There was a time, as he endured injury after injury over a two-year span, when many wondered whether they’d ever see Darren Helm perform as an NHL regular again.
Helm may have even wondered that himself, but he wonders no more.
Now he’s just back to being a wonder for the Detroit Red Wings.
The speedy forward scored twice, ending an 11-game goalless drought, to spark the Wings to a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena.
Once considered the fastest skater in the NHL and in the opinion of his coach Mike Babcock, the best checking centre in the league, Helm, 27, believes he’s got his game back and in fact, he’s performed in all 38 games for the Wings this season, producing 7-11-18 totals.
“It feels great,… Helm said. “Up until last two games, I thought the 10 before that I’ve been playing well.
“I had kind of a slower start. I wanted to kind of feel out my body and see the situation I was in. I was able to overcome that and started playing hard.
“I think I got my step back a little bit after Christmas. Hopefully, I can get a good push here up until the All-Star break and then the rest of the season.…
Helm’s first goal came on a wraparound that bounced off and over the pad of Devils goalie Cory Schneider to pull Detroit into a 1-1 tie. The second saw him finish off a play after smart work by linemates Johan Franzen and Gustav Nyquist to complete the scoring.
“Mule was there at the start, battling hard along the wall,… Helm said of Franzen. “I was just kind of parked in front watching the show. Those guys did a really good job holding onto the puck tonight.
“They were spinning and battling, Mule had it, then Gus had it and he made a good play to the net. It wasn’t pretty, but you’ve just to get pucks to the net sometimes.…
Their line has started to click after a slow start when first assembled by Babcock.
“We were all kind of struggling when we got put together,… Helm said. “We didn’t have the best first couple of games together. We’ve had shifts in the last couple of games when we’ve played well together.
“Tonight I thought we did a better job. Hopefully, with the way we played tonight, things will keep going in a positive direction for us.…
Overcoming a variety of hurts that have included a lacerated forearm, knee injury, groin and back ailments have only helped Helm become a more determined competitor and someone who doesn’t let the little things bother him anymore.
It’s also made him much more aware of his body and what he needs to do to be prepared to play on a nightly basis.
“I’m stronger and smarter,… Helm explained. “It takes a lot more than just coming in and going onto the ice, for me at least. I’ve got a lot to do.
“I’m not getting too excited if something doesn’t feel right. I’m patient. I do what I need to do and make sure I’m ready to play for that night or the next couple of games.…
His determination and ability to persevere through so many setbacks has won Helm admirers within the Detroit dressing room.
“It’s always nice to see that he gets credit for the hard work he puts in,… captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “It’s not easy to be injured and go through rehabs and spending a lot of time working out.
“It’s nice to see that he gets some goals and gets some points.…
Better Effort Coming off a dismal performance in a 5-2 loss at Boston, Babcock was much happier with his team’s effort.
“What I wanted to see was compete from start to finish and that's what we did,… Babcock said. “We're going on a good road trip now; we need a good road trip. That's good for our team, the development of our team.
Detroit is now 20-9-9. The Wings didn’t reach 20 wins last season until Jan. 11, their 45th game of the season.
“I like the direction our team's going,… Babcock said. “I think we’ve got a good team, I think we're better than we've played of late. So now we’ve got to show it. No sense thinking about it or talking about it, we’ve got to do it.…
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