On the Road Again: Red Wings share how they spend time away from rink

Typical 20-year-old.

That was Travis Hamonic’s assessment when he heard Axel Sandin-Pellikka reveal how he plans to spend his time away from the rink during the Detroit Red Wings’ upcoming trip. It’s the longest of the season, starting Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Columbus Blue Jackets. From there it’s off to Seattle to play the Kraken on Saturday, then Vancouver to play the Canucks on Monday, followed by the Calgary Flames on Dec. 10 and the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 11. Dec. 12 is a day off in Chicago, where the Wings finish with a game against the Blackhawks on the 12th.

It’s a nonstop slate, but there are also plane rides and hotel time in between, and that means needing something to do.

“I’m re-watching a series now that I used to watch, Blue Mountain State,” Sandin-Pellikka said. “It’s a comedy about a college football team that likes to drink.”

The Wings (14-11-2) can feel a little more lighthearted going into the trip after defeating the Boston Bruins, 5-4 Tuesday, ending a four-game winless skid. The Bruins pushed back in the third period, but the Wings had laid the groundwork for victory with a strong first period, which included a goal from James van Riemsdyk.

“It felt good to produce and contribute and to win,” van Riemsdyk said Wednesday. “It was a good team game, just a good recipe for us. If we can find that consistency to play, just the mindset we had was really good. If we can find that a lot, I think we’re going to be a team that’s tough to beat.”

The Eastern Conference, especially the Wings’ Atlantic Division, is so tight that after the Wings won Tuesday night, they were briefly in second place.

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“I think every coach in the league would tell you that right now, we’re not looking at the standings because you go from first to seventh in one night without even playing, so it really doesn’t matter,” Todd McLellan said.  “The best bonding trip is a winning one. No matter where you go.”

The Wings went 4-0 through western Canada and Seattle last season under McLellan, and swept western Canada in 2022-23 under then-coach Derek Lalonde.

Asked how the coaching staff attacks free time on the road, McLellan laughed and said, “well, we need a rest, so a nice soft bed.”

Not so much the players, who sounded enthused about a trip that will have them city-hopping for 11 days. It’s the longest trip the club has embarked upon since 2021, but that was the pandemic-shortened 56-game season when teams played mini-series against one another to cut down on travel.

“I have my iPad with me,” Sandin-Pellikka said. “Other than that, just go for dinner with the boys.”

Van Riemsdyk chills with Netflix’s “The Beast in Mee,” but prefers to get out and about.

“A lot of times I try to find a place to go sauna and stuff on the road,” he said. “I like to do that. So I’m going to bring some guys to go do that.

“Usually it’s sauna, watch some shows and then find a nice place for dinner and stuff like that. Pretty basic and simple. I’m sure most guys are fairly similar to that.”

Van Riemsdyk, 36, described himself as having, “a decent Rolodex,” of saunas after 16-plus seasons in the NHL. “I feel like they’re popping up everywhere,” he said. “So, that’s something I’ve enjoyed to do.”

John Gibson, like van Riemsdyk an off-season addition, is used to long trips from having spent his career with the Anaheim Ducks. When west-coast based teams go out East, they try to hit as many teams as possible.

“Early on, I think I had like a 17-day one,” he said. “Mostly you did like two or three East Coast trips, so you’re doing six or seven games, so nothing out of the ordinary. I’ve just got to find a new show to watch.”

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. 

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings say best way to bond on long trip is to win a lot