The Detroit Red Wings are in the midst of a nine-year playoff drought, and the team is looking to snap it this season.
However, the Red Wings got off to a slow start with a 5-1 blowout loss at home to the Montreal Canadiens. It was a frustrating start to the season, especially since Montreal was in the second half of a back-to-back.
After the blowout loss, Red Wings coach Todd McLellan called out the team and sent a harsh message to veterans.
“I actually asked a couple, maybe three or four players, like, ‘Are we tired of this yet?’” McLellan said on Friday. “And they were longtime Red Wings. They didn’t come from other organizations. Just, you know, when is enough, enough, to play sloppy like that? And I wasn’t blaming those players, I wasn’t saying, ‘Hey it’s your fault.’ But it has to have an impact on those guys. They’ve got to be sitting in there going, ‘OK, enough already.’ But if those four start, or five start, and make a difference, the rest will follow. And I’m hoping that will happen.”
McLellan knew the Red Wings’ play of hockey in the first game wasn’t up to par. So, despite it being just the first game of 82, the coach made sure to call out his team.
The message appeared to work as Detroit beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3. The Red Wings trailed 2-0 after the first period but rallied to win, which McLellan was happy about.
“We talked about being mentally tough, we didn’t roll over, and ‘woe is us’ type attitude,” McLellan said. “We dug in a little bit more. So that’s a real good sign for us.”
Patrick Kane Happy With Red Wings Play
One of the leaders in Detroit is Patrick Kane, who won three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Kane is one of the leaders in the locker room, and he was glad to see the Red Wings coach call out the team. Although Detroit struggled out of the gates against Toronto, the veteran was pleased that the team dug deep and rallied to get the win.
“I know it’s two games into the season,” Kane said. “But we proved we can turn the corner when we face that adversity.”
The Red Wings haven’t made the playoffs in nine seasons, and Kane is looking for that to come to an end this season.
Kane signed a one-year, $3 million extension with Detroit, which is his third season with the Red Wings.
Raymond: Detroit Has Confidence in Group
Although the Red Wings are in the midst of a nine-year playoff drought, Detroit has confidence in its group.
Star forward Lucas Raymond believes the Red Wings have learned a lot from their failures to learn from it and have confidence this season.
“We’ve been in situations a couple years now, where it comes down to the end and the margins are very thin,” Raymond said. “It’s about getting off to a good start, putting ourselves in a good position and getting good habits. We got all the tools in this locker room and around us to be a really good hockey team. We have the confidence to have it as well.”
Detroit is set to take on the Maple Leafs on the road on Monday.
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