Detroit Red Wings Clips February 2, 2016

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1 Detroit Red Wings Clips February 2, 2016 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 Wings' Abdelkader wants to see Helm, Larkin race PAGE 3 Wings' Kronwall (knee) out at least until mid-february PAGE 4 Wings focus on scoring to make their move in East PAGE 6 5 things to WATCH: Red Wings start a long stretch of games against Eastern playoff contenders PAGE 8 Jaromir Jagr: Don't compare Red Wings rookie Dylan Larkin to Steve Yzerman PAGE 9 Red Wings rookie Dylan Larkin says All-Star Game and 3-on-3 format can help his career PAGE 11 Detroit Red Wings notes: Teammates impressed by Dylan Larkin's speed, demeanor in All-Star spotlight PAGE 13 Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall out at least two more weeks recovering from knee surgery PAGE 14 Kronwall out until mid-february PAGE 16 Jeff Hoggan, Xavier Ouellet represent Griffins well in AHL All-Star Challenge

2 Wings' Abdelkader wants to see Helm, Larkin race Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 1:32 a.m. EST February 2, 2016 Detroit Red Wings rookie Dylan Larkin talks about his All-Star game experience Monday at Joe Louis Arena. Video by Helene St. James, DFP. Dylan Larkin Justin Abdelkader would like to see Dylan Larkin and Darren Helm line up and take off. The Red Wings returned to practice Monday after most enjoyed a week-long All-Star break. Riley Sheahan was absent because of illness. The Wings next play Wednesday at Tampa Bay, followed by Thursday s game at Florida, in what is the first mothers trip after a decade of fathers trips. Players were put through a nearly hour-long practice. We treated today as a real hard day, coach Jeff Blashill said. Tomorrow will be a little bit easier. They were going to feel bad one of these days. They skated hard enough that Pavel Datsyuk joked afterward, What long break? No, it s nice, Datsyuk said. We heal from small injuries. Now we re fresh. We need good start again and finish strong. We need more score, because every game is one goal. We need score 5-on-5, and we need to score on power play. The Wings have 78 goals during 5-on-5 play, which ranks in the bottom third of the league. Their power play ranks 18th, at 17.6%. They did enter the break having scored 10 goals their previous three games, including once during a power play. Players emphasized the need to take more shots and then be there for second-chance shots. Larkin, of course, spent his weekend having fun at the NHL All-Star event, where his feats included breaking a 20-year-old record in the fastest skater competition. But how would he fare against the Wings player known as Danger because, earlier in his career, teammates joked that Helm skated so fast he was a danger to himself? Larkin is a really smooth skater fundamentally, Abdelkader said. I d like to see those two go at it straight-away, because Helmer s got that straight-away speed. I think Larkin, as he goes around corners and cuts, he s pretty fast that way. It d probably be a tight race. Larkin doesn t think so. He d win, Larkin said to of Helm. But, I still won the one at the All-Star Game. If you put turns in there, I might give myself a chance. But up and down, he d win. Larkin, who at 19 was the first Wings rookie All-Star since Steve Yzerman in 1984, called the whole experience a cool thing. I didn t feel like I didn t belong. I felt like a kid. It was cool, and then just to break the record, I didn t see that coming. I just tried to skate as fast as I could. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

3 Wings' Kronwall (knee) out at least until mid-february Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 5:54 p.m. EST February 1, 2016 The Detroit Red Wings will be without defenseman Niklas Kronwall at least through mid- February. Wings coach Jeff Blashill said Monday that Kronwall has been moved to long-term injured reserve, which requires a minimum stay of 10 games and 24 days. Kronwall underwent a knee scope Jan. 19. The originally prognosis was 2-4 weeks, which is why Kronwall wasn't put on LTIR until it became evident over the past few days that he isn't yet close to ready. "These are things that, anytime you have surgery, you don't know how quickly you're going to come back," Blashill said. "He was extremely hopeful he'd be able to come back in the minimum, but the reality is, lots of times it's not. "We want him to come back 100% ready to go. Part of that 100% means having time to skate. Next week we hope to get him back on the ice going and then that will give him a good five days or so of skating to have the opportunity to be ready when when he's ready. It's really hard to throw a guy in when he's not 100% and expect him to play like he's 100% So we're gong to get him back to 100% so that the long term prognosis for Niklas Kronwall is that he's ready go go for the rest of the season and beyond." The Feb. 14 game against Boston would be Kronwall's first eligible game, but that's really only a soft target until he gets back skating. Blashill said that with the Grand Rapids Griffins paused for the AHL All-Star break, the plan for now is to go with the six healthy defensemen on the roster -- Danny DeKeyser, Mike Green, Brendan Smith, Kyle Quincey, Jonathan Ericsson and Alexey Marchenko. "That's who we're going to play," Blashill said. "We're looking at potentially recalling somebody, but that decision will be made after they get back from the All-Star break." Nick Jensen was called up right before the break but did not play. Xavier Ouellet already has played in 25 NHL games over the previous two seasons. The Wings practiced Monday for the first time since a week-long break. They resume playing Wednesday at Tampa Bay, followed by a Thursday game at Florida. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

4 Wings focus on scoring to make their move in East Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 7:03 p.m. EST February 1, 2016 Detroit Looking tanned and rested, the Red Wings returned to practice Monday ready for the rest of what should be an interesting second half of the season. The Red Wings are five points behind division-leading Florida yet only three points ahead of New Jersey and Pittsburgh, which are tied for the second and final Eastern Conference wild card. It s that tight throughout the NHL. If they re to separate themselves from the large pack, the Red Wings feel improving their offense will be an important area in which to focus. More scoring, Pavel Datsyuk said of what the Red Wings need these final two months of the season. We haven t scored enough. Every game is (close). We need more scoring, it would be a much easier game. Every game is a one-goal game. Hockey has changed. Everybody plays more defense. They worry more about defense and less offense. The Red Wings are averaging 2.47 goals per game, down from 2.9 at the same juncture last season. The power play ranks 18th, at a 17.6 percent clip, down from second at this point last season, when it was humming along at 25.1 percent. But the Red Wings have been able to be successful because of great goaltending from Petr Mrazek, team defense that has been impressive (allowing 2.47 goals per game), and an improving penalty kill (14th, 80.9 percent). The focus is playing sound defensively, forward Justin Abdelkader said. We ll have games or stretches we maybe don t score goals. But you have to play good defensively and not give up much. That has to be the focus. Offense is hard to come by in this league. But goals will go in for us. The focus obviously is get pucks on net. Our power play can help us, even if it s not scoring, just generate some chances. Larkin excited Dylan Larkin had a memorable All-Star weekend, setting a record in the fastest-skater competition and seeing the Atlantic Division team reach the finals Sunday of the 3-on-3 All-Star Game format. I felt like I a kid, I guess, Larkin, 19, said of the experience. Just to break the record, I didn t see that coming. I tried to skate as fast as I could and it was just worth it to break the record and see the response from the guys. All the guys were cool to meet and it was even cooler to see how nice they are and how humble and kind they are. I didn t meet a bad guy. 4

5 Larkin was glad to see Sunday s games being as competitive and intense as they were, uncommon for an All-Star Game setting. I was hoping it would be like that, Larkin said. I ve never been like that to just glide around or coast. Kronwall update The Red Wings will shift defenseman Niklas Kronwall (knee) from the short- to longterm injured reserve list, meaning he would be eligible to come off in time for the Feb. 14 game against Boston. Whether Kronwall will be ready to play remains to be seen, but it ll be close to that date. The Red Wings expect Kronwall to begin skating in practice next week. One thing we ve learned is it s real hard to throw a guy in when he s not 100 percent and expect him to play like he s 100 percent, Blashill said. We ll get him to 100 percent so the long term prognosis is Niklas Kronwall is ready for the remainder of this season and beyond. The Red Wings could potentially recall a defenseman from Grand Rapids, if needed, after the American League All-Star break concludes Wednesday. Ice chips Riley Sheahan (ill) didn t skate Monday but Blashill is hopeful Sheahan will be ready to play Wednesday in Tampa Bay. We hope Riley is back (Tuesday for practice), Blashill said. He s had an illness, hasn t felt good for four or five days, so we ll see what his energy level is and all that.... Quite a few Red Wings took the opportunity of having nearly a week off to head for warmer climates. Mrazek went to Miami for a few days, then visited his girlfriend in Atlanta. It was great to have some days off, great to get your energy back, Mrazek said. Blashill liked what he saw of the All-Star Game 3-on-3 format and the inspirational story of John Scott, who was voted into the game and earned Most Valuable Player honors. Great story, Blashill said. I don t know John at all but he seems like a guy who is thoughtful and gave an interesting prespective on the whole thing and I m glad he had a great weekend. It was a great day for the NHL and a great weekend. Detroit News LOADED:

6 5 things to WATCH: Red Wings start a long stretch of games against Eastern playoff contenders Print Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com By Ansar Khan akhan1@mlive.com on February 01, 2016 at 10:05 AM, updated February 01, 2016 at 10:26 AM DETROIT As the NHL returns from the All-Star break, the Washington Capitals have separated themselves from everyone in the Eastern Conference. Then there are 11 teams separated by 11 points, competing for the remaining seven playoff spots. The Detroit Red Wings are in the middle of that pack, five points behind the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers but only three points ahead of the New Jersey Devils, who would be on the outside looking in right now. Ten of the Red Wings' next 11 games are against teams competing for a postseason berth in the East, including three this week. Here are five things to WATCH: 1. Lightning making noise Following 10 years of Fathers Trips, the Red Wings start their first Mothers Trip Wednesday at Tampa Bay (8 p.m., NBC Sports Network exclusive) against a team that is 8-1 in its past nine. Detroit has won three in a row vs. Tampa Bay in the regular season, including both meetings this season (3-1 and 2-1 at Joe Louis Arena, both with Jimmy Howard in goal). The Lightning have won four in a row at home vs. the Red Wings, whose last regular season win in Tampa Bay was on Nov. 30, Nikita Kucherov (41 points) and Steven Stamkos (21 goals) lead the Lightning offense while Ben Bishop leads the NHL with a 2.02 goals-against average, among goaltenders with 30 or more appearances. On the flip side, Tyler Johnson (five goals, 16 points in 36 games) is struggling after his 72-point season. Former Red Wing Valtteri Filppula has 24 points in 49 games and, oddly, leads Tampa Bay in penalty minutes (34). 2. Chance to cut Panthers' lead If the Red Wings have any hope of catching the Panthers, a win Thursday in Sunrise (7:30, Fox Sports Detroit Plus) would help. Florida, which has missed the playoffs in 13 of the past 14 seasons, has won four of its past five against Detroit, including the lone meeting this season on Nov. 29 at JLA (2-1 in overtime). The Panthers, behind goaltender Roberto Luongo, lead the league in goals-against average (2.18). They won three in a row heading into the break and were following an start. 6

7 They have six players with 27 or more points, led by Jonathan Huberdeau (34 points) and the ageless Jaromir Jagr (33 points). 3. Can Mrazek continue roll? Petr Mrazek had a January to remember, winning seven in a row on the road and going 7-1-1, with a 1.32 goals-against average,.952 save percentage and two shutouts. Mrazek leads the NHL with a.932 save percentage, among goalies with 25 or more appearances. He is second in GAA (2.03) to Bishop among goalies with 30 or more games. Mrazek has been consistently strong after being pulled in four starts last season. 4. Trying to end home skid When the Red Wings host the New York Islanders Saturday afternoon (2 p.m., FSD) they will have gone 48 days without a win at the Joe. They haven't played much at home during that time but are winless in five (0-4-1) since a 4-2 victory over Calgary on Dec. 20. They are in their past eight at JLA. Overall, the Red Wings are at home. Detroit fared better on the road than at home in three of the previous 10 seasons. It's the second of three games against the Islanders, who are led by Kyle Okposo's 35 points and Brock Nelson's 19 goals. Detroit won 4-2 last Monday in Brooklyn. 5. Penalty kill upswing The Red Wings have gone a season-high five games without allowing a power-play goal (15 for 15), moving up to a tie for 14th in the league on the penalty kill (80.9 percent). They've tightened up without their top penalty-killing forward, Drew Miller, who likely is out for the season following knee surgery, and minus defenseman Niklas Kronwall for the past four games (knee scope). Kronwall might return to practice this week. Michigan Live LOADED:

8 Jaromir Jagr: Don't compare Red Wings rookie Dylan Larkin to Steve Yzerman Print Brendan Savage By Brendan Savage on February 01, 2016 at 8:08 AM, updated February 01, 2016 at 9:16 AM NASHVILLE, Tenn. Dylan Larkin is the first Detroit Red Wings rookie to play in an All- Star Game since the legendary Steve Yzerman in But there's no comparison between Larkin and Yzerman, according to the All-Star who would know best. Jaromir Jagr, captain of Larkin's Atlantic Division team, is a 22-year NHL veteran who broke into the league in 1990 almost six years before the 19-year-old Larkin was born and played against Yzerman. Jagr wasn't being critical of Larkin when he refused to compare him to Yzerman. It's just that he holds Yzerman in such high regard he didn't want to go there. "I'm not going to talk about him," Jagr told MLive. "Stevie Y was one of my favorite players ever playing. I still, when I have the time, go to YouTube and I still watch Stevie Yzerman play because the way he played the game was totally different than any other player. That's tough to describe. "I just loved the way he played, the way he skated, the way he handled the puck, everything. All his body, all his muscles on Steve Yzerman's body were working together. There was no separation. Legs, hands. It was always so smooth. "Stevie was one of a kind so I'm not going to jump into that. Stevie was one of my favorites." Larkin assisted on Jagr's goal in the Atlantic Division's 4-3 victory over the Metropolitan Division during the All-Star Game semifinals before the Pacific team won the championship 1-0. Larkin chipped the puck ahead to Jagr, who went in alone on goaltender Braden Holtby and tied the score 2-2 with 37.3 seconds left in the first half. "It was cool, celebrating after and to see him smile was pretty cool," Larkin said with a grin. Larkin won the fastest skater portion of the All-Star Game Skills Challenge, breaking a record for the fastest time that had stood for 20 years. It was Larkin's speed that Jagr has noticed the most. "NHL has changed," said Jagr, who is fourth on the NHL's all-time list for goals with 737. "You don't have to be really big or very strong. You need to have good speed and be a good skater. That's the most important now. "Fifteen years ago you had to be very strong." 8

9 Red Wings rookie Dylan Larkin says All-Star Game and 3-on-3 format can help his career Print Brendan Savage By Brendan Savage on February 01, 2016 at 6:06 AM, updated February 01, 2016 at 6:10 AM NASHVILLE. Tenn. Dylan Larkin was nervous about going to his first NHL All-Star Game, where he didn't know any of the players and was the youngest participant on hand at age 19. Larkin didn't know what to expect being the only rookie in the game where his teammates included stars like Jaromir Jagr, Erik Karlsson and Steven Stamkos while opponents included Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin and Jonathan Quick. But Larkin enjoyed every bit of his first All-Star experience, from exploring Nashville to setting a record in the Skills Challenge to the actual All-Star Game itself. "It's been fun, a lot of fun," Larkin said. "The game was fun, the skills, just meeting some of the guys. It was all positive. It was a great event. It was put on by the best so just a first-class event. "Happy I get to be here. It went by fast but I really did enjoy it so hoping to be in a lot of All-Stars to come." If his performance so far this season as well as during the All-Star weekend is any indication, there's a good chance he might become a fixture in the midseason extravaganza. Larkin broke a 20-year-old record in the fastest skater portion of the Skills Challenge Saturday and then helped the Atlantic Division team earn a spot in the championship game with a 4-3 victory over the Metropolitan Division. The new format had 11-man teams from each division playing 20-minute semifinal games within their respective conferences. Larkin and the Atlantic team ended up losing the championship 1-0 to the Pacific All-Stars, who split $1 million. Pacific captain John Scott was named the game's MVP after scoring twice in a 9-6 semifinal victory over the Central Division. Larkin wasn't surprised by the final score of the championship game despite the fact that All-Star Games are traditionally offensive slugfests. Last year's game, for example, had a final score of 17-12, leading to the change to the 3-on-3 format that is new to regular-season overtime games. "I think it was great goaltending and good defense," he said. Larkin was the star of the Atlantic's semifinal victory. He was on the ice for all four of his team's goals and had three assists. He was the only player on either team with three points. 9

10 He assisted on the winning goal by Montreal's P.K. Subban, giving the Canadiens' defenseman a perfect pass during a 2-on-1 to finish the scoring with 4:38 left. Despite the fact that the All-Star Game is an exhibition, Larkin thinks the experience can help further his career. "You're playing against the best players in the league 3-on-3," he said. "The guys weren't just lazy out there. They were working hard. I think it helps going forward with 3- on-3 because it's a big part of the game, especially with two points (on the line in OT). "The playoff push is going to be coming and extra points are huge. It was a great learning experience. It was pretty cool." Michigan Live LOADED:

11 Detroit Red Wings notes: Teammates impressed by Dylan Larkin's speed, demeanor in All-Star spotlight Ansar Khan By Ansar Khan on February 01, 2016 at 7:05 PM DETROIT The Detroit Red Wings weren't surprised that Dylan Larkin was crowned the fastest skater at the NHL All-Star Skills Challenge. They see his wheels churning at every practice and his motor going non-stop in games. "He's fast. He's got that type of ability," coach Jeff Blashill said. "I thought that was neat, neat for the Red Wings and their fans, neat for Dylan." The 19-year-old Larkin skated around the rink at Bridgestone Arena in seconds, breaking the record of seconds set in 1996 by Mike Gartner, who was 36 at the time. "He just broke record. That's good," Pavel Datsyuk said. "He represents the Red Wings team and he is young, so he has many, many All-Star Games ahead of him. We all wish to him to just keep going and not stop." Asked if he was faster than Larkin, Datsyuk said, "Of course." Actually, Darren Helm has been the team's fastest skater for many years, which led some to wonder how he would fare in a race with Larkin. "(Larkin) is a really smooth skater fundamentally," Justin Abdelkader said. "I'd like to see those two go at it straightaway because Helmer's got that straightaway speed. I think Larkin, as he goes around corners and cuts, he's pretty fast that way. It would probably be a tight race." Larkin deferred to the veteran. "He would win," Larkin said. "If you put turns in there I'd give myself a chance, but up and down he'd win." Larkin also fared well in the games. He notched three assists in the Atlantic Division's 4-3 victory over the Metropolitan Division. The Pacific Division defeated the Atlantic 1-0 in the championship. "It's nice to see the Detroit Red Wings have some young guy who can keep going with the stars," Petr Mrazek said. Blashill, watching from home, said Larkin, the youngest All-Star, handled himself well under the big spotlight. "It'll be a day-to-day challenge for him to continue to remind himself, and he knows this, the daily work it takes," Blashill said. "We all know, having been around, that the bright lights can come fast and go just as quickly. He wants to be a long-term great player, he's got to continue with the same approach he has and that's been humble, extremely 11

12 down to earth and extremely hard-working. And if he continues to do that he'll continue to see those bright lights." Larkin said he "felt like a kid" around many of the game's best players, but he didn't feel out of place. He spent a lot of time with Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who is about six months older than Larkin and was the second-youngest All-Star. "Just being there in the beginning, meeting the guys and building some relationships, and then the skills competition was pretty fun and the fastest skaters one of the highlights," Larkin said. "I enjoyed playing in the games, too. It was a lot of fun and pretty competitive. It was just fun to be there and sit on the bench next to some guys I've been watching for a long time." He added, "It's even cooler to see how nice they are and how humble and kind they are." RED WINGS NOTES Fan of the format: Blashill said the NHL's three-on-three All-Star Game format was hugely entertaining. "I've liked three-on-on-three in overtime, I think it's been real entertaining," Blashill said. "I thought as an All-Star event it was great. No room to hide out there and there's some money on the line (the winning team split $1 million between 11 players) and there's lots of effort and the goalies played great, too, so it was a great event." Focus after the break: The Red Wings had a longer break than most teams, having last played on Jan. 25. They began the process of shaking the rust off Monday at practice. "We treated today as a real hard day; tomorrow will be a little bit easier," Blashill said. "They were going to feel bad one of these days, so let's make today the day we really feel bad, where it's hard to get your legs back. I don't think it took that long for us to get that going and obviously Tampa is in a similar boat." The Red Wings visit the Lightning on Wednesday. Michigan Live LOADED:

13 Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall out at least two more weeks recovering from knee surgery Ansar Khan By Ansar Khan on February 01, 2016 at 5:20 PM, updated February 01, 2016 at 5:54 PM DETROIT The Detroit Red Wings won't have Niklas Kronwall's services for at least two more weeks after the defenseman was placed on long-term injured reserve today. Kronwall had arthroscopic knee surgery on Jan. 18 and was expected to miss two-tofour weeks. LTIR requires him to be out at least 10 games and 24 days. He has already missed four games, so the earliest he could return is Feb. 14 vs. Boston. "Anytime you have surgery you don't know how quickly you're going to come back," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "He was extremely hopeful he'd be able to come back in the minimum, but the reality is lots of times it's not. "In this case we wanted him to come back 100 percent ready to go and part of that 100 percent means having time to skate. Next week we hope to get him back on the ice going. That'll give him a good five days or so of skating to have the opportunity to be ready when he's ready. "One thing we've learned is it's really hard to throw a guy in when he's not 100 percent and expect him to play like he's 100 percent, so we're going to get him back to 100 percent. So the long-term prognosis for Niklas Kronwall is that he's ready to go for the rest of the season and beyond." Blashill said the team might recall a defenseman from the Grand Rapids Griffins following this week's AHL All-Star break, but for now is going with the six defensemen they have. The Red Wings, back from their All-Star break, practiced late Monday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena in preparation for games at Tampa Bay Wednesday and Florida on Thursday. Ill Sheahan misses practice Blashill said he hopes Riley Sheahan can return to practice on Tuesday after battling an illness the past 4-5 days. Michigan Live LOADED:

14 Kronwall out until mid-february By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily Posted: 02/01/16, 6:31 PM EST Updated: 29 secs ago DETROIT The Detroit Red Wings had hoped to have had Niklas Kronwall back in the lineup after the All-Star break. It s not happening. The team placed Kronwall, who had arthroscopic knee surgery on Jan. 18, on long-term injured reserve. He ll have to miss at least 10 games and 24 days. Anytime you have surgery you don t know how quickly you re going to come back, Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. He was extremely hopeful he d be able to come back in the minimum but the reality is lots of times it s not. In this case we wanted him to come back 100-percent ready to go and part of that 100-percent means having time to skate. Next week we hope to get him back on the ice going. That ll give him a good five days or so of skating to have the opportunity to be ready when he s ready. The earliest Kronwall, who missed the last four games, could return is Feb. 14 at home against the Boston Bruins. One thing we ve learned is it s really hard to throw a guy in when he s not 100-percent and expect him to play like he s 100-percent, so we re going to get him back to 100- percent, Blashill said. So the long-term prognosis for Niklas Kronwall is that he s ready to go for the rest of the season and beyond. Blashill said the team doesn t plan on calling anyone up yet since the American Hockey League is on its All-Star break. Why rush someone in here and take them out of their All-Star break when we re going to go with the six guys we got here anyways, Blashill said. We re looking at potentially calling up somebody, but that decision will be made after the (AHL) All-Star break. Dylan Larkin was the youngest player at this year s All-Star Game, five months younger than Florida s Aaron Ekblad, and he certainly felt that way. I didn t feel that I didn t belong, but I felt like a kid, I guess, Larkin said. I think all the guys were cool to meet, I mean, it s even cooler to see how nice they are and how humble and kind they are, so I think I didn t meet a bad guy. I got to spend a lot of time with Aaron Ekblad, the guy that s kind of in the same situation with pretty similar lives. It was cool just to chat with him and hang out with him and kind of see how he handles himself. Larkin won the fastest skater event in the skills competition with a time of seconds and in doing so breaking the record of set in 1996 by Hall of Famer Mike Gartner. 14

15 It was cool and just to break the record, I didn t see that coming, I didn t even know what it was, Larkin said. I just tried to skate as fast I could so it was just cool to break the record and see the response from the guys. But Larkin doesn t feel he s the fastest skater on the Wings. He d give the distinction to Darren Helm. He would win, but I still won the one at the All-Star Game, Larkin said. If you put turns in there I d give myself a chance, but up and down he d win. He s a really smooth skater fundamentally, a really smooth skater, Justin Abdelkader said. I d like to see those two go at it straight away because Helmer s go that straightaway speed. I think Larkin as he goes around corners and cuts he s pretty fast that way. It would probably be a tight race. Macomb Daily LOADED:

16 Jeff Hoggan, Xavier Ouellet represent Griffins well in AHL All-Star Challenge By Peter Wallner / MLive.com Grand Rapids Griffins captain Jeff Hoggan celebrated his 38th birthday with two goals and three points and teammate Xavier Ouellet also had three points Monday to lead the Central Division to a win in the AHL All-Star Challenge. The Central defeated the Atlantic 4-0 in the final of the new tournament-style format at Onandaga County War Memorial Arena in Syracuse, New York. Hoggan scored the first goal and Ouellet the last on an empty net in the final of four short games played. The final was six minutes and featured three on three. Chicago Wolves' Pat Cannone scored three goals on the night, and also netted a shootout winner in the round-robin portion of the evening, to be named the most valuable player of the All-Star Challenge. Cannone also won the accuracy shooting event in the All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday. The Central also defeated the Atlantic 2-1 in a shootout and topped the North Division 4-1. Those round-robbin games were seven minutes in length with teams going four aside and then three aside after a brief break. Hoggan, the oldest player in the league and named to the team as an honorary captain, also scored in the second game. The Griffins return to practice Thursday, play at Rockford on Friday and then host Rockford on Saturday at Van Andel Arena. 16