Dylan Larkin beamed as he proclaimed what a great day it was for sports, especially in the Detroit area.
The Detroit Red Wings captain wore a Michigan hat for his post-game press conference Saturday, in a nod to the allegiance he holds to the Wolverines from playing there in 2014-15. Though Larkin turned pro the year after the Wings drafted him in 2014, he has remained a huge Michigan football fan, and tried to fit in Saturday’s marquee game against Big Ten rival Ohio State.
One problem: It was a game day. That meant a morning skate at 10:30 a.m. at Little Caesars Arena, to prepare for the evening game.
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At least Michigan’s kickoff was at noon.
“I had to shut it down,” Larkin said. “I watched up until early third quarter and then woke up with two minutes left, and I think that was the quickest I’ve ever woken up from a nap and flipped the TV on. I was pumped. That was cool. It was hard to sleep today, I’ll tell you that.”
Larkin set up Lucas Raymond’s goal in overtime to secure a 3-2 victory.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.