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Wings ready for some R & R |
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Someone from the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots is likely to announce “I’m going to Disneyland” shortly after winning the Super Bowl, but Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm is one step ahead of them.
He’s going to Disneyworld.
“It’s the first time for me,” said Helm, who is spending the NHL All-Star break in Orlando, Fla. “It should be fun.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s a little bit warmer weather, though we can’t really complain about the weather we’ve had here. It’s been nice.
“Still, it’ll be nice to see a little bit more sun, get some shorts on, go down by the pool and relax for a little bit. It’s always nice to get a little bit of time off.”
Several of the Wings headed for warmer climates, taking advantage of their six-day break to grab some much-need rest and relaxation.
Rookie goalie Petr Mrazek is in Florida, but is looking for something quite different than Helm from his venture into the Sunshine State. He’s off to Miami.
“I’m going for vacation with (teammate) Tomas Tatar and another guy from Toronto, one of my buddies and see my girlfriend, too.
“I’m just going to rest. That’s going to be awesome.”
After a demanding month that’s been mostly spent on the road, getting away without facing an opponent at the end of the journey will make it a pleasurable trip for the players.
“I’ll be going away to relax, try to get some sun,” defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “It’ll be nice.
“I think it will be good for everybody to get away and get a little break. It’ll be good to see the family a little bit more.”
After spending so much time elsewhere, it also feels good to them to be able to reward their families with an in-season vacation.
“We’ve had such a busy schedule and so many late nights it will be nice to kind of just relax a little bit, spend some time with the family, gain some energy that’s been kind of draining over the last couple of games and get ready for the last stretch,” Helm said.
Not everyone is enjoying their down time in a vacation hot spot. Detroit coach Mike Babcock is spending the all-star break watching his son Michael play for the United States Hockey League’s Fargo Force.
“I’m going to Muskegon,” Babcock said. “There’s a doubleheader. My son’s playing Muskegon.
“I’m the lucky one. I’ll be in Muskegon. There must be a hotel there, right?”
Memories Of One
After watching Teemu Pulkkinen wire a slapshot past Minnesota Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper for a memorable first NHL goal, veteran Wings players were sharing memories of the first time they lit a red lamp in the show.
“You always remember your first one,” Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “Mine, I got a pass from (Chris) Chelios and I had an open net.
“His (Pulkkinen’s) was harder. It was a nice play by Weisser (Stephen Weiss), who picked the puck up with his skate and made a nice back-hand sauce and you saw what shot he has.”
The man who dished the pass to Pulkkinen was also visiting his memory bank.
“Yep, absolutely,” Weiss said when asked if he recalled his first NHL goal. “It was my first game in the third period on the power play. I just kind of walked out of the corner and made a move on the goalie five hole in Florida against Pittsburgh.”
The puck still holds a prominent place in the Weiss household.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I have it framed and everything. That’s one of the highlights of your life, along with your first NHL game.
“For me, it was both. I got my first NHL game on my 19th birthday and I was able to score a goal too. I see that thing quite a bit. I have it right where I can see it back home in Toronto.”
Sensing he was part of history, Weiss headed straight for the net after Pulkkinen scored.
“It just clicked for me that it might be his first goal, so I went to grab the puck, but he still had a big smile by the time I got back there,” Weiss said. “Anytime you can factor in on someone’s first goal is pretty special. Everyone remembers those ones.”
“He’ll remember that for a long time.”
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