By George B. Eichorn of the Motor City Tribune
Don’t look now but the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons are both back in action. Not since pre-coronavirus days have we seen our two indoor fall/winter pro teams attempt to play a complete season.
Little Caesars Arena hosted the Red Wings NHL opening night on October 14 against the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Our NBA Pistons have their home opener October 20 with the Chicago Bulls visiting (7 p.m. on Bally Sports & WXYT-FM 97.1).
Both the Red Wings and Pistons are in the midst of a rebuilding effort. The Wings may be a tad ahead of the Pistons yet all that can change rapidly. The Steve Yzerman-led Wings are finally set on playing a few more of their prized draft choices and the Troy Weaver-led Pistons are doing some of the same.
Next June marks 14 long and frustrating seasons since the Wings last sipped from the Stanley Cup and 18 seasons since the Pistons last kissed the Lawrence O’Brien Trophy as NBA Champs. These droughts have tested both club fan bases and put a crimp on crowd sizes at the still-new LCA downtown. Fans are tempted to spend their dollars on casinos, sports gaming, concerts and other southeast Michigan attractions.
The Wings feature a coach who has somehow survived the massive retooling each of his six seasons here. Jeff Blashill has the confidence of Yzerman yet many cannot understand why. He has one playoff appearance (a 4-1 series loss) and one winning season yet was awarded another contract.
The Wings are led by Dylan Larkin, a former round one draft pick, who is coming off a season-ending injury last summer in the Wings’ abbreviated season. Tyler Bertuzzi, another player coming off an injury, is another star on the team. The top Detroit goalie is Thomas Greiss.
Gone from last season’s opening roster: Anthony Mantha, Darren Helm, Jonathan Bernier, Luke Glendening, Frans Nielsen, Valterri Filppula, Patrick Nemeth and Jon Merrill. New faces include Pius Suter, Nick Leddy, Alex Nedeljkovic, Jordan Oesterle, Mitchell Stephens, and top draft pick Michael Rasmussen (2017), Filip Zadina (2018), Moritz Seider (2019) and Lucas Raymond (2020), just 19 years old.
The Pistons, led by coach Dwayne Casey, boast the number one pick in last summer’s NBA Draft in guard Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) although he was bothered in training camp by a sprained ankle. Luke Garza and Isaiah Livers could also see some action; they were Detroit’s other ’21 picks. Other new faces are Kelly Olynyk, Jared Cunningham and Trey Lyles. Other key players are Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Jerami Grant, Josh Jackson, Hamidou Diallo, Frank Jackson and Killian Hayes. Gone from last season’s opener: Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Mason Plumlee, Wayne Ellington and Jahlil Okafor.
Without painting too rosy a picture, there is optimism that both the Wings and Pistons youth movement can emulate the one our baseball Tigers have started.
On the Wings’ TV and radio side: Ken Kal and Paul Woods handle the 97.1 FM account with Ken Daniels, Mickey Redmons, Chris Osgood, Larry Murphy, John Keating, Trevor Thompson and Brooke Fletcher on Bally Sports. The Pistons broadcasts feature Mark Champion and Rick Mahorn on radio and George Blaha, Greg Kelser, Mickey York, John Keating, Grant Long, Tim McCormick, Johnny Kane and Fletcher for Bally Sports.
Reach Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com.
