As they near the 20th anniversary of their infamous March 26, 1997 brawl-filled game at Joe Louis Arena, this is the reality for the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche.
No one really cares anymore when they face each other on the ice.
Once the NHL’s most heated rivalry, literally must-see TV for every hockey fan, the Avs and Wings combined to win five Stanley Cups and faced each in three Western Conference finals between 1996-2002.
Today, all they are jockeying for is a better chance at winning the draft lottery.
“It’s obviously extremely different,… Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “I’m not used to this, quite honestly. I don’t really know how to put it in words to describe it.
“Obviously it’s a major disappointment in so many different areas.…
The Avs, who beat the Wings 3-1 Wednesday, remain last overall in the NHL and the odds-on favorites to select first overall in the NHL entry draft. The Wings sit second last in the Eastern Conference and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1989-90 season.
“For sure you know we thought we would be in a better position by now,… Detroit forward Tomas Tatar said. “It’s hard you know but we dug ourselves into this position, so we need to get out by ourselves.
“We have to work harder, we have to work on some stuff and we have to do some changes.…
Playing Out The String The Wings veterans worry that if they don’t stay the course for the remainder of the season, it could carry over into next season.
“It’s hard,… center Frans Nielsen admitted. “It’s not fun. This time used to be the best time of the year for playing games. Everything was on the line. But we’ve said it before, we’ve got to go out there and play the right way and come in every day and work.
“The last thing we can do is create bad habits in here, because it’s going to carry over and we’ve gotta keep working and try to do the right things. We’ve got to think forward, too a little bit.…
Even if they can’t make the playoffs, there’s other reasons for the Wings to keep seeking to play the game the right way.
“I think just for everybody winning is fun,… Tatar said. “We want to win as many games as you can.
“You have to get ready for every game. You can’t drop. Like I said before, the fans deserve it from us to play 100 per cent.…
Juggling Dmen Detroit coach Jeff Blashill shuffled his defense pairings for Wednesday’s games but it looked more like shuffling the chairs on the deck of the Titanic.
He put Nick Jensen with Danny DeKeyser and Kronwall with Mike Green, leaving rookies Xavier Ouellet and Robbie Russo, who played together last season with AHL Grand Rapids, unscathed through the changes.
“Just different chemistry, probably as much as anything,… Blashill explained. “I think at one point last year we had Kronner and Greener together and they didn’t get to play lots together but I thought they were a good pair.
“Kronner and Danny early in the year were a very good pair until Kronner got hurt and they haven’t been as good since together. So we’re hoping by switching them up the chemistry helps us be a little more productive.
Russo and Ouellet seem to have carried their chemistry as a tandem to the NHL.
We played together for a whole year,… Ouellet said, “I think it was around 70 games together. I think we do well together, we complete each other pretty good.
“We both talk a lot and try and help each other on the bench. He has pretty good hockey sense. We can understand each other and help each other out on the ice.…
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