DETROIT | Todd McLellan begins his first full season in charge of the Wings since Derek Lalonde was fired during the holiday season last year. It turns out this is the Wings' centennial season.
The Saskatchewan resident has a good understanding of the team and its history. He began his NHL coaching career with the Wings, spending three seasons as an assistant to Mike Babcock and winning the team's last Stanley Cup in 2008.
“Being a part of the Red Wings is something special. It's bigger than Todd McLellan or anyone else, it's a team with 100 years of history. Maybe we should sit down with the players and give them a history lesson because I'm not sure they all understand what happened here before.”
“We see players like [Nicklas] Lidstrom went into the locker room, but on my first visit we saw Mr. Howe. [Gordie] or M. Delvecchio [Alex]and that was special to me. We understood the story that happened with their presence in the locker room.
Important year
After the Canadiens, Maple Leafs and Bruins, three other NHL teams are celebrating their centenaries this year.
In addition to the Blackhawks and Rangers, the Red Wings will also begin their centennial celebration on Thursday night, and everyone on the team knows it.
“Obviously this is a big year for the team and for the organization,” Patrick Kane acknowledged Wednesday. We only have to look around the dressing room to see pictures of all the great players who were here before us, and in a sense we represent them. To be part of one of the original six teams is something special.”
Kane knows what he's talking about, having played all of his 18 NHL seasons with original teams. He played just over 15 seasons with Chicago, finishing one season with the Rangers and starting his third season with the Wings.
“I was lucky enough to be drafted by Chicago where I spent an incredible few years, I also wanted the New York experience, and when I chose my next destination, Detroit seemed to fit a lot of my needs.”
Colors
Part of the players' excitement stems from the fact that they will be wearing special uniforms against the Canadians on Thursday. Their appearance will be a nod to the original Red Wings look. Players will have matte red helmets and leather-colored gloves, as will goalie socks.
“We can't wait to put on this special kit,” admitted goalkeeper John Gibson. We can't wait to experience this atmosphere. We just have to look back at the other teams that celebrated their centenary and they wore some pretty cool jerseys too.”
The team's season will be marked by centennial events, adding to the excitement, but Travis Hamonic doesn't think the games should be treated any differently.
“Of course there will be a rush during the season, but when the matches start, it's more or less the same for us. But this organization has a lot of history. In the 1990s and 2000s, I was young and saw their teams win cups.”
