Red Wings working hard, gearing up for final-stretch push that begins on Saturday afternoon

DETROIT -- Aside from captain Dylan Larkin, who is still with the United States at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, and Lucas Raymond, who making his way back from Boston after wrapping up play with Sweden at the international event earlier this week, it was business as usual for the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday marked the second of four straight practice days for the Red Wings, who will resume game action against the Minnesota Wild at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday afternoon in what also is the first half of a weekend back-to-back set.

“Ten days is a long time to be away from the rink no matter if you’re skating, working out or doing nothing,” Andrew Copp said. “You need these four days. It’s been pretty upbeat and energetic so far. I think guys are excited to get back.”

Detroit went into the 4 Nations Face-Off break with plenty of momentum, going 15-4-1 from Dec. 29 - Feb. 8. Now, according to Copp, it’s about improving and carrying that momentum over into the club’s final 27 games of the regular season.

“[Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan] has been trying to make sure we’re paying attention to the details,” Copp said. “We’re staying in shifts kind of long to make sure that we’re not only physically ready, but our minds are ready to be at tip-top [shape] for games that last three hours. You can replicate as much as you want in practice, but we’re only out there for an hour. It’s hard to have that mental stamina to stay in a game for 2.5 - 3 hours after two weeks off.”

The players know mentality matters, especially as the team continues forming its identity under McLellan.

“We talked a little bit about identity again today and all the parts of the actual hockey game, but something that we talked about at the end was our togetherness, resiliency and the team that we have, in terms of handling adversity, but sticking together,” Copp said. “That has really improved since Christmas. Obviously, winning helps with that but I feel like we’re really gelling as a team.”

McLellan said he believes the Red Wings will learn a lot about themselves in the months ahead.

“Who are we? That’s going to get answered in the next 27 games,” McLellan said. “Are we October to December or are we December to February? Who are we? It’s not going to be easy or perfect. Are we a playoff team? Are we close to a playoff team? Are we a distant [playoff team]? We got to figure all this out. Part of that is the belief system we talked about, trying to develop an identity and playing towards it.”

Now, back to the present day. Wednesday was also the first time the Red Wings practiced with the NHL Stadium Series helmets they’ll don next Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium.

In Tyler Motte’s eyes, the helmet design has “a nice little touch to the University of Michigan and the rivalry [with The Ohio State University].”

“It’s an exciting time,” Motte said. “Breaking in the gear is not everyone’s favorite part, but it means that game is creeping up and getting closer. We’re excited for it to not just be a cool event, but to take a rivalry like that to the next level and be center stage for a night.”