DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings have been fading from elite status in the NHL for nearly a decade.
A new arena also isn't going to fix their problems.
In fact, the franchise's glorious past seems to have a haunting effect in and around Detroit's dressing room at Little Caesars Arena.
There are empty locker stalls
Detroit didn't make the playoffs last season for the first time since 1990. If the
The Red Wings are not an awful team now. They've showed that by winning four of five games for the second time this season, stretches of success sandwiched around a six-game losing streak.
In some ways, they're like a lot of teams in the league. They don't seem to have a shot to contend for a championship, but they're not bad enough to be among the worst and have a shot at one of the best players in the draft. They have a lot of players who belong in the league, but none of them are stars that can carry the team.
"It's hard to separate yourself from other teams over the course of a game, or a season, because of competitive balance," Detroit general manager Ken Holland said. "The cap system is designed for parity. You're not going to beat the system. A large majority of the teams are at .500, or just above or below. We're in that group, and it's going to be a photo finish to the end to make the playoffs."
Jonathan Ericsson was a young player toward the end of Detroit's glory years, and laments how much the team's culture has changed over the last decade.
The
"We used to play with desperation and we were so dialed in with our preparations with an older and experienced team," Ericsson said. "We just knew we could turn around games and win. That feeling, especially last year, wasn't there. And, it's tough to get that feeling back."
PARITY REIGNS
If the NHL playoffs started today, half of last season's
TOP SHELF
Howe died at the age of 88 nearly 17 months ago and his youngest son has written a book, "Nine Lessons I Learned from My Father," to keep Mr. Hockey's legacy alive.
"I woke up on Father's Day the year after dad passed with a huge hole in my heart," recalled Dr. Murray Howe, whose book was recently released. "I wanted to
LEADERS (through Tuesday)
Goals: Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), 14; Assists: Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay), 18; Points: Stamkos, 25; Time on ice: John Carlson (Washington), 27:14; Goals-against average, 10-game minimum: Corey Crawford (Chicago), 1.77; Save percentage, 10-game minimum: Corey Crawford (Chicago), .945.
GAME OF THE WEEK
One of the top teams in the East meets one of the best in the West. The Atlantic Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning play the Pacific-leading Los Angeles Kings on the road Thursday night.
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More AP NHL coverage: https://www.apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey
Larry Lage, The Associated Press