Detroit Red Wings Clips May 10, 2016

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1 Detroit Red Wings Clips May 10, 2016 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 Seidel: Detroit teams stink, so hooray for Nyquist! PAGE 4 Red Wings shake-up: 2 new assistants, Salajko new goalie coach? PAGE 6 Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk helps Russia win at Worlds; U.S. falls PAGE 7 Blashill is aware Red Wings have to change their mix PAGE 10 Wings make staff changes, look to add more experience PAGE 12 Finland, with Red Wings' Teemu Pulkkinen, edges U.S. at World Championship PAGE 13 Red Wings reassign assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler, let go goaltending coach Jim Bedard PAGE 15 Wings make more changes to coaching staff PAGE 16 Griffins look to begin slow climb from 3-0 deficit against Lake Erie

2 Seidel: Detroit teams stink, so hooray for Nyquist! Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press Columnist 1:36 p.m. EDT May 9, 2016 Owner J. Paul Reddam, trainer Doug O'Neil and jockey Mario Gutierrez and racing manager Dennis O'Neil talk after Nyquist wins the Kentucky Derby. Scott Utterback/The CJ This horse is one of us now and the timing couldn t be any better. The Tigers stink, and the Pistons and Red Wings were both bounced from the playoffs. Nyquist is our horse now. Our adopted champion. We'll take a winner wherever we can find one. Nyquist is right in contention, horse racing announcer Larry Collmus said on NBC, his voice rising during Saturday's broadcast of the Kentucky Derby. And they are into the stretch, and it s Nyquist.... Nyquist has taken the lead on the outside! Throughout Hockeytown, the curiosity turned into excitement for the horse named after Gustav Nyquist, the Detroit Red Wings forward. And they come to the final furlong, Collmus said. Nyquist and Exaggerator. They are coming to the line together... and Nyquist has won the Kentucky Derby! Shoot, it felt like we won the Derby. By now, you probably know the story. This horse was discovered by Dennis O Neill, who was raised in Dearborn, and is being trained by O Neill s younger brother Doug, who went to Dearborn Divine Child Elementary School, and is owned by Paul Reddam, a guy who grew up across the river in Windsor but is a huge Wings fan. Kentucky Derby favorite Nyquist owned by die-hard Wings fan All of that is the long way of saying that this horse is one of us now, and the timing couldn t be better. This has been such a miserable spring. The Tigers stink, and the Pistons and Red Wings were bounced from the playoffs. The Lions are the Lions. But this horse? Nyquist is something special. Now comes the amazing part: Nyquist has been trained not only to win the Derby but to shoot for the Triple Crown. I think Doug has been taking a chance with how he s training the horse, Reddam told me before the Kentucky Derby. He has been training the horse with an eye towards winning the whole Triple Crown. That s because the horse, with his experience with him over the year, has indicated he is something special. He has that will to beat you. Reddam has been in this spot before. He owned I ll Have Another, a horse that won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, but an injury knocked him out before the Belmont Stakes. 2

3 When we had I ll Have Another, Doug was training the heck out of him, all the way up until a couple of days before the Belmont, Reddam said. Then the horse got hurt the day before. After that experience, O Neill has trained Nyquist differently. One thing that really stands out about Doug is he always had an open mind and he s willing to learn and to adapt and change, Reddam said. If you look at how he trains Nyquist versus how he trained I ll Have Another, the style is completely different.... Doug is very conscious of wanting to deliver a fresh, happy horse for the Belmont. O Neill pushed I ll Have Another hard every day, putting him through a series of strong gallops. But O Neill has not pushed Nyquist so hard. I think this guy has really taught me a lot of things, O Neill said. I ve always been a big believer in strong gallops -- not really fast workouts -- but daily strong gallops. With this guy, winning his first time out and winning his second time out, I just got a feel for him. O Neill eased up and has been alternating Nyquist s training. One day, Nyquist will do 2 miles of jogging. The next day, he will have a good, strong gallop. I kind of give him time to rest because he puts so much into it, O Neill said. That's the great part. Nyquist is primed for something bigger. And that makes it all the better, considering the sports misery around here. Finally, we have something to root for. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

4 Red Wings shake-up: 2 new assistants, Salajko new goalie coach? Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 3 p.m. EDT May 9, 2016 The Detroit Red Wings' season was far from perfect, The Detroit Red Wings have started their off-season with internal changes. General manager Ken Holland told the Free Press today that longtime goaltending coach Jim Bedard will not return to the organization. Assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler will remain with the organization but be moved from behind the bench. Jeff Salajko, who has considerable history with No. 1 goaltender Petr Mrazek, is a leading candidate to become the new goalie coach. Salajko is the goaltending development coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit's AHL farm team, where Mrazek played in through part of Moving from Bedard to a new face also is further indication the Wings plan to trade goaltender Jimmy Howard. Mrazek, a restricted free agent, is considered the goaltender of the future in Detroit. Holland said the moves reflect meetings he had with head coach Jeff Blashill after they held exit interviews with players following last month's first-round elimination from the NHL playoffs. "When the interview process was over, we talked a little bit," Holland said. "Jim Bedard's contract was expiring. We're not renewing it." Holland said there are talks about a severance package for Bedard, 59, who joined the organization in Bedard took a break from a golf outing today with longtime friend and former goaltender Chris Osgood to reflect on nearly two decades with the Wings. "I understand how hockey works," Bedard said. "Being in one place for that long, I have no regrets and memories to last a lifetime. I wish everyone the best. "I have nothing but good vibes all the way around. I'm looking forward to the next part of my life." The change behind the bench reflects a belief that the Wings will be better served by having two assistants with NHL-heavy experience. Tony Granato, who was in charge of the defense and penalty killing, left after the playoffs to become the head coach at Wisconsin. Ferschweiler, whom Blashill brought along when he was promoted from Grand Rapids last year, had no NHL experience. He was in charge of the forwards and the power play. The power play was egregiously poor this season, one year after finishing second overall in the NHL -- and without losing any key personnel, playerwise. "Jeff would like to get a couple of assistants a little heavier on experience," Holland said. "With Tony Granato leaving and all the change in the industry, we decided to consider adding two assistants with more experience. Ideally, it will be an offensive guy and a defensive guy." 4

5 The Wings brought in former NHL player and head coach Adam Oates for a consultant job last season. Holland noted that changes in coaching jobs in Anaheim, Calgary, Minnesota and Ottawa have left a lot of experienced NHL people in flux. If Ferschweiler takes on a tertiary role, Holland said it remained to be seen whether that will affect assistant coach Chris Chelios, who worked as a video consultant from the press box at home games. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

6 Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk helps Russia win at Worlds; U.S. falls Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 3:54 p.m. EDT May 9, 2016 Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk added another assist as Russia cruised at the IIHF World Championships. Datsyuk had his third assist of the tournament in today's 4-0 victory over Latvia in a preliminary game in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since losing their opening game to the Czechs, the Russians have won twice to earn six points in Group A. The top four teams from Group A and Group B advance to the knockout round. When he is done at the tournament, Datsyuk plans to return to Detroit to discuss his future with general manager Ken Holland and owners Mike and Marian Ilitch. Datsyuk has said he wants to return to Russia despite having a year left on his contract with the Wings, but won't make his decision final until later this month. "Based on my conversation with Pav, and with his agent, my expectation is we'll sit down together," Holland told the Free Press on Monday. The Wings are hoping Datsyuk, who turns 38 in July, will change his mind. If he does leave, they would either have to absorb a $7.5 million salary cap hit because he signed his last extension after turning 35, or they would have to explore finding a taker among the few low-budget teams in the NHL. It seems unlikely Datsyuk will be back, but there are a few considerations that could be factors: The ruble has shown signs of life but remains volatile because of low energy prices and sanctions (in December, $1 was worth about 80 rubles. Today, $1 is worth 67 rubles). And there are notable Russians who left the NHL for the KHL, such as Alexander Radulov and Ilya Kovalchuk, who now reportedly would prefer to be in the NHL. Datsyuk played in Russia during the labor dispute and again in the fall of More Worlds: Dylan Larkin had an assist as U.S. lost 3-2 to Finland (Teemu Pulkkinen) in Group B preliminaries....gustav Nyquist and Sweden blew a 2-0 lead to lose, 4-2, to the undefeated Czech Republic in a Group A game. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

7 Blashill is aware Red Wings have to change their mix Gregg Krupa, The Detroit News 11:05 p.m. EDT May 9, 2016 Detroit The Red Wings exited the playoffs early, and the nature of Jeff Blashill s considerable tasks changed instantly to preparing for next season. He will have some time off, but not now. That, for me, happens in the summer, Blashill said, as he worked in his office a few yards down a hallway from the empty Wings dressing room. When you end out and other teams are playing, you should still be working. He must help hire three assistants, watch the playoffs, identify possible trade and freeagent acquisitions, conduct exhaustive reviews of each player on his roster, travel to see his former club, Grand Rapids, in the American Hockey League playoffs, and review planning for next season. Blashill is clear about some central elements of his focus. The changes that can be achieved in the coming months should result in a lineup in which players are more enthused about their specific roles, with the intention that improved performance will follow and result in less shuffling of forward lines and defensive pairs, like the nearly constant, mostly unsuccessful search for improvement that marked the past season. I would like to have a much better feel for what our lines are going to be, he said. And part of that, and part of what we ve talked about as a group, is constructing a roster where guys are excited about their roles. Guys that are third-line players are excited to be third-line players. Guys who are fourth-line players are excited to be that. And you have the right guys getting the right minutes in the top six. This year, we just had probably too many similar players that I don t think we ever found the best combinations for. Wearing a gym suit and athletic shoes, for a half hour, Blashill discussed the state of affairs of the storied NHL franchise he inherited from Mike Babcock after a decade, 11 months ago. A lot to fix The lineup ended up being a combination of aging stars, whose wear from long service suddenly seemed more evident, and young guys Blashill integrated more swiftly than his predecessor before making hard judgments about how to use them. It never quite meshed. A better performance might come through a more stable lineup, requiring some different personnel. Is it possible, realistically, in one offseason? 7

8 Arguably, questions propound in a volume larger and more consequential than or any Wings coach in a quarter-century. One issue Blashill said was whether the staff could improve. The Wings announced Monday that in addition to Tony Granato moving to Wisconsin, goaltending coach Jim Bedard and assistant Pat Ferschweiler will not return. Another issue is the roster. What players have we identified that we think can help take that next step and become go-to players? he said. What players can we potentially target to go out and get? I just know there s no easy fix. To a large degree, our roster we have right now will have to play better to gain the traction we want. The players Blashill said were most affected by the lineup not knitting into a whole were Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist. Slotted for the third line, with Riley Sheahan at center, Blashill said early that if they clicked as a third line it could be the best in the NHL. But they regressed, and all the lines failed to produce enough offense. We had guys on the third line who wanted to be top-two line guys, and we had so many players in that third spot that we didn t have enough excitement for the roles that everybody was in, Blashill said. They took a lot of heat for their lack of production, he said, while their coach played them fewer minutes. I think if guys had a beef on ice time, for me, it would be Tatar and Nyquist more than anybody else, Blashill said. Dylan Larkin, with his surprisingly strong performance, chewed up some of those minutes, and veteran free-agent acquisition Brad Richards did, too, Blashill said. It also discouraged more playing time from Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha. The need to balance a lineup, which he faces as coach, was thrown off by a lineup of similar players. Hence, Holland s assertion immediately after the season the roster requires more diverse talents. Next season, Blashill said, the younger guys might play more. He showed far more readiness to use young players than Babcock. But after inserting Alexey Marchenko into the lineup, going with the younger goaltender, Petr Mrazek, and calling up Athanasiou and Mantha, some criticized him for not playing the younger guys more. The best chance for growth by far is for some of these young players to take the next step from being nice support players to being elite players who can put the team on their back the way Pavel (Datsyuk) and Z (Henrik Zetterberg) have for a number of years, he said. 8

9 They have to be given the opportunity to do that while earning that opportunity. That s going to start in training camp. The young guys that play the best are going to have expanded roles because that s the best way for us to have growth as a hockey team, especially if Pavel decides he s not coming back. Growth from within With Datsyuk likely leaving and the team hard-pressed for free agents and trades amid concern the crop of talent in Grand Rapids available for harvest is not plentiful, is a coach headed to his sophomore season concerned the franchise is in decline? I don t think we re any different than teams that are playing in the second round, by any stretch, Blashill said. But I would also say that I don t think there s huge differences between a number of us who made the playoffs and a number of teams that didn t. What he seeks is what he mentioned a lot during the season, modest improvement that makes the Red Wings a solid contender If we do that, we have a legitimate chance to make a long playoff run, Blashill said. If we don t do that, we ve got a legitimate chance to miss the playoffs. I think it mostly has to do with internal growth. It s the need for us to maximize our players and not have guys who have down years. So I ll take that upon my shoulders. It might be some change from external sources in trades or free agency. It might be maximizing our coaching staff. We ve got to find those ways to be a little two percent better, because the differences between going on a long run and missing the playoffs is miniscule in today s NHL. Detroit News LOADED:

10 Wings make staff changes, look to add more experience Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 3:39 p.m. EDT May 9, 2016 Detroit The Red Wings have posted a help wanted sign for more assistant coaches. The team is not renewing the contract of longtime goaltending coach Jim Bedard, and have reassigned assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler to the press box. The Red Wings had already been looking to replace assistant coach Tony Granato, who left to become head coach at the University of Wisconsin. The changes were done, said Holland, after consulting with coach Jeff Blashill at the conclusion of the playoffs. As we talked we came to the determination would would make some changes to the staff, Holland said. With Tony leaving, Jeff would like to get more experience. The league is so close, so tight, you re looking to find that two percent to get two percent better. Bedard, 59, had been the goaltending coach for the last 18 seasons. His contract was expiring on July 1. I want to thank Ken Holland for giving me an opportunity 19 years ago. It was a great run, Bedard said. The experiences and people I have met along the way have been life changing. I was fortunate to be on three Cup winners and we never missed the playoffs. I look forward to new endeavors and also want to thank the Ilitch family, who treat the Red Wings family as their own. A possible replacement for Bedard could be Jeff Salajko, who has been the goaltending development coach for the minor league affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins. Salajko has worked extensively with goaltender Petr Mrazek, and attended several Red Wings practices during this past regular season. Ferschweiler presided over a power play that stagnated most of the season before catching fire late in the season and finished 13th overall. But the power play was 1-for-25 in the first-round series loss to Tampa Bay, a key reason the Red Wings were eliminated in five games. We ll make some changes and you re hoping the changes will be for the better, Holland said. Ice chips Holland said he ll talk with Pavel Datsyuk at the conclusion of the world championships in Russia. Datsyuk is leaning toward leaving the Red Wings and the final season of his current contract to return to Russia. 10

11 Holland said Datsyuk will be returning to Detroit at the conclusion of the tournament around June 1 and will inform Holland and the Ilitch family of his intentions. Holland said Luke Glendening had to withdraw from Team USA in the world championships because of a severe bone bruise. Tomas Tatar, who was bothered by a shoulder injury that left him unable to play in the world championships, will not need surgery, only rest and rehabilitation, Holland said. Detroit News LOADED:

12 Finland, with Red Wings' Teemu Pulkkinen, edges U.S. at World Championship By Ansar Khan May 09, 2016 Detroit Red Wings forward Teemu Pulkkinen picked up an assist Monday in Finland's 3-2 victory over the U.S. at the World Championship in St. Petersburg, Russia. Pulkkinen assisted on Antti Pihlstrom's first-period goal that gave Finland a 2-0 lead. The U.S. scored twice to tie it -- the Red Wings' Dylan Larkin assisted on Connor Murphy's equalizer 53 seconds into the third period. But Leo Komarov's power-play goal at 4:16 of the third snapped the tie and stood as the game-winner as the Finns improved to 3-0, tying Canada for the top spot in Group B with nine points. Pulkkinen has no goals, two assists and three shots on goal in three games. Larkin has three points (goal, two assists) and a team-high 11 shots on goals in three games. The U.S. is 1-2. In other games involving Red Wings: Russia 4, Latvia 0: Pavel Datsyuk had one assist and one shot on goal in 13:16. Artemi Panarin of the Chicago Blackhawks had two goals and two assists. Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets made 33 saves. The Russians are 2-1. Czech Republic 4, Sweden 2: Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist had no points, no shots on goal and a minus-3 rating in 16:05 for Sweden, which dropped to 2-1. Michigan Live LOADED:

13 Red Wings reassign assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler, let go goaltending coach Jim Bedard By Ansar Khan DETROIT The Detroit Red Wings are making wholesale changes to their coaching staff. They are seeking two new assistant coaches to work behind the bench with head coach Jeff Blashill after reassigning Pat Ferschweiler, who will watch games from the press box. The club also is seeking a goaltending coach, after opting not to renew Jim Bedard's contract. Bedard had been with the organization for 18 seasons. "We need change," general manager Ken Holland said. "We're still trying to figure out exactly how we're putting the staff together. Jeff felt he wanted to put together a different staff, felt it was time for some change." Holland said they interviewed a couple of assistant coaching candidates last week and Blashill has spoken to several more by phone. Some were waiting for a few clubs to fill their head coaching vacancies. The Red Wings are seeking coaches with extensive NHL experience. Marc Crawford no longer is a candidate, after reportedly agreeing to be the associate coach in Ottawa under new head coach Guy Boucher. Former NHL head coaches Todd Richards, Dave Cameron, Paul MacLean and Mike Yeo as well as long-time Boston Bruins assistant coach Doug Houda are possible candidates. Ferschweiler was in his first season as an NHL assistant after working under Blashill with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He was in charge of a power play that struggled most of the season before finishing 13th in the NHL after a late surge. However, the struggles resurfaced in the playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning (1 for 25). Tony Granato, who worked with the defensemen and the penalty kill, is the new head coach at Wisconsin. Holland said it hasn't been determined how Ferscheiler's new role will affect Chris Chelios, a part-time assistant coach who watched most home games from the press box and traveled occasionally. Chelios said late in the season that he is not a candidate for a full-time assistant coaching job due to family obligations. Bedard worked with goaltenders at every level within the team's system, but his mostly with the two on the NHL roster. 13

14 One possible candidate to replace him Jeff Salajko, the goaltending development coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins the past three seasons. He has worked closely with Petr Mrazek and even joined the Red Wings on the ice for practices in Columbus this past season. Michigan Live LOADED:

15 Wings make more changes to coaching staff By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily DETROIT - Another first round ouster from the playoffs has brought along sweeping changes to the Detroit Red Wings coaching staff for next season. The team announced Monday they would not renew the contract of goalie coach Jim Bedard as well as reassigning first-year assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler to the press box to watch games. We need change, Wings general manager Ken Holland said. We re still trying to figure out exactly how we re putting the staff together. Holland said it was Detroit coach Jeff Blashill that felt it was time for a change. Jeff felt he wanted to put together a different staff, Holland said. The team also needs to replace Tony Granto, who left after the season to become the head coach at the University of Wisconsin. Holland added that they have interviewed a couple candidates for assistant coach last week and that Blashill has spoken to several others by phone. The Wings are looking for coaches that have extensive NHL experience, which could delay the process since some candidates are waiting on clubs to fill head coaching vacancies. Last year Todd Richards (Columbus Blue Jackets), Dave Cameron (Ottawa Senators) and Mike Yeo (Minnesota Wild) were all relieved of their duties in midseason. Blashill brought Ferschweiler with him from Grand Rapids, where he had spent one season with the Griffins after coaching four seasons at Western Michigan University. Ferschweiler s main duty behind the bench was the power play, which was very inconsistent all season, finishing 13th overall because of a late season surge. However, in the playoffs the power play was just 1-for-25. Chris Chelios is also a part-time assistant coach, who watched most home games from the press box and traveled on occasion. Chelios, who was an assistant coach for Team USA at last year s World Juniors, said late in the season he s not a candidate for a fulltime assistant coach job due to family obligations. Jeff Salajko, the goalie development coach in Grand Rapids, could be the front runner to replace Bedard, who had been with the organization for the last 18 seasons. Salajko worked closely with Petr Mrazek while he was with the Griffins. Macomb Daily LOADED:

16 Griffins look to begin slow climb from 3-0 deficit against Lake Erie By Peter Wallner / MLive.com GRAND RAPIDS Grand Rapids Griffins coach Todd Nelson may have mentioned the 2014 Los Angeles Kings or the 2013 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a few times the past two days. Those teams were the latest from a small hockey group who have overcome 3-0 deficits to win a seven-game playoff series. The Griffins need to embrace them because that's what they face in Game 4 at 7 tonight at Van Andel Arena in the Central Division Finals against Lake Erie. "Their defense is making us scrape and claw for every piece of ice we get," Griffins coach Todd Nelson said. "But we got to stick with it and make it difficult. Like I said, if we can come out on Tuesday and play similar to what we did (Sunday), I feel comfortable with that." The Monsters, following Sunday's 2-1 victory, are undefeated in the playoffs at 6-0 and look to advance to the conference finals for the first time. Depending on the outcomes, the final three games of the series alternate home games. In the AHL, three times have crawled back to win after trailing 3-0. Besides Wilkes- Barre/Scranton, which topped Providence in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, it has been accomplished by Adirondack over Hershey in 1989 and Rochester over Cleveland in The feat has been turned four times in the NHL, including the Kings over San Jose in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, and they went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Griffins have been close, with each game decided by one goal. They also have had their chances. In Game 1, Andy Miele failed to convert a penalty shot in the closing minute of regulation, while the Griffins squandered the Game 2 lead when the Monsters scored twice within 2:36 in the third period. "We're not worried about it. We've been playing well," said forward Mitch Callahan. "They are up 3-0 but we could be up 3-0 with the right bounces. Right now the luck is in their favor and hopefully it turns to ours." "It's hard for me to say we're feeling good about our game being down 3-0 but I think we're definitely playing the right way at times," said forward Eric Tangradi. "It's just a matter of putting together a full effort and will and determination." 16