On a morning when another sports league is dominating the headlines, the Detroit Red Wings opened up their players for Periscope interviews. You can watch Henrik Zetterberg, Landon Ferraro, and Gustav Nyquist at the links embedded in these tweets. (You don’t need a Periscope account to view them; just click the link and watch in your web browser.)
LIVE on #Periscope: Henrik Zetterberg inside the #RedWings locker room https://t.co/MAUwN4627O
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 3, 2015
Zetterberg was very happy to be able to work out more intensely this summer since he didn’t have to deal with a rehab process. Even if the captain is working against Father Time and the inevitable decline that comes to everyone, hopefully a summer to actually focus on hockey instead of simply healing will help him perform better over the course of next season.
He also talked about how he “figured out that [Mike Babcock] was moving on.” He thinks the move to make Jeff Blashill head coach could work out really well because of the knowledge he has. When Zetterberg said that he thinks the time Blashill spent in Grand Rapids was good, I thought “So they’re doing implementing the Red Wings Way with their head coaches now, keeping them in the minors?”
The new head coach plus the free agent signings of Mike Green and Brad Richards will give the team a fresh start. There’s so much potential with the group because of how young they are and how poised so many of them seem for breakout seasons.
Watch the rest for updates on Love Zetterberg and how Z’s been talking to Pavel Datsyuk.
LIVE on #Periscope: .@landonferraro inside the #RedWings locker room. https://t.co/Mj82xMnSlw
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 3, 2015
Ferraro touched on the roster logjam that the Red Wings are currently facing, considering he’s one of the players that could be on the outside looking in. There’s going to be plenty of competition for spots on the NHL roster. He’s not too concerned beyond just doing the usual things athletes will say, playing his game, making sure he’s taking care of his own zone. “I need to use my speed. I need to be a guy that can be relied on for PK.” As valuable as those skills can be, when he said, “Just be good defensively,” I wanted to ask why he couldn’t be good offensively AND defensively. But he says he experienced a big confidence boost at the end of last season when he stuck around the NHL roster, knowing he could play at the NHL level.
Possibly the juiciest nugget was this quote: “All the players want to make him happy because [Blashill is] a guy that’ll do anything for you.”
Watch the rest for Ferraro’s perspective on his game and where’s he’s come from in the seasons under Blashill in Grand Rapids.
LIVE on #Periscope: @GNyquist inside the #RedWings locker room. https://t.co/VlMTRacaSd
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 3, 2015
One of the big questions was for Nyquist’s perspective on his new contract. A player doesn’t sign for as long as Nyquist did if he doesn’t want to stay with the organization, and he talks about how he wanted to be a Red Wing and was grateful to management for believing in him.
Like with Zetterberg, Nyquist talked about all the young guys on the team poised for potential breakout seasons. Moreover, he said, “I think we have an exciting team with the additions of Richards and Green.”
Watch the rest for how he spent his summer and why there’s no way Blashill will play him at center.
[UPDATE: Since the Periscope links will only be good for a limited time, here are the Youtube links for Zetterberg, Ferraro, and Nyquist.]
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The players are definitely just as itchy as the fans for the season to get started already. And honestly, these interviews have me even more excited because they all realize they have tons of potential that they need to work to realize. Can you imagine what kind of team we’d have if enough players did have breakout seasons? This is finally getting to be a young team, and we’re starting to watch it grow before our very eyes.
At least, until the next national columnist says we’re too old to win the Stanley Cup.
One more month until puck drop!
Let’s Go Red Wings!
