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A new era in Detroit Red Wings hockey gets underway Thursday when the team opens training camp in Traverse City, Mich. and Jeff Blashill can’t wait.
“We moved here in early August and so it's been a month and a half where we're certainly ready to get going,… said Blashill, the new coach of the Wings, replacing Mike Babcock, who’d been the team’s bench boss since 2005. “I think we've gone over the same stuff over and over and that's when it's time to get going.…
Blashill isn’t the only one sensing the excitement created by the changes behind the Detroit bench.
“I think so,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said when asked if the switch has created a buzz within the team.
“There’s a lot of guys in here who’ve been through the same stuff for many years. I think now with the new additions of (defenseman Mike) Green and (center Brad) Richards, and the new coach, it’s given us a little fresh start.
“Obviously it’s going to be a different voice behind the bench and sometimes you need that.…
As a group, the Wings players didn’t seem surprised at all to see Babcock depart.
“Wouldn’t you take that?… defenseman Kyle Quincey asked of the $50 million deal Babcock garnered from the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I would.…
In Blashill, they welcome a familiar face and voice. He worked as a Wings assistant in 2011-12 under Babcock and spent the last three seasons coaching Detroit’s AHL Grand Rapids farm club, where many of the young Detroit players skated for him.
“We're doing a lot of the same drills and doing a lot of the same stuff,… Quincey said. “Our system's not changing much. Blash is, I think, very similar (to Babcock). Personality-wise, he’s probably not the same.…
For Detroit’s younger players, there appears to be more of a sense of opportunity to move into bigger roles within the team in a faster timeframe than under Babcock, whose motto always was tie goes to the veteran.
“I think Blash knows what kind of player I was before,… forward Tomas Jurco said. “He had a chance to see it, so he knows I can be a different player, too.
“I’m not saying he’s going to put me on the power play and expect me to score 30 goals but I think he wants me to work hard and work my way up to maybe first three lines so I can provide offense.
“It’s going to be up to me. Just the good thing is Blash knows I can do it.…
Detroit general manager Ken Holland believes the new staff in charge will put a charge into camp and help ramp up the intensity of the drills.
“There’s a new coach, new opportunity,… Holland said. “Those people that did have that role and responsibility and did get those minutes from Mike Babcock will have to prove it all over again with a new coach.
“I’m hoping with a new man in charge, new man behind the bench that there’s a lot of excitement and optimism and competition as we head into training camp.…
It’s also an element Blashill is looking forward to as he begins the schooling and evaluating of his team.
His goals for training camp are twofold.
“I think first, building the foundation of how we play,… Blashill said. “It's not much different than how they played here in the past, so I just think it's building those principles, making sure we get our principles down.
“I also think it's a chance for some of the competition, for guys to show what spots they want within our lineup, what spots they want on our team and I think we've got an opportunity for some good competition that way.…
New coach. New opportunities. New chances.
It should make for an interesting September in Hockeytown.
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