Detroit Red Wings team captain Dylan Larkin moved into 10th place in club history in total goals, and his teammates and coaches greatly appreciate not only his work ethic but the sense of pride he carries.
As part of the Detroit Red Wings' 4-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Friday evening at Little Caesars Arena, Dylan Larkin moved up the scoring ladder in franchise history.
His third-period goal, which ultimately stood up as the game-winner, was the 266th of his career, which put him in 10th place in Red Wings history in total goals, moving past John Ogrodnick.
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Forward Lucas Raymond, who recorded three assists in the victory and has played alongside Larkin since his own rookie season in 2021–22, acknowledged the significance of Larkin’s scoring achievement for a historic organization celebrating its centennial season.
"It's impressive, I think, in an organization like Detroit, so many greats have come through and played here, and you see it on a night like (Sergei) Fedorov's jersey retirement," Raymond said. "Seeing all those guys, it's unbelievable. For Dylan to climb up there, it's really impressive."
"He puts in a lot of work and carries a big load for the team on and off the ice," Raymond continued. "I'm happy for him, and hopefully he can climb a couple more spots."
There may not be a single player on the Red Wings roster with a deeper desire to bring postseason hockey back to Detroit for what would be the first time since 2016 than Larkin.
During several of Detroit’s lean seasons, including the especially trying 2019–20 campaign, Larkin often shouldered the difficult media sessions, explaining how the team would eventually break out from their prolonged losing streaks.
The disappointment and heartbreak were evident in Larkin’s demeanor after Detroit narrowly missed a postseason berth on a tiebreaker in 2024, following the season finale against the Montreal Canadiens, having come so close, only to ultimately fall just short.
Larkin wears his emotions on his sleeve, and having grown up in the local area as a Red Wings fan, continues to live out his dream of playing for the Red Wings, and wants nothing more than to start competing for the Stanley Cup.
"I had some time with Dylan with Team North America (in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey), but he was at a really young age; most of those players were under 23," head coach Todd McLellan said. "That was really it for me, and being out west, you truly don't know a player until you get around them."
From the moment that McLellan returned to the organization last December to assume the head coaching responsibilities, Larkin's desire to propel the Red Wings forward was evident to him right from the start.
"Dylan cares immensely," McLellan said. "He cares about the city, the team, the organization, his teammates, and he's driven. He is a proud Red Wing, he's a proud captain, and that's really important."
With so many great former Red Wings players who once starred on the ice and are now involved in the organization at the executive level to learn from, Larkin shoulders the responsibility of the team captains who came before him.
And as they did, Larkin is doing so with a great sense of pride in representing the historic franchise.
"Nick Lidstrom is here now, Henrik Zetterberg, our boss Steve Yzerman, all wore the "C", and they had those qualities," McLellan said. "They were proud Red Wings. He's learned that from them, and now he's playing. And then on the ice, his pace and tenacity - he's got a knack for scoring timely goals, and we can use him in multiple situations."
"We appreciate that part of it, (he's) a really good teammate."
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