from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Dylan Larkin looked to Henrik Zetterberg. Darren Helm looked to Kris Draper. Mired in a bleak season, there isn’t much for the Detroit Red Wings to rally around. They struggle to score, struggle to keep the puck out of their own net, and spend most games playing from behind. The next opportunity to stop what has grown to an 11-game losing streak comes Tuesday at Winnipeg. The unifying force in the locker room is to not surrender, to not allow a 31st-place ranking to seep into the culture veterans learned when they were young. Helm provided an example in Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, delivering a big shift that culminated with him setting up a goal. It’s the kind of performance he remembers seeing from older teammates. continued

from Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News, Less than 24 hours after they were smoked by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sharks trailed by two goals less than nine minutes into the first period Sunday and never fully recovered in a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center.... The Sharks are now 0-2-1 on this trip that ends Tuesday in Nashville, and have been outscored 14-5 so far through regulation and overtime. On road trips of more than one game this season, the Sharks are now 2-7-2. Add it all up and the Sharks, on a four-game slide, are a pedestrian 15-15-2. “I think we’re a little too relaxed right now,” Sharks winger Evander Kane said. “A couple games where we got off to bad starts and weren’t able to fight back, and we really didn’t have much fight-back after we got down. That’s really the most disappointing part.” more

from Bryan Horwath of the Las Vegas Sun, Many remember how the technology created a glowing puck on TV screens, leaving a cometlike trail of color once the puck reached certain speeds. But FoxTrax didn’t last long, to the delight of hockey purists who’d denounced it as too gimmicky for a sport steeped in tradition. Dave Lehanski, the NHL’s senior vice president of development and innovation, says FoxTrax was “way ahead of its time, but it just wasn’t ready back then. You could see it wasn’t working right.” Now, the NHL is preparing to introduce a more advanced version of the technology in 2020 in an attempt to make itself more attractive to younger viewers. Players will don wearable technology—sensors about the size of an Oreo cookie—on the back of their shoulder pads, which will track certain metrics in real time. The puck will also be outfitted with a chip that can communicate with a series of cameras and sensors. The technology was tested in January during two Vegas Golden Knights games at T-Mobile Arena. Golden Knights winger Max Pacioretty says he’s intrigued by the idea, but adds, “There were a lot of issues with bouncing pucks and whatnot.” Still, he says, “It’s something that could be fun for the fans.” That’s the league’s goal for this technology, which will produce more in-game data to enhance the viewing experience, especially for statistics fans and sports bettors who desire more information. read on

THREE HARD LAPS  * Jack Eichel assisted on the Sabres’ overtime goal to extend the League’s longest active point streak to 13 contests. He is one of 10 players on pace to reach the 100-point mark in 2019-20.  * Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau each eclipsed the 35-point mark Sunday. They became the first Panthers teammates to achieve the feat prior to their 30th game.  * Jacob Trouba was one of six Rangers defensemen with a point against the Golden Knights. New York leads all teams in points by defensemen this season (26-60—86).

via Sportsnet, Kyle Bukauskas, Chris Johnston and Elliotte Friedman discuss the topics that will be discussed at the NHL Board of Governors meeting.  

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, If you look at the Red Wings’ individual statistics today — and some of them are ghastly, so don’t for long — there is a rather surprising player with the fifth-most points on the team. It’s not a forward. It’s defenseman Filip Hronek, who continues to put together an admirable first full season in the NHL, while playing a ton of minutes and basically learning on the job. With Danny DeKeyser hurt for the majority of the season thus far, and Trevor Daley and Mike Green missing portions of the schedule, Hronek has had to play more minutes than probably is ideal for a developing 22-year-old pro. But Hronek has been up to the task, with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 29 games, with a minus-13 rating, while playing a competitive, 23 minutes a game (leading the team) — the brand of hockey that this roster needs. continued

from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, All eyes turn to Gary Bettman and Bill Daly. With NHL owners set to gather for a Board of Governors meeting unlike any other in recent memory, the league’s most powerful men will speak publicly for the first time since Bill Peters resigned from the Calgary Flames, Marc Crawford was suspended by the Chicago Blackhawks and hockey’s culture was placed under the microscope by a series of allegations from former players. The two-day gathering at America’s most scenic golf resort isn’t expected to produce sweeping answers. The issues are deep enough and serious enough that time will be required to form a complete plan of action, which is why the tone set by Bettman and Daly will be so significant. The commissioner and deputy commissioner have already met with Akim Aliu, the player who spoke up about mistreatment from Peters — his former coach in the American Hockey League who used racial slurs in the dressing room. That was followed by allegations from others about abuse from their coaches, both physical and mental, which led to Crawford being removed from the bench while the Blackhawks conduct an investigation. continued with more topics which were discussed on Saturday Headlines last night...

via Helene St. James tweet, Tyler Bertuzzi practicing today. Blocked shot yesterday. Red Wings next game is Tuesday at Winnipeg. If there are post-practice interviews, I will add them to this post.

from Sonny Sachdeva of Sportsnet, Marco Argentino has been the man NHL superstars from Gretzky to McDavid trust with their gear. Now, he's also helping shape the future of equipment design. The smell of leather hangs thick in the air, tangled with the scent of metal and wood and the years-old collections of dust that gather here and there atop the shelves lining every wall in the place. It’s mid-March of 1991, and 26-year-old Marco Argentino is perched on a stool in the back corner of this unassuming shoe repair shop, engrossed as he inspects the finer details of the hockey gloves on the desk in front of him. This isn’t any old run-of-the-mill establishment, though walking down Wellington Street and glancing up at the curling blue-and-white lettering atop the storefront — Cordonnerie Argentino — a passerby could be forgiven for not feeling the full weight of the Argentinos’ place in Montreal’s storied hockey history. No, this shop isn’t interchangeable with any of the others that have lined this street, precisely because the pair of gloves sitting before Argentino isn’t interchangeable with any other in the city. These particular gloves belong to Guy Carbonneau, captain of the Montreal Canadiens, who’s awaiting the results of Argentino’s work as he prepares for the ’91 playoffs. The problem is the palms. The captain wants them replaced with something thinner, something that gives him a better feel for his stick. Argentino’s already made one unsuccessful attempt today, sewing on a fresh horsehide palm and making the trek up to the Montreal Forum, only to be met with a stern, “Thinner.”  continued

via Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, McLellan, on whether he saw the Zac Rinaldo hit: Well, of course I did. You guys all looked at it too. I’m always asked this question after. What usually happens is one coach says, ‘I haven’t looked at it yet,’ and the other coach says, ‘you know what, I think the player was in a vulnerable position, I think that the head was targeted, I think that the weight went up and I think the feet came off the ice,’ so figure out which coach was which. [Reporter: What about the heart from Kyle Clifford standing up for Pro and the moments that followed?] It’s a team move and that’s what Cliffy does for his teammates. [Reporter: Did they get tossed because it happened during a TV timeout?] Yeah. Watch the hit below. and then the fight...

Not sure if this is new, but I believe it is.  When the Wings scored last night, the rink lights went out at the LCA except for a spotlight on the goal scorer along with some flashing lights. My idea is just the opposite.  Keep the lights off during play, then turn them on when the Wings score.  Imagine the saved energy! Please LCA, don't do this again.  

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, When a team is as fragile as the Detroit Red Wings are, anything positive helps. Their losing streak has grown to 11 games, but at least they came away from Saturday’s game with a little more confidence in their ability to score. After scoring just five goals the previous six games, the Wings scored twice in the third period in the 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. “We have to do a better job of trying to keep four out, or five, but I thought we competed right till the end and that’s a good sign for this team,” Luke Glendening said. “We had a tough first getting down 2-0, but we battled till the last minute.”     from Ansar Khan of Mlive, It was another night where the Detroit Red Wings answered more questions about the many things that have gone wrong during the team’s worst stretch in years. But if there is anything positive to be gleaned from Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena, it was Dylan Larkin looking like his usual self, following an extended slump. Larkin picked up a goal and an assist, giving him four points in three games (two goals, two assists) after seven games without a point. He led the comeback efforts and had chances to score the tying goal in the final minute before John Marino’s empty-net goal with nine seconds remaining sealed it. “His drive’s great,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. continued

THREE HARD LAPS * Sebastian Aho (3-2—5) scored an even-strength, power-play and shorthanded goal en route to recording his third career hat trick and the NHL’s eighth five-point performance of the season. * Captain Gabriel Landeskog scored the last of four Avalanche goals as Colorado handed Boston its first regulation loss at TD Garden this season. * Tampa Bay was one of seven teams to score at least five goals Saturday (also Vancouver, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Carolina, Toronto and Nashville). It marked the fourth time this season that seven teams each scored five or more goals on the same night.

via Sportsnet, The panel updates news around the NHL including the upcoming board of governors meetings, and trade rumours surrounding Taylor Hall with the New Jersey Devils and Alex Galchenyuk on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Plus a new idea for the All-Star weekend.  

Wings played hard, played desperate in the third period but feel short, losing 5-3 to Pittsburgh. Detroit goals, team stats and a thumbs up or down for you are below. Next game on Tuesday at 9:00pm ET in Winnipeg.

Highlights first, below Glendening, Biega, Larkin and Blashill.  

via Sportsnet, Brian Burke discusses the Calgary Flames working their way out of a rough patch and Joe Thornton punching Petr Mrazek.  

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post, - Checked in with Mathieu Schneider, who has held an executive position with the NHLPA since 2011, and with Glenn Healy, in his third year as executive director of the NHL Alumni Association following a stint with the PA late last decade, whether they had ever received a complaint from a player about coach abuse. The answer from both was: “Never.”... - he cool kids seem to think that “tandeming” in goal is a new thing. It is not. The 1960-61 Red Wings gave 36 starts to Terry Sawchuk and 34 to Hank Bassen. The 1962-63 Maple Leafs gave 42 starts to Johnny Bower and 28 to Don Simmons. The 1965-66 Rangers gave 34 starts to Ed Giacomin, 27 to Cesare Maniago and nine to Simmons. The 1966-67 Black Hawks (that’s what they were then) gave 41 starts to Denis DeJordy and 29 to Glenn Hall. Those were the Original Six days of Original Tandeming. - Four forwards with at least 385:00 of full strength have scored only one five-on-five goal, and they are Jonathan Toews, Phil Kessel, Joe Pavelski and Mikael Backlund. Among the 11 who have scored just two are Hall, Jamie Benn, Johnny Gaudreau, Bo Horvat and Ryan O’Reilly. more on the first topic and other hockey blurbs...

Good job HNIC. via Sportsnet,  

Blashill first, Ericsson below.   "If continue to play good hockey we'll find our way to a win. Once you find your way to a win you'll boost your confidence. Nobody can inject confidence in you, you have to go out and earn it." Coach Blashill | #PITvsDET pic.twitter.com/xcenwKYSb2 — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 7, 2019

It's nice to be back after a much needed break from all the negativity that has surrounded the Wings since the big decline. A chance to refocus, and, see how it goes between now and the All Star break. Of course, there is more controversy in the news regarding the former coach, but, we don't care about that on a game night. We're here to enjoy whatever happens on the ice. Good or bad. Tonight is Grateful Dead night at the Pizzarena, so with that in mind, a Dead lyric..... "Lately, it occurs to me  What a long, strange trip it's been."  It's a Live Blog!

It will cost you $4.5M. from Judy Rose at the Detroit Free Press, Pavel Datsyuk,the former Red Wing superstar fans called "The Magic Man," built this stunning lakeside house during the 14 years he played hockey in Detroit. On the outside, it is a limestone castle, even to the tall, skinny turret where a vertical slit forms the front window — a spot where hidden archers could repel an enemy. But step inside and the home turns super sleek — curving walls, curving glass, white marble, granite, porcelain tile, lacquered zebra wood. Fine woods glow on accent walls. Spaces are defined by curves, including the three-story curving stairs. It’s a unique house, designed by architect Alexander Bogaerts. continued with pictures...

from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, During his days on Broadway, zipping around in what was coach Herb Brooks’s novel, circle-back Ranger game plan, Mark Pavelich didn’t say much. One of the stars of the 1980 US Olympic team, “Pav” also was among the quietest Team USA players, then had little urge or inclination to talk upon coming to the big city to launch his NHL career. The running joke, rooted in both truth and humor, was that he wouldn’t appear for postgame interviews on the Rangers’ TV broadcasts unless the payout included fishing gear that he could lug back home to Minnesota come springtime. Pavelich, 61, on Wednesday was left with little to say, or perhaps was incapable of expressing anything, when Minnesota judge Michael Cuzzo deemed him mentally ill and dangerous, and ultimately incapable of standing trial for a felony assault charge. In August, Pavelich allegedly beat a friend with a metal pole, inflicting a number of injuries, including cracked ribs, a bruised kidney, and a fractured vertebra.  continued plus more hockey topics...

from Samantha Pell of The Washington Post, ... Carlson’s strong defense created offense. As his point total continues to soar — 43 points (11 goals, 32 assists) after Friday night’s win— his teammates and coaches find themselves reminding reporters of Carlson’s defensive strengths. They don’t want Carlson to be typecast as an “offensive defenseman.” “He’s not all offense; he’s not carrying the puck the entire game like some of the other guys in the league that I would call offensive,” Coach Todd Reirden said.... The label “offensive defenseman” has been thrown around for years in hockey, but in this era, what is its true definition? Do players get miffed when they are categorized as “offensive”? The answers vary. Drew Doughty, the 2015-16 Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman, sees offensive defensemen as being defined in two ways. First, there are players who can skate, rush the puck often and make plays.... The mold of offensive defensemen started in the late 1960s with how Bobby Orr played the game, opening up the creativity and the freedom to jump into plays. It continued with players such as Paul Coffey and Nicklas Lidstrom. “Teams were searching for quarterback, offensive-type defensemen that just add a lot to your team,” said Doug Wilson... more players mentioned...

Tkachuk received 2 for a cross check and 2 for roughing. :24 seconds left in the 3rd, Sens down by one and their goalie pulled.  

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, - Brendan Shanahan doesn’t like to look back. At least publicly, he doesn’t. But if he were to take stock of all the moves he’s made since becoming president of the Maple Leafs six years ago, probably the biggest error he made was being too quick to push Lou Lamoriello out as general manager after just three seasons on the job.... - You know this was a forgettable decade for the Maple Leafs when Tyler Bozak not only lead the team in games played but also in assists. Phil Kessel scored the most goals, 181, and the most points, 394. - My NHL all-decade team: Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Alex Ovechkin up front, Brett Burns and Victor Hedman on defence, Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. Second team: Brad Marchand, Claude Giroux and Evgeni Malkin up front; Erik Karlsson and Drew Doughty on defence, Carey Price in goal. - Not making the playoffs, which seems rather possible right now, will make this the most disastrous, disappointing Maple Leafs season in memory. And they traded away their first-round pick to get someone to take Patrick Marleau’s salary. more on the first topic plus additional hockey talk...

from Max Bultman of The Athletic, At present, the Red Wings are at 47 of the maximum 50 contracts, according to CapFriendly. That shouldn’t pose an issue since a handful of those contracts (including those of Trevor Daley, Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson and Jimmy Howard) expire as unrestricted free agents after the season. Of the prospects on Detroit’s reserve list, whom Yzerman must either sign or relinquish the right to do so by this summer, only goalie prospect Victor Brattstrom looks like a solid bet to do so. There are prospects Detroit could choose to sign earlier than it has to (in order to bring them over from Europe or lure them from college, for example) but still, even if the Red Wings wanted to sign a couple of outside free agents, they could, in theory, bring all their RFAs back. But that doesn’t seem likely. Whether because of prospect development, planning for future moves, or simply an evaluation that certain pieces don’t fit, at least some of the Red Wings’ pending restricted free-agent forwards are likely going to have to head elsewhere after this season.... With one caveat: I won’t get into the big three of Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Bertuzzi in this piece. They’re all obvious locks to bring back (barring a trade of some kind) and I’ll go more in-depth on their situations and potential contracts later on.... On the inside track Robby Fabbri: Let’s start with the most immediately successful of the Red Wings’ in-season trades because he’s the most obvious candidate to be back next season.  many more (paid subscription) names including those in Grand Rapids...

from Amy Lamare of Celebrity Net Worth, To own a pro-sports team is to be in a very exclusive club. In fact, it's a club open exclusively to billionaires. That's true in the NFL, NBA, and the NHL. The 15-richest NHL team owners have a combined net worth near $115 billion. The richest of them all is David Thomson, owner of the Winnipeg Jets. He has a net worth of $33 billion, thanks to his family's media empire. #15. Brian Roberts — Philadelphia Flyers Net Worth: $2 billion Age: 60 Nationality: American Brian Roberts is the son of Comcast co-founder Ralph Roberts. Brian has been the CEO of the media giant since 2002. He inherited the company when his father died in 2015. read on

from Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press, Retired Detroit Red Wings forward Darren McCarty said Friday there was a strong current of disrespect from former Wings coach Mike Babcock that spared almost no one and cost the team the Stanley Cup in 2009. McCarty played for coaches Scotty Bowman and Dave Lewis from 1993 to 2004. He returned for the 2008-09 and ’08-’09 seasons, when Babcock was the coach. The Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Cup finals in ’08 and lost to the Pens in the finals the next season. “And our (dressing) room worked in different ways and when I came back you could tell that things were different,” McCarty told the Free Press, “but the thing that didn’t change was that guys played for each other. “That’s the key. In spite of him, right? In spite of him. And I learned that more getting into ’09 because we won in ’08 in spite of him and lost in ’09 because of him. That’s exactly the thing because he misused (Pavel) Datsyuk, (Henrik) Zetterberg and just because he’s stubborn and that was his way.” continued

from Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post, P.K. Subban should be embarrassed. The Devils invested a lot in the bombastic defenseman, and he has become an absolute shell of himself on the ice. Imagine, after this debacle of a season in New Jersey where his insipid play surely helped to get a good man and good coach in John Hynes fired, Subban is on the books for an annual $9 million for the next two years. Players fade. Subban is 30 years old, and that happens. But what should be embarrassing is that during this time of organizational upheaval, he is out and about almost every day with another promotion. On Wednesday, a day after Hynes was fired following desultory efforts in a 4-0 loss to the Rangers at home and a 7-1 thumping up in Buffalo, Subban was at Bryant Park doing an appearance for Red Bull. The press release said he was “2103 James Norris Memorial Trophy winner, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.” On Thursday night, he was at the Adidas flagship store in Manhattan. What a great way to get ready for a big back-to-back under new coach Alain Nasreddine, Friday night at home against the Blackhawks and then Subban’s big return to Nashville on Saturday night. Should be a barnburner (or tape burner?). The league has bought in, too. continued

THREE HARD LAPS * A self-described “nice guy who tries hard and loves the game” made his return to the City of Champions, where he helped the Penguins win consecutive Stanley Cups. * Twelve of 14 games contested over the last two days have been decided by a one-goal margin (85.7%), including four of five on Friday. * Three of the top six leading scorers this season are in action tonight when the Bruins host the Avalanche at TD Garden.

from Merrit Kennedy of NPR,  When the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, sailor Lauren Bruner was the second-to-last person to get off the USS Arizona alive. Bruner and five others were stranded on the doomed ship when a sailor on a repair ship spotted them and threw them a line. Even though Bruner was badly burned and had been shot twice, the 21-year-old managed to climb to safety. He died in September at the age of 98, and on Saturday, his remains will return to the USS Arizona. He is expected to be the final USS Arizona survivor to be interred on the sunken warship, Pearl Harbor National Memorial spokesperson Jay Blount tells NPR. There are three remaining survivors and they have expressed other wishes for their remains. According to the USS Arizona Memorial, Don Stratton, Lou Conter, and Ken Potts "are the only former crewmen remaining from the 337 men who survived the attack on the battleship." Bruner's family will hold a funeral at the USS Arizona Memorial on Saturday evening. A team of National Park Service and military divers will then receive the urn of his ashes and place it in the hull of the USS Arizona wreckage. Blount says that 43 other survivors of the attack have been interred on the ship in the same location since the Navy started the practice in 1982. continued

500 words We are getting close to that time of year where we begin thinking of a team or teams near the bottom of the standings in each conference.  Sort of like the St. Louis Blues who were at the bottom of their conference this time of year last season, only to finish the season by raising the Stanley Cup. If you were to visit any of the legal betting sites for US customers would you have confidence to pick one or two of the teams about to be mentioned? Before you say no, remember the person who bet on the Blues when they were a long shot at 250/1 in January?  By mid-June, he was $150K richer.

A standing ovation for Phil Kessel during his tribute video.  

Lsrry Murphy sits down with Filip Hronek. Fox SportsDetroit with their Wingspan features, watch four more here.