Detroit Free Press

Steve Yzerman said he’d be quick about meeting with his coach, Jeff Blashill, after the Detroit Red Wings’ season ended. He did not say he’d be quick about deciding Blashill’s fate. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. Yzerman can’t be rushed. It served him well as a player, where he used his patience to set up his explosive attacks

As an organization, the Detroit Red Wings needed to see improvement and growth. General manager Steve Yzerman had patched the lineup with no-risk, savvy signings, and a 10-month layoff had distanced the Wings from the calamity that was 2019-20, when they won just 17 times in 71 games and finished in last place, 23 points

Gene Myers |  Special to Detroit Free Press Detroit Red Wings fans never will forget Steve Yzerman, with his gap-toothed smile, hoisting the Stanley Cup on the final night of the 1996-97 season. Believe it or not, it’s almost time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of that incredible season, when the Wings ended a 42-year Stanley

Shortly after he played his first game for the Detroit Red Wings, Joe Veleno received one text in particular that made him feel good about his performance. A player’s NHL debut begets many a congratulatory message from family and friends, but in this case, the one that stood out was from teammate Bobby Ryan, who watched

Steve Yzerman’s silence on the Detroit Red Wings coaching front would seem to favor Jeff Blashill, but hold off on placing any bets. Yzerman is as deliberate and patient as they come; when he was named general manager in April 2019, he announced he wanted to spend his first year observing. He held off on

Bill Dow |  Special to Detroit Free Press As part of his series on former Detroit sports figures, Bill Dow caught up with former Detroit Red Wings coach and hockey legend Scotty Bowman. How we remember him The NHL’s greatest coach has the most Stanley Cup championships (nine), regular season victories (1,244), postseason victories (233) and

What “very quickly” means to one person is not necessarily reflected in another person’s meaning. The Detroit Red Wings’ season has been over since an overtime loss Saturday night in Columbus, and general manager Steve Yzerman still hasn’t shown his hand regarding Jeff Blashill’s coaching future. Last month, Yzerman said he’d sit down with Blashill

Danny DeKeyser’s future with the Detroit Red Wings looks a good deal more solid than when the season began. The veteran defenseman overcame the challenges of back surgery to appear in 47 games, and scored goals in back-to-back games the final weekend. DeKeyser’s resilience in the face of a career-threatening injury earned him the distinction of

As they embark on another long offseason, the Detroit Red Wings do so with the conviction their arc is drawing upwards. They finished a crammed, condensed schedule 19-27-10, fighting through losing five players to COVID-19 a week into the season and losing their top offensive players to season-ending injuries in January, March and April. The

Was it really just five years ago? Detroit’s four professional sports teams simultaneously have been going through such slow rebuilds that it’s hard to believe it was only 2016 when all four teams were flourishing. The Lions, Red Wings and Pistons made the playoffs that year. The Tigers finished second in the division and still

Jeff Blashill said after the Detroit Red Wings finale that he’d enjoyed every second he’d been a part of the organization. Whether his tenure behind the bench will extend past six seasons is in the hands of general manager Steve Yzerman. Blashill is in the last year of his contract, and Yzerman said last month

Steve Yzerman’s third offseason as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings has begun, and a long to-do list awaits him. The final date of a 56-game schedule fell Saturday, the Wings already having been eliminated from playoff contention. Not that the Wings were expected to advance, even before COVID-19 and injuries ravaged the lineup,

The Detroit Red Wings wrapped up an unusual season Saturday, engaging in a back-and-forth affair that showed their fortitude. Their matchup Saturday at Nationwide Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets went to overtime before the Wings lost, 5-4. “These games, especially this one in particular — you get to the last game and both teams are

Joe Veleno showed what he can do with the puck, and Jakub Vrana continued to make Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman look smart. Vrana set up Veleno for his first NHL goal Friday at Nationwide Arena and then scored one of his own as the Wings played the first of back-to-back games against

Maybe it was the shootout goal, when Jakub Vrana skated across the net and, just as he reached the far post, extended his right hand back and slipped the puck past Tampa Bay’s Curtis McElhinney to beat the Lightning and give the Detroit Red Wings one of its more unlikely wins of the season. Or maybe it was Vrana’s puck-seizing, blast down the

A most unusual season comes to an end this weekend for the Detroit Red Wings, who cap off a pandemic-shortened slate with a competition for the seventh and eighth spots in the Central Division. It’ll be a patchwork lineup that faces the Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday and Saturday, robbed of Dylan Larkin,

Based on what Steve Yzerman said at the trade deadline, he’ll deliver his decision on the Red Wings coaching situation as soon as next week. Asked about Jeff Blashill’s future with the Detroit Red Wings on April 12, Yzerman replied, “Jeff and I will sit down very quickly after the season and discuss that.” The

Bobby Ryan wants to be a part of the Detroit Red Wings’ future, and not just because he feels robbed in the present. Ryan enters the offseason determined to rehabilitate his right triceps, which required season-ending surgery shortly after he played his last game March 28. At 34, Ryan is in the twilight of his

The Detroit Red Wings rely on Tyler Bertuzzi for grit and goals and missed him dearly this season. Now they’re hoping he’ll be ready for the start of next season. Three months after he left the Jan. 30 game early because of an ailing back, Bertuzzi underwent surgery. “Like any injury, you never know for

The Detroit Red Wings are two games from the end of their season, and their goaltenders are doing everything they can to get them to the finish line on a competitive note. Thomas Greiss and Jonathan Bernier highlight the last stock watch of the season; only one of them came away with a victory in