Detroit Red Wings team captain Dylan Larkin, fresh off helping Team USA claim its first men's ice hockey gold medal in 46 years, returned to practice on Wednesday morning.
His voice may have been a little hoarse, but Detroit Red Wings team captain Dylan Larkin was still savoring the moment.
In recent weeks, it’s been a whirlwind for Larkin, who not only helped Team USA capture its first gold medal in 46 years but was also seen having a tremendous time during the subsequent celebrations in Miami and Washington, D.C.
Larkin returned to practice on Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena for a brisk skate and, unsurprisingly, was the first player made available to the media.
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Larkin, who was teammates with the late Johnny Gaudreau as part of Team North America in the 2016 World Championship, noted how special it was to have his surviving family take part in the celebration.
“It was special,” Larkin said. “Family is so important, but I do have to give a mention to the Gaudreau family — Merideth, Mr. and Mrs. Gaudreau, Meredith's brother, and obviously Johnny and Noa. It was special when Zach Werenski said, ‘Let’s go grab them and bring them into the picture.’"
Shortly after the gold medal victory, Larkin had a special FaceTime call with his young daughter Lennyn, which he also said was equally meaningful.
“There are so many moments in the last 48 hours that were pretty cool, but that one for me was probably number one, and of course, number two was seeing my daughter," he said.
Upon returning home, Larkin said that young Lennyn wasted no time testing the medal's durability by innocently attempting to chuck it.
“It’s a good thing I had a hold of the medal. She held onto it and tried to throw it, she’s at that phase in her life," he said with a smile. "We got a cool picture with her holding it for the first time.”
Mike Eruzione, who was not only the captain of the 1980 Miracle on Ice Team but also scored the game-winning goal in the historic victory over the Soviet Union, took part in one of the many subsequent celebrations and, at one point, was even hoisted up on Larkin's shoulders.
"He's not at his playing weight anymore," Larkin quipped, drawing laughter.
The joy on Larkin's face in the immediate aftermath of the historic Team USA victory was impossible not to notice.
With the Red Wings’ regular season set to resume and the team currently sitting third in the Atlantic Division, how much will Larkin’s role in Team USA’s victory, and that taste of success, fuel his drive to achieve Stanley Cup Playoff success in Detroit?
"I mean, it's hard to say right now, I don't know if I've really thought a lot about myself and what it means, but like I mentioned, you get a taste of winning, and how special that is, you check a massive box with the gold medal," Larkin said. "The Stanley Cup would be next, and that would be unbelievable."
"You guys know how much it would mean to do it in this city."
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