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Blashill checks out the future |
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The recent past is something that Jeff Blashill would rather not recall, so the coach of the Detroit Red Wings headed up to Traverse City, Mich. this week to get a gander at the future of the team during the club’s annual development camp.
“I think the summertime is a time of optimism anyway,” Blashill said. “You kind of come in and you’re excited about where guys could be.”
With emphasis placed heavily on the could, mind you.
“I think it’s important to always temper any excitement when it’s in July because it is summer hockey,” Blashill said. “It’s not real hockey. I used to recruit lots and we’d go to tryout camps and watch them and you always had to temper it because it’s not real hockey.
“Again, for me it’s just a good first glance, gives me a little better feel come main camp for most of these guys.”
While he may not be assessing their immediate future as Red Wings, Blashill was intrigued to see the new kids, and mostly, to see how far those who had already been through this process have grown since last year’s camp, both from a physical and a stature standpoint.
“It’s a good chance for some of them for me to see them for the first time,” Blashill said. “I think some of the guys that have been around here for a little bit, I get a chance to see what their progress is.”
Blashill addressed the prospects Sunday morning, and his message to the players was twofold.
“One is about their personal development, what I think separates people in terms of success,” Blashill said. “I think the two most important things that separate people in terms of success is inner drive and perseverance. These guys are going to get knocked down. The ones that get back up are the ones that are going to end up playing for us in the NHL.
“You gotta continue to get back up. And the second part would be things that are important to be a Red Wing. We have a saying, earn this, and just make sure you’re earning the Winged Wheel. Lots of organizations in the NHL have a history, and the history of success that our organization has and it means a lot to be at the Detroit Red Wings camp.
Talent is just one element blended into the concoction that can ultimately make some of these guys NHLers one day
“I think the No. 1 thing is going to be what type of inner drive most of these guys have,” Blashill said. “That, to me, is what separates the guys who end up making it and which guys don’t. Even getting a chance to watch them through a real, real hard day, which guys kept working to get better and which guys worked to get through it is an important part of it.”
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