The 5 Best Moments From the Red Wings 2016-17 Season
By Nick Seguin
6 years agoThe Detroit Red Wings had an awful season. They finished with less than 80 points and missed the playoffs for the first time in 25 years (in case you haven’t heard). Still, it’s an 82 game season that runs over seven months – not everything was that terrible. There were several moments throughout the 2016-17 Red Wings season that are worth remembering. Here are my top 5.
5. Dylan Larkin’s First Fight
Through the first five games of the season, Dylan Larkin only had a single assist. In his rookie season the year before, Larkin had two goals and six points in his first five games. So it’s understandable that the sophomore was feeling frustrated by the time Detroit’s October 21st game against the Nashville Predators rolled around.
By this point, the Wings were leading the league in fighting majors with four in four games. They were standing up for themselves and each other. In the opening minutes of the third period, Larkin decided he would do his part against Predators defenseman Yannick Weber.
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For some reason, after high sticking Larkin in the face, Weber thought he would give him a cross check too. Well, Larkin didn’t take too kindly to that. He dropped the gloves with Weber and actually took him down. What a fun, badass moment for a player that we all thought was the one who needed protecting. Well, he showed us all here that he can protect himself.
4. Henrik Zetterberg’s Impassioned Speech
In mid-December, after a 4-1 loss to the last-place Arizona Coyotes, Henrik Zetterberg held a players-only meeting in the locker room. The team had just extended their losing streak to three games and the season was starting to get away from them.
This players-only meeting was conveniently caught on camera by the EPIX camera crew that was shooting the NHL’s Road to the Outdoor Classics series that aired leading up to the Centennial Classic game. Here it is:
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This was a unique look into Zetterberg’s leadership on the team. It showed the kind of heart we knew our captain has and the philosophy he tries to spread with his teammates. It definitely endeared us more to him as his intangibles translated into actual production. He went on to lead the team in points and be best player on the ice.
It was hard not to be inspired by Zetterberg’s plea in this speech, but his teammates found a way. They lost the next game to the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 4-1. Still, Z’s speech is something I look back fondly on from the 2016-17 season.
3. Riley Sheahan’s Two Goal Night
Oh Riley Sheahan. You poor soul. This guy went 79 games without scoring a single goal. He set the record for most shots in a single season without a goal. It was an historically bad season. Until the last game.
It was already a special night at the Joe as it was the final game ever being played there, but then Riley Sheahan went and scored two goals, ending his slump. You could feel the relief wash over him. Making the moment even more special was the fact that his second goal was the last goal ever scored at Joe Louis Arena.
Apr 9, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Riley Sheahan (15) scores the final goal ever at Joe Louis Arena against New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider (35) during the third period. The Red Wings won 4-1 in their last game at the Joe. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Of course, there will always be asterisk on that goal, saying that it came at the very end of the worst season of Sheahan’s career, but the game kind of felt like a statement from Sheahan. Maybe a sign of what’s to come next season?
2. Anthony Mantha’s Multi-Point Night
Anthony Mantha started the season in Grand Rapids. It sounds crazy to say now and, honestly, it sounded crazy to say back then too. Mantha deserved to be on the opening night roster and he proved that when he finally got the call-up. In his first six games, Mantha scored four points (2G, 2A).
While Mantha went on to have a great season full of great moments, such as his first NHL goal against the Calgary Flames and a game winning goal in front of friends and family in Montreal, his greatest moment came on New Year’s Day. Detroit was in Toronto for the Centennial Classic at BMO field and Mantha put up three points in the 5-4 overtime loss.
He opened the scoring in the second period on a shot from the high slot. The Leafs stormed back in the third with four unanswered goals and it was Mantha who helped start the comeback as he made a beautiful pass to Jonathan Ericsson who was rushing in from the blueline and buried it behind Frederik Anderson. Detroit was behind by a single goal through the last minute of the game when Mantha scored a buzzer-beater to send the game to overtime. I was there live and it was thrilling. Heart beating, hands at my chest, Mantha’s goal caused me to scream at the top of my lungs and jump up and down. What a moment!
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Sure, he had the benefit of playing with Zetterberg, but Mantha had a hell of a season. His performance in the Centennial Classic was as much a sign for the Red Wings that a new regime is right around the corner as Matthews’ OT goal was for a new era in Toronto. I, for one, am excited to see what Mantha brings to the table as he comes into his own as an NHL player.
1. The Final Salute From the Joe
Was there ever any doubt that this would be the number one moment of the 2016-17 season? Joe Louis Arena meant so much to this team and saying goodbye was never going to be easy. But the team did a fantastic job with a red carpet ceremony before the game, lots of in-game trips down memory lane, and the Q&A session with former and current Red Wings after the game.
As they entered the rink, every fan was given a red mini stick. As they stepped onto the ice after the game, every participant was given a full-size red hockey stick. At the conclusion of the evening’s festivities, all of the current and former players, coaches, and management made their way to centre ice and held the sticks to the rafters to give one final salute. All of the fans did the same with their mini sticks.
It was a beautiful sight and a wonderful moment. Saying goodbye to the home that gave them ten Conference Final appearances, six Stanley Cup Final appearances, four Stanley Cups, six President’s Trophies, and sixteen Division Titles is not easy, but the team, the players, and the fans delivered.
Apr 9, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings fans along with past and present players and coaches and VIP raise their sticks and say farewell after the game against the New Jersey Devils at Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings won 4-1 in their last game at the Joe. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
I still get goosebumps just thinking about it.
So what was your favourite moment of the 2016-17 season? Let us know in the comments below.
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