Detroit Downs Devils, 5-2

The Detroit Red Wings extended their winning streak to three games with a 5-2 victory at New Jersey last night. The Red Wings win the season series, two games to one.

Detroit's Dylan Larkin (Michigan) scored his 30th goal of the season, which turned out to be the game-winner, and added an assist. He has now scored at least 30 goals in four straight seasons. J.T. Compher (Michigan) also scored for the Red Wings, while Alex Lyon (Yale) made 28 saves. Erik Haula (Minnesota) notched a goal and an assist for the host Devils, with Seamus Casey (Michigan) assisting on Haula's goal. Devils defenseman Brian Dumoulin (Boston College) logged a game-high time on ice of 26:17 before a crowd of 16,514 at the Prudential Center in Newark.

The Devils, who will face Carolina in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, closed out their regular season with a 42-33-7 overall record, and finished third in the Eastern Conference's Metropolitan Division. The Red Wings (39-35-7), who have been eliminated from NHL postseason consideration for the ninth consecutive year, will close out their 2024-25 campaign tonight at Toronto.

MSU's Petry Coming Back to Michigan

Jeff Petry (Michigan State) is coming home.

The Ann Arbor native, who spent last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, will join his home state Detroit Red Wings on the blueline for the 2023-24 NHL campaign, after being traded to them earlier this month for defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional 2025 fourth-round draft choice. Petry will wear No. 46 with the Red Wings, the same number his father wore as a major league pitcher with the Detroit Tigers.

Petry, 35, tallied five goals and 26 assists for 31 points in 61 games last year with Pittsburgh, which did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2006. Prior to the 2022-23 season, he had skated the previous eight years with the Montreal Canadiens, helping the Habs to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. He began his NHL career with four-plus seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, who drafted him 45th overall in 2006 after his first season of juniors with Des Moines (USHL). In 864 NHL regular-season outings to date, he has collected 92-261—353 points and 349 penalty minutes, while adding 5-8—13 points and 18 PIM in 61 career Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.

The 6-foot-3, 209-pound Petry played three years on defense at MSU, from 2007 to 2010. He totaled 9-58—67 points and 86 PIM in 118 contests overall with the Spartans, while helping them to the 2008 NCAA tournament.

Dekeyser, Detroit Blank Devils

Andrew Hammond (Bowling Green) allowed just one goal on Sunday. Unfortunately, his New Jersey Devils teammates couldn't score any for him.

The visiting Detroit Red Wings made a first-period goal stand up, and then added two empty-net tallies in the final three minutes of regulation, for a 3-0 victory in an NHL contest on Sunday afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark. Both teams also had a goal disallowed during the game, the Devils for an offside play in the second period, and the Red Wings for goalie interference in the final frame.

Hammond, who backstopped BGSU from 2009 to 2013, finished with 21 saves for the Devils, who have now lost three consecutive games and five of their last six outings, including shootouts. New Jersey also tied a club record with just 17 shots on goal in the loss.

Danny Dekeyser (Western Michigan) recorded an assist for the Red Wings, who snapped a two-game losing skid with the win. He would have also drawn an assist on the disallowed Detroit goal.

The two teams will meet again in New Jersey on Friday night to close out the 2021-22 NHL regular season. Both clubs have been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention.

Former Maine Goalie Howard Retires from NHL

Long-time National Hockey League netminder Jimmy Howard (Maine) has called it a career.

Howard, 36, who spent all his time in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, has retired after playing in 14 seasons with the Original Six franchise. Drafted 64th overall by Detroit in 2003, he fashioned a 246-196-70 record with a 2.62 goals-average and a .912 save percentage to go with 24 shutouts in 543 regular-season outings. He was also named to three NHL All-Star Games (2012, 2015, 2019), went 21-26-0 with three shutouts in 48 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, and ranks third in Red Wings annals in regular-season games played and victories earned.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Howard prepped with the Westport Rideaus and the Kanata Valley Lasers in Canada before spending the 2001-02 season with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Michigan. He then played three years at the University of Maine, fashioning a 47-23-10 record in 92 all-time appearances. As a sophomore, he went 14-4-3 with a school-record 1.19 goals-against average and six shutouts as he backstopped the Black Bears to both the Hockey East tournament championship and the NCAA national title game. He also collected Hockey East Goaltender of the Year, Hockey East Tournament MVP, and NCAA Second Team All-America accolades that season.

Howard also skated in 192 career American Hockey League outings with the Grand Rapids Griffins after turning professional. He went 94-75-11 (2.66, 1.92) with 15 shutouts in regular-season play, and finished 12-17-0 in 30 Calder Cup Playoff contests. He also garnered AHL All-Rookie Team honors in 2006, four years before he did the same at the NHL level. 

On the international stage, Howard represented the U.S. at the 2002 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, the World 2003 World Junior Championship, the 2012 and 2017 World Championships, and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He won gold with the U.S at the World Under-18s in 2002, and went 9-4-0 with two shutouts in 13 games in World Championship play. 

Red Wings Sign Kuffner, Hirose

The Detroit Red Wings picked up a couple of players on Tuesday in signing a pair of free agent NCAA skaters to two-year entry-level contracts each.

Left wing Ryan Kuffner (Princeton) just completed his fourth and final season with the Tigers. An All-America choice in 2017-18 when he set a new Princeton school record with a 29-goal campaign, he completed his NCAA career on Saturday with two goals and two assists in a 6-5 triple-overtime ECAC Hockey tournament loss at Brown. The Ottawa native finished his college career with a school-record 75 goals in four seasons, and 152 points in 132 career games that leaves him second all-time in school scoring. Kuffner also paced Princeton with 44 points in 31 outings as a senior this season.

Detroit then delved within the state to sign junior forward Taro Hirose (Michigan State), who currently holds the NCAA Division I scoring lead with both 35 assists and 50 points. Hirose also completed his college season/career on Saturday, as the Spartans fell to Notre Dame in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Part of MSU's renowned "KHL" line the last two seasons with Patrick Khodorenko and Mitchell Lewandowski, the Calgary native finished his three years in Green and White with 33 goals and 83 assists for 116 points in 106 career outings. Hirose also led the Big Ten in scoring this season, with 10-24--34 points in 24 conference contests.

Other NCAA players who left school early to sign NHL/professional contracts this week included defenseman Quinn Hughes (Michigan) with the Vancouver Canucks, defenseman Joseph Duszak
(Mercyhurst) with the Toronto Maple Leafs, defenseman Cooper Zech (Ferris State) with the Providnce (AHL) Bruins, and goaltender Ryan Huska (Connecticut) with the New York Rangers.

Red Wings Bounce Devils, 4-3

Michigan State and Michigan teamed up to knock down the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in Detroit.

With the game at Little Caesar's Arena tied at 2-2 in the third period, Detroit Red wings forward Luke Glendening (Michigan) blocked a pass by Devils defenseman Will Butcher (Denver) while the Red Wings were killing off a penalty. Glendening then skated down the left side before letting go with a shot at Devils netminder Cory Schneider (Boston College). Schneider made the save, but the rebound was put home by Justin Abeldelkader (Michigan State) with 7:10 remaining in regulation to give the home team the lead for good in a 4-3 victory, Detroit's third straight triumph overall. New Jersey has lost five of its last six outings after winning its first four games this fall.

Schneider finished with 27 saves in his first NHL start since undergoing off-season hip surgery, which was followed by three rehabilitation appearances with Binghamton (AHL). Travis Zajac (North Dakota) posted two assists for the Devils on Thursday, including one on a second-period goal by Blake Coleman (Miami). Jimmy Howard (Maine) finished with 25 stops for Detroit, while Dylan Larkin (Michigan) set up two goals for the Red Wings.

The two teams will meet again on Nov. 18 in New Jersey.

Larkin Re-Signs, Berenson Earns Latest Honor

Two former University of Michigan players made headlines over the weekend—one an up-and-comer, and the other a living legend.

Dylan Larkin, who played one season with the Wolverines before turning pro, has signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. A restricted free agent, Larkin, 22, will receive an average of $6.1 million per season, according to NHL.com. Drafted 15th overall by Detroit in 2014, the Waterford, Mich. native has notched 56 goals and 84 assists for 140 points in 242 regular-season appearances over three full NHL campaigns, all with Detroit. He registered 15-32—47 points in 35 outings with U-M in 2014-15, his lone year in Ann Arbor and the inaugural season of the current Big Ten Conference.

Longtime Michigan head coach Gordon "Red" Berenson, who manned the Wolverines for 33 seasons and also won two NCAA Division I titles at the U-M helm, will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in December. The Regina, Sask. native starred at Michigan as a forward before going on to play in the NHL from 1962 to 1978. He later coached the St. Louis Blues for three seasons.

Berenson guided his alma mater from 1984 to 2017, and recorded an 848-426-92 overall mark with the Wolverines while winning national titles in both 1996 and 1998. He also led the Maize and Blue to 10 Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular season championships, nine CCHA Tournament crowns, one Big Ten tournament title, and 22 consecutive NCAA Tournament berths from 1991 to 2012.

Also, in late July, Michigan defenseman Quinn Hughes announced he will return to U-M for his sophomore season. Drafted seventh overall by the Vancouver Canucks in June, the Orlando, Fla. native earned 2017-18 Big Ten All-Freshman Team accolades in collecting 5-24—29 points in 37 games as a rookie, while also helping the Wolverines to the NCAA Frozen Four.

U.S. Wins First Two at World Championship

The United States is off to a good start at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark, winning its first two games in Group “B” round-robin play.

The Americans opened the tournament on Friday by besting rival Canada, 5-4, in a shootout. Cam Atkinson (Boston College) of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets scored twice in the extra session, including the deciding shootout goal.

Dylan Larkin (Michigan) of the Detroit Red Wings recorded two goals in regulation for the U.S. against the Canadians, with Chris Kreider (Boston College) of the New York Rangers setting up both of Larkin’s tallies. Anders Lee (Notre Dame) of the New York Islanders and Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) of the Calgary Flames also scored for Team USA in regulation. Keith Kinkaid (Union) of the New Jersey Devils stopped 40 shots in net, and then made five saves on six shootout attempts for the win. Colton Parayko (Alaska Fairbanks) of the St. Louis Blues scored for Canada in regulation.

The U.S. then blanked host Denmark, 4-0, on Saturday. Will Butcher (Denver) of the New Jersey Devils collected the game-winning goal in the first period, before Kreider and Atkinson connected in the second stanza. Nick Jensen (St. Cloud State) of the Detroit Red Wings then closed out the scoring in the third period, and also joined Kreider and Gaudreau in recording an assist on the day. Kinkaid finished with 20 stops for the shutout.

Team USA will face Germany on Monday in its next outing, before taking on Latvia on May 10 and Korea on May 11.

Goodbye, Joe Louis Arena

The final hockey game of any kind has been played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

The building’s primary tenant, the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, ended their run at the venerable facility on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils that closed out both the season, and an era. 

The Red Wings moved into The Joe in Dec. 1979 and left almost 38 years later with four Stanley Cup championships to their credit (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008), two of them earned on JLA ice (1997, 2002). Though Detroit’s 25-year playoff run ended this season, Hockeytown fans celebrated on Sunday like it was 1998, with the stands awash in a sea of red jerseys, and the obligatory traditional octopus cascading from the crowd and clumping on the ice after each and every goal by the home side.

Besides the NHL, The Joe was also a long-standing venue for college hockey, ranging from the 1990 NCAA Championship, to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and later Big Ten tournaments, to the long-running Great Lakes Invitational. In my two years (1994-1996) with Michigan State Hockey, I made it to the Joe over a dozen times for CCHA and GLI games, CCHA press conferences, and the now-defunct College Hockey Showcase. I even got to take a turn or two on the ice, hockey stick included.

The most modern facility in North America? Not at all—but there was something comforting about going up those long gray exterior stairs, walking the dark concourses replete with photos and other mementoes of Red Wings history, and gazing out upon two levels of seemingly endless red-and-white seats. There was also having a team credential to see the wood-paneled splendor and the major-league workings that existed behind the scenes. There wasn’t a bad seat in the 20,000-plus house, not even from a high-above-the-ice press box that was added as an afterthought.

I saw my only Red Wings game there as a fan in early 2000, a win over Tampa Bay, and that was the last time I ever made it to the building. I’ve seen Detroit play live in New Jersey several times in the last 17 years after I stopped living in Michigan, but never again at The Joe. This year’s closing is perhaps made even more poignant by the dual passing of hockey icon Gordie Howe and longtime Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch, who both left us before the doors were closed for the final time, as did longtime MSU head coach Ron Mason last year.

I thought the quasi-hexagonal gray-and-red venue on the riverfront would stand the test of time and live forever, like Fenway Park and Lambeau Field—but like the Olympia and Tiger Stadium before it in the Motor City, time has unfortunately run out on The Joe. The memories, many as there are, however, will remain.

So long and farewell, Joe Louis Arena. And thanks.

Howard, Talbot Among NHL Goalie Leaders

Two former college goaltenders are currently leading the National Hockey League in at least two netminding categories apiece.

According to NHL.com, Jimmy Howard (Maine) of the Detroit Red Wings is atop the league in both goals-against average (0.50) and save percentage (.984). The Syracuse native, who backstopped the Black Bears to the 2004 NCAA championship game, is nine wins short of 200 regular-season victories for his NHL career.

Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville) of the Edmonton Oilers is pacing the circuit with five wins, two more than any other NHL goaltender at present. He is also tied for the league lead with one shutout, which came in Sunday's Heritage Classic in Winnipeg with a 3-0 blanking of the Jets. The Ontario native needs one victory to reach 60 wins in his NHL tenure.

Detroit hosts Carolina tonight, while Edmonton entertains Washington on Wednesday.

Michigan Tri-Connection Powers Red Wings

Michigan State and Michigan combined with Western Michigan to make it the Detroit Red Wings’ night in Friday’s 4-0 home-opening victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Joe Louis Arena.

Justin Abdelkader (Michigan State) tallied a hat trick, while Larkin (Michigan) scored his first NHL goal and new head coach Jeff Blashill (Western Michigan) picked up his first NHL victory. Jimmy Howard (Maine) made 22 saves for the home team in helping spoil the homecoming of former Detroit head coach Mike Babcock, who led the Red Wings to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2008-09, including a championship the first year.

Detroit plays at Carolina tonight, while Toronto will host Ottawa.

Ferris Alum Blashill Takes Over Red Wings

Former Ferris State University goaltender and Western Michigan University head coach Jeff Blashill made it official on Tuesday, when he became the newest head coach in the storied history of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings.

Blashill, a Sault Ste. Marie native, spent the last four seasons coaching Grand Rapids (AHL), whom he led to a Calder Cup championship in 2013. He signed a four-year contract with the Wings to succeed former mentor Mike Babcock, who moved over to the Toronto Maple Leafs last month.

Blashill played junior hockey with Des Moines (USHL) before backstopping Ferris from 1994 to 1998, winning 27 games with the Bulldogs, according to hockeydb.com. He joined the coaching ranks with his alma mater in 1999, and moved on to Miami (Ohio) in 2002. In 2009 he became head coach and general manager with Indiana (USHL), winning the Clark Cup his first year there, before finishing 19-13-0 in 2010-11 in his lone campaign at WMU. He then spent the next season as an assistant to Babcock in Detroit, before going to Grand Rapids in 2012.

Blashill went 134-71-12-11 in his tenure with the Griffins, leading them to a league title his second season before earning AHL Coach of the Year accolades in 2013-14, according to mlive.com. His 137 career regular-season wins rank second in franchise history, and he also sent 24 players on to the NHL.

Larkin Leaves Michigan, Signs with Red Wings

University of Michigan freshman forward Dylan Larkin has played his final game for the Wolverines. The Waterford, Mich. native has signed a three-year contract with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, who drafted him 15th overall last year.

Larkin, a 6-foot-1, 192-pound center, finished second on the U-M scoring scroll, and second in both Big Ten scoring last season, with 15 goals and 32 assists for 47 points in 35 games. He posted 13 multiple-point outings, including a five-point contest and a pair of four-point matches, and also put up four three-assist performances, according to his profile at USCHO.com.

He led all Big Ten rookies in scoring, and earned First Team All-Big Ten and Second Team All-America accolades. He also played for the U.S. at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championships in Canada over the Christmas break, tallying a team-high five goals and seven points.

Larkin, 18, played his final collegiate game in a 4-2 loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament on March 21, after being named Big Ten Rookie of the Year, according to mlive.com.

Larkin won a bronze medal earlier this month while playing with the pro-laden U.S. squad at the 2015 IIHF World Championships in the Czech Republic, notching an assist while appearing in all 10 games. He is expected to report immediately to Grand Rapids (AHL) for its Western Conference final series with Utica that begins Sunday, via College Hockey News.

Former Clarkson Defenseman Rufenach Passes Away

Bryan Rufenach, who played collegiately at Clarkson University, died recently while traveling abroad in Switzerland, according to NHL.com. The cause was electrocution, according to mlive.com.

Rufenach was drafted in the seventh round by the Detroit Red Wings in 2007, just before he enrolled at Clarkson after playing junior hockey with Lindsay (OPJHL).  In four seasons in Potsdam, Rufenach tallied 21 goals and 34 assists for 55 points to go with 121 penalty minutes in 136 games.

His best campaign with the Golden Knights came in 2009-10, when he notched 5-15—20 points. As a freshman, he helped Clarkson to the ECAC regular-season title, along with its last NCAA Tournament berth to date.

A native of Barrie, Ont., the six-foot, 192-pound blueliner turned pro with Toledo (ECHL) in 2010-11, collecting a goal and an assist in six games. Rufenach, 23, split last season between Toledo and Grand Rapids (AHL), recording 13-22—25 points and 45 PIM in all.

"The entire team's thoughts and prayers are with Bryan's family as they get through this difficult time," said Toledo head coach Nick Vitucci. "Bryan was a great teammate and would play any role asked of him."

Another BU Terrier Arrested

Twice in a decade, or ever, for something like this to transpire would be a lot for any college hockey program to deal with. But twice in the same season, and less than a dozen weeks apart?

Something is definitely wrong down that end of Commonwealth Avenue.

Just over two months after Corey Trivino was arrested for sexual assault and subsequently dismissed from the Boston University men's hockey team, the BU program was dealt another serious blow when Max Nicastro was arrested on Sunday and charged with sexual assault, according to College Hockey News.

Nicastro, 21, a junior defenseman from Thousand Oaks, Calif., and a 2008 draft choice of the Detroit Red Wings, was held on $25,000 cash bail and was due to be arraigned on Tuesday. He has been suspended indefinitely from playing with the Terriers, for whom he had tallied three goals and nine points along with 32 penalty minutes in 27 games so far this season. In 102 career collegiate outings, the former blueliner from Chicago (USHL) has collected 11-22—33 points and 115 PIM.

What's going on at BU is past the point of shocking or ridiculous. It's no longer a hockey issue, either, for head coach Jack Parker to take care of on his own. No, it's time for the university administration to step in. They won't kill the program—and they shouldn't—but things have to change with the entire culture of men's hockey at BU.

Two alleged sexual assaults from the same team in matter of months is frightening, and not just for the victims, although they should rightly be thought of first. Such heinous acts also paint other BU players, most of whom are probably law-abiding citizens, with a broad and unfair brush of guilt, just because they happen to suit up on the same squad as the alleged perpetrators. A number of college/pro athletes in general may carry enormous egos, but a sense of entitlement is a far cry from felony.

Even if the charges against Nicastro are ultimately unfounded, as was discovered with the Duke men's lacrosse team a few years ago after those players were publicly vilified before being exonerated of rape charges, the damage to BU Hockey has already been done—again. It's going to take a while for it to recover from another black eye, and hopefully there isn't a third such ugly incident just waiting in the wings.

Not now. Not ever again.

ADDENDUM: Nicastro was arraigned on two counts of rape on Feb. 21, with an automatic plea of not guilty, according to USCHO.com.