The Detroit Red Wings’ season has had its ups and downs since it began. But the Red Wings got themselves back in the win column after a win against the New Jersey Devils on Thanksgiving Eve. While the win is a great one, the pre-game giveaway to fans was amazing in its own right.
Today’s the day. 🙌
First 7,500.
Thanks, @meijer! pic.twitter.com/vww4asuaSM— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 22, 2023
The Detroit Red Wings gave out a themed Zamboni gravy boat ahead of Thanksgiving. It’s quite the giveaway, but we’re here to talk about giving thanks. Whether you catch this ahead of the Lions game during your morning reading, after your food coma, or after your post-Thanksgiving dinner, take a moment to give thanks.
Things are happening in Hockeytown, and the Red Wings are moving in the right direction. We’ll look at several members of the Red Wings organization who fans should be thankful for this holiday.
Thanksgiving is about being thankful for the many great things in life; who says we cannot give thanks to our favorite hockey team? Let’s look at the five Detroit Red Wings for which fans should be thankful this Thanksgiving.
Detroit Red Wings to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
1. Dylan Larkin
Indeed, this one seems obvious, but Dylan Larkin deserves some thanks. Oh, captain, my captain. Larkin has been here through some thick and thin. He came in at the end of the competing Red Wings rosters and endured the worst of the rebuild.
While the rebuild is “still going,” Larkin has been through plenty, and now he’s captaining this team to a time of competition once again. He’s grown a ton and had the chance to leave last year in free agency, but he agreed to stay with his hometown team and be the captain.
We should all be thankful for Larkin and his efforts as the team’s captain this Thanksgiving. He’s been “the guy” for a while and has taken some serious strides, growing up quite a bit in the past few seasons.
2. Moritz Seider
For selfish reasons, I put Moritz Seider at No. 2 on this list. He’s been excellent for the Red Wings during his time in Detroit. He won a Calder Trophy and is working toward a massive contract extension to lock him up as the future of the Red Wings blueline.
But when he was drafted sixth overall, some folks went, “What the heck?” I was one of them. I thought Steve Yzerman may have reached a bit with this pick, but he sure did get a good one. Seider has been rock solid, and fans should be thankful he’s wearing the winged wheel this Thanksgiving.
3. Alex DeBrincat
On the flip side, the Detroit Red Wings may not have drafted Alex DeBrincat, the hometown kid, but he has carved out a remarkable NHL career to this point. Detroit brought him home, trading for him this off-season and bringing him back home to the Red Wings organization.
He joined the Red Wings after a blockbuster trade with the Ottawa Senators. He’s settled in well and packed quite the scoring punch for Detroit. It has to be nice for Yzerman to look at the Red Wings roster and see DeBrincat having this kind of success early on. DeBrincat has been excellent, and this Thanksgiving, fans should be happy he’s suiting up for the Red Wings.
4. Lucas Raymond
Up next is Lucas Raymond. The Detroit Red Wings have continued to trust in Lucas Raymond, and he has started to see things pay off. He has continued to carve out a role for himself in the NHL and has shown he can handle the spotlight. In year three, he is starting to get into a groove, and as of late, he might really have turned a corner.
Raymond burst onto the scene after making the team out of training camp as a rookie. In year two, he had a bit of a sophomore slump. But after a big off-season of putting on some muscle, the Red Wings should be thankful that he is seemingly settling in during year three.
5. Steve Yzerman
Alright Alright. Steve Yzerman may not be a player or even a coach. But this Thanksgiving, I’m incredibly thankful for all of the work that Yzerman has put in. He’s been the architect of the Detroit Red Wings rebuild.
Between the countless trades, free agents, and draft picks, Yzerman has found a way to get it done. It’s truly been a wild ride, and it’s great to see things coming together in 2023-24 and to see his hard work come to fruition.
As we all sit back and lounge around in our food comas, we should be thankful for the Red Wings’ current state and Yzerman for helping, who has built them to be the team they are at this point.