more years), closer to family, or a chance to chase after Lord Stanley, I just find it…interesting.

Maybe outsiders will claim Kane’s washed up, old, and far removed from the superstar the NHL once knew–before the injuries and surgery.

However, Kane stepped in and immediately played like an above-average player. The notorious career-ending surgery wasn’t much of a concern after the first handful of games.

It seemed like us fans were being treated to a live-action movie rather than real life.

For a team starved of goosebump moments, I lost count of the number of times I had them throughout last season. I’ll admit many of those moments were at least in part from Kane. The other moments likely involved some combination of Raymond, DeBrincat, 

To know those calls had a similar impact on Kane, who has played in every situation and high-stakes game imaginable is something:

Would Kane have signed with the Detroit Red Wings if DeBrincat wasn’t with the organization? 

Thankfully, we won’t ever know, but I’m always curious about the “what if” scenarios.

Although Kane seemed to apply an indirect pressure to DeBrincat, which may have played a part in his lack of counting stats, I think in the long run that Kane signing an extension will be beneficial for the Detroit Red Wings and DeBrincat.

To me, it’s mind-blowing that Kane was so adamant to sign with the Detroit Red Wings in the first place. 

I didn’t peg him as a closeted Detroit Red Wings fan, but listening to him in his initial media availability, it sure sounded like he was one. Funny enough, he’s said things I wished most players joining the Detroit Red Wings would say. 

Compared to other players, especially young ones, Kane wasn’t restricted to YouTube highlights of former Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg and alternate captain Pavel Datsyuk, he watched it live. I can’t imagine the impression they must have left.

Then, when I heard both Kane’s media availability, he seemed to play things off like both parties were interested in signing him. Meanwhile, the Steve Yzerman media availability at the time made it seem like his party was a bit more interested than they let on, almost as if Yzerman thought it would be a good idea but didn’t think he’d have a chance in heck at Kane.

I mean, who thought the Detroit Red Wings would have a chance at Kane? I sure didn’t.

The most interesting aspect to me from this Kane saga has to be his contracts in terms of dollar figures and terms. They have to be some of the most relatively team-friendly contracts in the NHL.

It’s unconscionable that the Detroit Red Wings offered Kane the highest dollar amount or term, especially after the 2023-24 season came to a close. 

Even with a questionable reputation off of the ice, the matter of his health, and his age, there must have been a handful of teams rolling out the red carpet for him.

For whatever reasons, he’s investing in the Detroit Red Wings as much as anyone. I can’t wait to see who or what Kane brings to the ice next season, including the next player in this list.