TRAVERSE CITY — Centre Ice Arena is expected to be packed to the gills Sunday as it always is for the Detroit Red Wings annual Red & White Game to close out training camp.
The camp is in its 25th year at Centre Ice, and the changes fans saw to the Red & White Game last year seem to be here to stay for the time being. The scrimmage and showcase is set to start at noon.
“Structure,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said when asked what he wants to see out of Sunday’s action. “We’ll probably be fluid with the lines and look pretty similar to last year.”
Instead of just a regular three periods of scrimmage hockey, the Red Wings will use the Red & White Game to implement strategies and work on the nuts and bolts of what their approach will be this coming season.
“We’ll play some 5-on-5 hockey. It’ll be a lot of our concepts and structure,” Lalonde said. “We’ll get a period of special teams, and then we’ll also address our 4-on-4 and our 3-on-3, which is important. It helps us along in our process to introduce everything.”
Despite the recent changes to the Red & White Game, Lalonde said the goal of training camp remains the same.
“It’s just implementing your process and trying to get everything in properly while getting them to understand it,” he said. “I really have liked the three days of camp so far, from our structure to our special teams.”
Coming back after a successful 2023-24 campaign that showed great growth and ended with a high-stakes race for a spot in the playoffs, Lalonde feels the Red Wings are in a better spot now than last year’s training camp.
“Just a little continuity with the same coaching staff and a lot of the core coming back. It maybe looks a little cleaner and certainly feels like a lot less teaching so far, which is always a positive,” he said. “We’re trying to take some steps from where we were last year. Guys understanding their roles, understanding their identity is successful to any team trying to win a hockey game. It’ll be a work in progress in the preseason, but we’re all excited to see it.”
That excitement and potential is a big reason why Tyler Motte, the Port Huron native and University of Michigan Wolverine, hopped aboard.
“It’s a team heading in the right direction,” said Motte, the 29-year-old right wing who signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings in July. “I really liked the opportunity to be a part of the group. Lot of familiar faces helped make the transition easy. Hopefully, I can help continue that push.”
Playing for the team he grew up rooting for is a nice perk as well.
“Not every guy gets the chance to play for their home team in their home state,” Motte said. “It’s a really cool opportunity that I appreciate a little bit more at this point in my career. The community outside of the rink gets more and more important as you get older. Now you get to lean into all of it and can be more involved in the community.”
Lalonde said Motte is a player management talked about bringing in for the last few years.
“This lineup, he might slot in a little more natural than our teams have looked in the past going into the season,” Lalonde said. “He takes a lot of pride in good habits. He’s excellent on the penalty kill. He’s going to give us some quality, quality minutes.”
Motte had his eye on the Red Wings, too.
“It wasn’t a forced, quick rebuild,” Motte said. “They took their time, got some pieces and continued to build off it. In this league, it’s extremely hard to build a winning team and a winning culture quickly. It takes time, and you’ve got to be patient with it.”
Motte said he is ready and willing to do whatever he can to help the Red Wings take the next step.
“(Penalty kill) is my favorite part of the game,” Motte said. “Not the most sexy part, but I appreciate the competitive nature of it being down a guy and trying to get a job done. … It’s something I’ve always hung my hat on.”
“I still know I can put pucks in the net and create offensively,” he continued. “I still believe in myself and my ability to do that. But whatever I’m asked to do, I’ll go out and do. … I’m here to help the group win.”
Although the Red Wings are just three days into camp, the talk of winning and making it to the playoffs after last season’s difficult ending has been pronounced.
“We’ve talked a lot about continuing to push ourselves. This group fell a point short last year from getting in and played a little bit of playoff-style hockey down the stretch to make it interesting and be in the conversation,” Motte said, adding that the coaching staff has looked for a little more from the players and pushed them on the details during camp. “The expectation is going to be high for us, as it should be.”
Now, Motte said, the onus is on the players to go out and perform once the season gets underway.
The Red Wings begin preseason action at Chicago on Wednesday and then host the Blackhawks on Friday. Detroit opens the regular season at home against Pittsburgh Oct. 10.