Some traditions for Detroit Red Wings home openers never die, nor should they. The first octopus thrown on the ice during the national anthem is a perfect example.
Bringing back an old-school-style goal horn from the Joe Louis Arena days — introduced by Darren McCarty with an inaugural push Saturday night — is a new twist on an old tradition.
But maybe the newest tradition the Wings should seek to copy for future openers at Little Caesars Arena — if not every game the rest of the season — is the brand of hard-nosed, relentless hockey they displayed in a fun, frenetic and gutsy 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
THE GAME: Detroit Red Wings get pair of goals from Alex DeBrincat in 6-4 win in home opener
The Wings attacked with an unyielding energy rarely seen in recent years. But no hit, check or shove embodied the Wings’ hard-charging spirit more than Lucas Raymond’s bomb for the ages in the first period, when he delivered Michael Eyssimont end-over-end over the boards and into the Wings’ bench.
It was a hit so unlikely from the third-year forward that it belongs more in the movie “Slap Shot” or in a video game more than it does in the NHL. And the fact it was delivered by Raymond, all 188 pounds of him — and that’s after he put on 12 pounds this offseason — made the hit even more spectacular and enjoyable, even if his linemate didn’t see it when it happened.
“I was on the ice,” Dylan Larkin said, “and I heard the crowd go crazy and I saw it — that’s a good highlight. I know he’s gonna hang on to that one for a long time.”
A few moments later, Moritz Seider’s huge hit sent Calvin de Haan flying behind Tampa’s net.
The charged-up crowd of 19,515, hoping this is the year the Wings finally make their first trip to the playoffs at Little Caesars Arena (in Steve Yzerman’s fifth year as general manager), helped stoke the Wings’ fire.
“It helps a lot and this was an easy one to get up for,” Larkin said. “The crowd was unbelievable. And you know I haven’t heard that noise maybe ever in this building, and it’s the best building in the NHL.
“And when the when the fans are going like that it’s gonna be really special when there’s big hockey games, and tonight was a little sneak peek of that.”
One of the biggest reasons for the fans’ unleashed excitement was the debut of Farmington Hills native Alex DeBrincat, who scored twice to bring his total up to three goals in two games. That’s a 123-goal pace by the way; any question if he’ll get back to 40 goals again?
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DeBrincat laughed when I brought up his ludicrously unrealistic pace.
“Yeah, I think it’s a little early to be thinking about that,” he said. “But, you know, I want to stay as consistent as possible. I think, sort of what all the great goal-scorers do is, you know, stay consistent throughout the season.
“So, you know, try not to drift off and go in those slumps. But if you do, still got to just play the right way and, you know, luck will eventually come back to you.”
I’ve always liked DeBrincat’s game and the instant offense he can supply with his sharp one-timers, even when he doesn’t score. He helped give the Wings a 1-0 lead when he shot quickly off a Tampa giveaway that allowed Daniel Sprong to easily clean up the squirter that sat on the goal line after it got past goalie Jonas Johansson.
DeBrincat’s goals came on a shot from the high slot that was tipped and on a two-on-one feed from Larkin.
Few games are perfect and head coach Derek Lalonde wasn’t pleased with the “six or seven” uncharacteristic plays that led to easy offense for the Lightning via breakaways or odd-man breaks. The Wings coach couldn’t complain about the offensive output so far.
“But obviously we’ve got 10 goals in two games,” he said, flashing back to the Wings’ 5-4 loss in Thursday’s season opener in New Jersey. “It’s a good sign.”
Lalonde has preached a style of being responsible with the puck on offense and defense, of making the right play and especially not giving up easy chances on defense. It makes sense, mostly because the Wings haven’t had enough offense talent to make up for defensive lapses in the past.
But now? They’re averaging five goals a game; on Saturday they had plenty of offensive diversity as five players scored the six goals.
“I think hopefully we’ve shown some improved offense over two games here,” he said. “But again we can’t give up (four) and not only did we give up (four) but we gave up some really, really easy offense.
“You’ve seen us all through last year and into this year. It hasn’t been us: the two-on-ones, the breakaways. We’ll have to clean that up.”
I want to believe Lalonde is right, that even though the Wings outshot the Lightning, 42-25, and outhustled them often, the game was closer than it needed to be and they might not be able to sustain this offensive pace. Then again, if we’re talking about traditions, maybe the Wings are the brink of starting a new one with an explosive offense.
Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings’ sudden offense presents the start of something new
