The Red Wings Prioritizing Sports Science as They Arrive in Sweden
Ahead of games against the Maple Leafs and Senators in the NHL's Global Series, the Detroit Red Wings have arrived in Stockholm and hit the ground running with a practice
Not long after their 5-4 Saturday afternoon over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Detroit Red Wings jetted off to Sweden, ahead of the NHL's Global Series later this week in Stockholm.
The Red Wings will take on the Ottawa Senators Thursday (officially a road game) and the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday (officially a home game) at Avicii Arena in Stockholm.
Upon arriving, Detroit wasted no time in getting to business; the team elected to head straight from the airport to the rink for practice, based on the recommendations of the team's sports science staff.
Head coach Derek Lalonde explained after yesterday's win that the practice plan for combatting the ill effects of jet lag is "all science." "We've leaned on our nutritionist, on our sports science team," he added. "That practice will be more about acclimating. All the science says go there, get a light skate immediately, and that helps with your clock."
Lalonde went on to point out that he'd had a similar experience with Team USA last Spring, traveling to Germany for the World Championships: "We literally rolled into Germany, got right off the bus and went to practice, and it actually worked."
The second-year coach also explained that his own personal commitment to the team's sports science plan had led to some internal mockery at home: "Our sports nutritionist already gave us a to-do list, and I was following it to the minute. You had to be outside at sunrise at 7:14. I was outside at 7:14 staring at the sun. Last night, you had to be in bed at 10, my family was laughing at me, 9:59 I walked right upstairs. So, I'm doing my part. Hopefully, it works."
The Red Wings have as proud of a tradition of Swedish stars as any franchise in the NHL: Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, and Tomas Holmstrom to name a few. However, the '23-24 Wings have just one Swede amongst their ranks: third-year forward Lucas Raymond.
Reflecting on his experience as an assistant with the Lightning when they participated in the 2019 NHL Global Series in Stockholm, Lalonde expressed his excitement for what's in store in for Raymond:
"Really excited for him with this experience," Lalonde said yesterday. "Of all the things I was able to enjoy when I went last time to Sweden in my previous job in Tampa was to watch [Swedish defenseman] Victor Hedman enjoy it. Not to put Victor on the spot here, but they played the Swedish national anthem, and he was tearing up. To me, that was like 'wow, this is awesome.' I'm sure Razor will go through some of those similar emotions."
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