Red Wings coach surprises prep players
Red Wings coach has inspiring words for players who want games to begin
Prep hockey players got a surprise when they joined a statewide online meeting to talk about the pause that hit their season just as games were about to begin.
Jeff Blashill, coach of the Detroit Red Wings, shared ideas about how the players could cope with what’s supposed to be a three-week shutdown.
“He talked about the focus that makes good players great,” Bob Hall, the Eisenhower coach, said Tuesday. “He had so much good insight.
“He talked about the importance of pushing to be successful and what to do in this down time.”
After the meeting, Hall asked his players to tell him via text message one tip they picked up from Blashill.
“I was bombarded with fantastic information,” Hall said. “My players really took it to heart and listened to Jeff Blashill’s message.
“It was an awesome exchange.
It was fun to be a part of it.”
The meeting and appearance by Blashill were set up by the state coaches association.
“I loved the feedback that I got from my players,” Hall said. “I think for players that aspire to be great, or to one day play at that (NHL) level, listening to a man that’s there is significant.
“They can hear it from us, they can hear it from their parents, but hearing it from a person that’s at that level, who knows what it takes, reinforces what we say to the players.”
Thanksgiving week is normally a busy time for prep teams.
Hall’s Eagles would have played three games by the day after Thanksgiving, but hockey and all other prep sports were shut down on Nov. 15 when the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in conjunction with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reacted to a rise in COVID-19 infections.
Practices are tentatively scheduled to resume Dec. 9, with contests for winter sports getting underway Jan. 4, the Michigan High School Athletic Association said.
“It’s hard to focus on what’s positive,” Hall said, “but there are worse things in life than being isolated or being shut down or being in a situation where we don’t get to do what we want to do.”
The coach said at a time like this he draws on the strength of his parents, who are deceased.
“You count your blessings,” he said.
Eisenhower was scheduled to play nine games by Jan. 4,
including three MAC Red Division contests — two against Anchor Bay and one against L’Anse Creuse Unified.
Hall said it’s too soon to reschedule games.
“We really don’t know what decisions are going to be made by the MHSAA,” he said. “We don’t know what stipulations and protocols are going to be put out there. You don’t want to assume anything.”
Eisenhower plays home games at Suburban Ice Macomb.
Hall said the Eagles, who were through with tryouts and preparing for their season opener when the shutdown occurred, were using two locker rooms instead of one as a safety precaution.
“We were doing really well in terms of being safe,” he said.
The 2020 state tournament wasn’t completed because the coronavirus halted sports in mid-March.
This season, regionals are scheduled to begin Feb. 22, and state finals are slated for March 13.
“Hopefully, we’ ll be back at it soon,” Hall said. “We want to get back on the ice.
“I don’t know a player that doesn’t want to play. I don’t know a coach that doesn’t want to coach. We all want to have normalcy in our lives.”
But the coach stressed the need for all concerned to be careful.
“In the back of my mind, I’m scared to death if it goes through my team and we get sick,” Hall said. “I feel like I can’t be safe enough with my players.
“It ’ s looming constantly. It’s draining. It’s a little stressful. But if it’s three weeks, six weeks, 10 weeks or whatever it is, it’s temporary. Losing a loved one is forever.”