Detroit Red Wings rookie center Dylan Larkin was a little concerned that an article published Tuesday seemed to suggest that he wasn’t as big a fan of former Wings coach Mike Babcock as he is of current Red Wings bench boss Jeff Blashill.
The article suggested that Larkin felt he was better off with Blashill as coach over Babcock in terms of his chances of making the Detroit roster this season, but Larkin insisted he never said such a thing.
“I've been reading the past few days that they said I signed just because Babcock left,… Larkin said. “It is kind of twisting my words.…
According to Larkin, he only felt his chances were better with Blashill in charge simply because the change to a new regime should leave everyone on the same page without any pre-conceived notions of what they might be capable of doing.
“It was a pretty subtle question but they asked if that was one of the factors and I said yes, with Blash coming here I feel like it's a new opportunity,… Larkin said.
“I think with my abilities and the player I want to be, I think I can help the Detroit Red Wings. My words were twisted a little bit there but it happens.…
You Never Know Who You’ll Meet The neat thing about playing for one of the so-called Original Six teams is that the long history of those teams is ever present inside the dressing room.
Such is the case in Detroit, where vacant locker stalls are often filled with nameplates like Howe, Delvecchio, Sawchuk and Lindsay.
One of the Wings’ living legends actually stopped by Joe Louis Arena Wednesday and took time to visit with some of the players – Terrible Ted himself, Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay, captain of Detroit’s Stanley Cup championship teams in 1953-54 and 1954-55.
Among those he paused to chat with was Larkin.
“That was pretty cool,… Larkin admitted. “It's pretty cool to see him around the locker room and have those relationships with (current Detroit captain) Henrik (Zetterberg).
“He's an interesting man. Playing for (coach) Red (Berenson at Michigan), I know they're good friends, he's talked about him quite a bit.
“It was pretty cool to finally meet him.…
Likes Changes Zetterberg is a big fan of the newest acquisitions in the Detroit lineup, center Brad Richards and defenseman Mike Green, the Wings two summer free-agent additions.
“Green is a right-handed shot, plays a lot on the power play, plays a lot of minutes and did a real good job in Washington,… Zetterberg said. “It’s kind of the defenseman we didn’t have, so it’s a nice addition for us.
“Also, Richards has been around for a long time, knows what it takes to go all the way and win and it’s going to be nice to have a veteran presence in the locker room.…
Pav And Z Zetterberg has been chatting with injured teammate Pavel Datsyuk, currently rehabbing from summer ankle surgery and a question mark to start the season.
“I’ve been talking to him,… Zetterberg said. “He went through the surgery, he’s doing his rehab. He’s just got to take the time he needs and when he comes back he’s going to be healthy and ready to go.…
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