They’ve become such oft-repeated phrases within the confines of the Detroit Red Wings’ dressing that sometimes you think they’ve been talking about this stuff for the entirety of the club’s quarter-century streak of playoff appearances.
Go to the net. Put pucks to the net. Get some dirty goals.
Yeah, those catchphrases.
After a 4-1 loss Friday the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Wings were again discussing their need to make life difficult for opposition goaltenders.
“We have to continue to harp upon the fact that we have to continue to be a team that plays up the ice as fast as we can,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “We’re becoming a better O-zone team, so if we get pucks behind people and play in the other team’s end, we have a better chance to produce more offense. And the other thing I think we have to continue to do is to be more determined to get to the net and more determined to put pucks to the net.
“I still think we pass up shots to try to make plays and we just have to understand that it’s going to be lots of shots, lots of shots, lots of tips around the net and lots of chaos around the net.…
That’s the thing. As Blashill notes, as much as they talk about doing these sorts of things on the ice, when it comes time to implement the plan, the Wings too often seem to put it on ice.
“I think part of it is the middle drive,… Detroit left-winger Tomas Tatar said. “We have to have one guy going to the net and then we can shoot it, because you can get like a good chance for a rebound but we need middle drive and net-front presence for sure.…
Tatar is also certain of an elements of the game that they must limit, as well as those they must embrace, in order to make the north-south style they desire to play an effective process.
“We can’t turn pucks over, that’s the thing that’s going to kill you when you’re playing north-south game,… Tatar said. “You have to put puck deep and have a good forecheck, and exit the zone real fast. I think these two are the keys to playing that kind of game.…
Home Fried Another area of the game the Wings need to get cleaned up in a hurry is their abysmal home record. Detroit is 2-7-2 in its last 11 games at Joe Louis Arena, and Sunday plays host to the Philadelphia Flyers in the second game of a five-game homestand.
“One hundred per cent,… Tatar said of the need to start taking advantage of home ice. “We have this home stretch, now four more games home, we have to pick up as much points as we can.
“Obviously it’s a big advantage to play at home, you don’t have to travel and the fans are obviously helping you too. So home games is an advantage and we have to use it.…
Then again, the Wings used to beat Columbus like a drum and that certainly has turned around. Friday’s loss dropped the Wings to 3-10-1 in their last 14 against Columbus and 1-5-1 in the last seven against the Blue Jackets at the Joe.
Deaths In The Family It’s been a tragic few days for the Red Wings. Wednesday, Jeff Daniels, the son of Ken Daniels, the TV voice of the team, died suddenly at the of 23. The same day, former Red Wings defenseman Ben Woit, who played with the team from 1950-55, winning Stanley Cups in 1951-52, 1953-54 and 1954-55, died in Richmond Hill, Ont. at the age of 88.
Saturday, Bill Dineen, a right-winger who won Stanley Cups with the Wings in 1953-54 and 1954-55 and later coached the club’s Adirondack AHL squad to Calder Cup titles in 1985-86 and 1988-89, died in Lake George, N.Y. He was 84
Dineen also coached the Flyers from 1991-93 and guided the WHA Houston Aeros to a pair of Avco Cups with his former Wings teammate Gordie Howe leading the way.
Dineen’s son Peter played two games on defense for the Wings in 1989-90.
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