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'Dream Come True' - Sept. 29 2023 - Vol. 77 Issue 4 - Bob Duff

(DAVID REGINEK-USA TODAY SPORTS)

EVERY SO OFTEN, ALEX DeBrincat has to stop and pinch himself. Just to be certain this isn’t all just some elaborate dreamscape. Reality, after all, is rarely so pleasantly accommodating.

Once DeBrincat was certain there was no future for him with the Ottawa Senators, there was only one place he wanted to land. He was seeking a homecoming, and he got just that. On July 9, a year and two days after DeBrincat arrived in Ottawa, the Senators dealt the native of Farmington Hills, Mich., to the Detroit Red Wings for Dominik Kubalik, Donovan Sebrango and two draft picks. “It’s super exciting, obviously,” DeBrincat said. “Growing up here and rooting for the Red Wings when I was younger, it’s definitely a dream come true. I do have to say I don’t think anyone is happier than my parents. It’s the whole family. Everyone’s happy. It’s a good spot for me.”

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DeBrincat’s wife, Lyndsey, is also a Michigander. The couple has made their summer residence in Michigan for years. Now, it will be their full-time home. Make no mistake, though, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman didn’t go after DeBrincat just to provide a homecoming. What will make Yzerman most happy about bringing DeBrincat home will be if the 5-foot-7, 180-pound right winger begins lighting red lamps regularly for the Red Wings. “There’s just a limited number of actual, what we call, I don’t know what the true definition of a goal-scorer is, but there just aren’t a lot of them around the league,” Yzerman said. “Guys that can get it on their stick and anytime they shoot it, it looks like it has a chance of going in. I think we categorize Alex in that mold as a sniper. Just one shot can change the game.”

Detroit coach Derek Lalonde also views DeBrincat as a difference-maker. Last season, the Red Wings were 12-8-10 in one-goal games. Lalonde believes a finisher of DeBrincat’s caliber could be integral to improving those numbers. “We had a lot of really good team games last year where we did a lot of things right and a lot of things that were asked of us, and we just couldn’t put it in the net,” Lalonde said. “We would find ways to lose some of those tight games. We need goals, and that’s something he can do, so it’s a necessity for us as an addition.”

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DeBrincat twice potted 41 goals in a single season during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks – in 2018-19 and ’21-22. Last season, his one and only in Canada’s capital city, he managed just 27. While it was a disappointment for both DeBrincat and the Sens, had he been with Detroit last season, DeBrincat would’ve finished second on the team in goals.

But Yzerman isn’t about to suggest he’s expecting another 40-goal season out of his new charge. He won’t put any number on what he wants from DeBrincat. In fact, the Detroit GM was just as excited about the other elements in DeBrincat’s game and how those talents will help the club all over the ice. “He’s more than a goal-scorer, though,” Yzerman said. “He’s a very smart hockey player. Passes the puck. Manages the puck extremely well. He’s a good linemate to play with. He’s not just a shooter. He can make plays. He’s valuable on the power play and does a good job 5-on-5.”

Though he was reluctant to sign with Ottawa, DeBrincat put his name on a four-year, $31.5-million pact with Detroit within hours of becoming a Red Wing. “Looks like a lot of U.S. kids have a desire to come and play in the U.S. markets,” Yzerman said.

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ALEX DEBRINCAT(CHARLES LECLAIRE-USA TODAY SPORTS)

Added DeBrincat: “This contract just worked out best for both parties. I think it was a good fit in that aspect. Just excited to be here and happy to be here for the next four years.”

Happy to be home.

The memories of a childhood spent cheering for the Red Wings and becoming a hockey player due to that very attachment flow quickly from DeBrincat. Among other cherished memories, DeBrincat cited watching the Wings’ 2007-08 Stanley Cup season as the reason he picked up the sport. “I started playing in Farmington Hills, where I’m from,” he said. “I played for the Farmington Hills Fire for quite a few years at Farmington Hills Ice Arena, so that rink is pretty special. Then I moved on to play for Victory Honda, which I’ve trained at for the past couple of years, too. Going to that gym and skating there. I’ve had a lot of good memories there.”

I DON’T THINK ANYONE IS HAPPIER THAN MY PARENTS. IT’S THE WHOLE FAMILY. EVERYONE’S HAPPY. IT’S A GOOD SPOT FOR ME – Alex DeBrincat

He wants to be a key element in helping the franchise, absent from the playoffs the past seven seasons, to again reach the heights he once watched the club achieve. In Detroit, he’ll don No. 93, the same number he wore for Victory Honda. “You see a team that’s frustrated maybe with being in a rebuild and wants to get out,” DeBrincat said. “I’m excited to be here and join in that and hopefully be part of the solution to get out of that.”

Yzerman believes DeBrincat’s arrival moves Detroit’s needle closer to that objective. “We’re a better team today with Alex DeBrincat in the lineup,” Yzerman said.

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