Across the league, there is always that excitement for a new season, and that is felt from the coaches to the players, right down to the fans, who have been waiting all summer for hockey to return. While fans are still a few weeks away from seeing their teams begin their quest for a Stanley Cup, the players and coaches are already at work with training camp.
The early excitement can quickly go away, and Todd McLellan made note of that recently about the start of Red Wings camp. There is no question that with excitement, the level of effort is inherently there. However, when that excitement goes away and it becomes work, the good teams can keep the level of effort up.
"“The jury will be out Day 3, 4, 5, when it becomes work. Right now, they’re real excited and they should be. I thought the effort was really good. The attention to detail was there. Little ragged with passing, but it’s early in the season. And then the scrimmage was really competitive."
The work in training camp will determine the success the Detroit Red Wings have this season
Even though most of the players know McLellan, since he took over as head coach last December, this is the first time they are going through a training camp with him. It has been a little bit of a shock to some of the players to see the intensity right from the start, which Dylan Larkin noted, but to end a nine-year playoff drought, they can't waste much time.
The big question, and this is what McLellan hinted at and is a big unknown, is whether they can keep that intensity up for an extended period of time. It does help to have the buy in of veterans like Larkin and Patrick Kane, as they can set the tone for the younger players but isn't a guarantee.
Entering this season, the Red Wings have made some improvements after finishing the season with 86 points. In a top heavy Atlantic Division with Toronto, Tampa and Florida, it might not be that surprising to see them sneak in as a Wild Card.
The best way for them to do that is continue to be successful when the excitement fades and the work begins. It is a lesson they will learn over the next few days during training camp and one that can help during the season.