Starting all over again
Red Wings rebuilding while recalling franchise’s famed past
A Detroit Red Wings home game looks and sounds a little like a memorial these days. The lights are dimmed as images of the franchise’s glorious past flash digitally onto the ice before the puck drops, reminding the relative few fans in the stands how good things used to be. And, they were good. Really good. Detroit’s 11 Stanley Cup banners are lowered from the rafters where retired jerseys are also displayed, rekindling memories of the four titles from 1997 to 2008 and the seven championships from 1936-55. The most successful U.S.-based NHL franchise has had some of the game’s all-time greats wear its sweater, adorned with a winged well, from Gordie Howe to Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom.
The good times fade during the lights-and-sounds pregame show as the pace of the music picks up and a video montage shows the current team, mostly a mix of role-playing veterans and not-ready prospects. When the lights are turned up closer to game time, more seats appear to be empty than occupied on some nights.
Detroit is among the worst teams in the league this season Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard (35) stops a shot by Vancouver Canucks center Bo Horvat (53) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday in Detroit.
- as expected and by design. The Red Wings hope a painfully poor season will help get them on the fast track to retool with difference-making players in the draft along with some help from veterans in free agency.
“I knew it was coming and I was prepared for it,” said Red Wings senior vice-president Jim Devellano, who is in his 37th season
with the team and his 52nd in the NHL. “I don’t like it. It upsets me, but not to the point that I’m going to go off the deep end.” The Red Wings appear destined to miss the playoffs for a third straight year after a remarkable run of 25 consecutive post-season appearances. Other than the current players and coaches, who are trying to win
every game, losing is seen as a necessary evil. Some fans, though, appear to be so fed up they don’t even sit in seats they paid for to attend games.
In an effort to make the sparsely filled sections at Little Caesars Arena stand out less in person and on TV, the backs of red seats have been temporarily covered in black. They will eventually be replaced by black chairs at a considerable cost in a 1-yearold arena that is the centerpiece of a $1.2 billion project.
Detroit got off to the worst start in franchise history by opening with seven losses and winning only one of its first 10 games. The Red Wings have bounced back with four wins in their last five.
“I wouldn’t say it takes the sting out of the slow start, but it’s something to build off of for sure,” forward Justin Abdelkader said during the recent surge. Winning could prove to be counterproductive for the Motor City’s hockey team this season. Part of what has held the Red Wings’ rebuilding effort back is the fact they haven’t had a No. 1 overall pick in the draft in recent years to get a generational player. If they lose enough this season and have some luck in the NHL draft lottery to get the top pick, Jack Hughes would give the franchise and its followers a desperately needed boost. Hughes is a playmaking centre for USA Hockey’s 18-under team, which trains and plays in suburban Detroit. His skill would help the team on the ice, though perhaps not right away, and his presence would provide a boost in interest for a team struggling to regain its standing as one of the most popular in a sports-crazed state.