Although the holiday season is still months away, the Detroit Red Wings have been getting into the holiday spirit early. On Sunday, several Red Wings players attended the Detroit Lions’ open practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park and brought gifts.
The Red Wings delegation included team captain Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp, Jeff Petry, Alex DeBrincat and Ben Chiarot. After the relatively casual practice, they mingled with the Lions players and coaches and presented several of them with customized Red Wings jerseys.
The recipients were Lions head coach Dan Campbell, Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Alex Anzalone, Alim McNeill and Jack Fox.
“People are excited about football being back and how the (Lions) did last year, what their expectations are and how they’ve talked to some of the guys on the field,” Larkin told reporters. “It’s a good thing and it’s good that the Lions have that. (The Red Wings) haven’t had much of that, but being out here makes me want to get back to work a little bit. It’s time.”
Despite showing promise and having a chance to make the playoffs, the Red Wings finished the season with a 41-32-9 record, missing the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season and extending their longest playoff drought in franchise history. With the Lions coming off one of their most memorable seasons, especially since moving to Ford Field, Larkin believes their luck could carry over to the other professional teams in Detroit, including the Red Wings.
“Last year we had several games where the Lions played at home before us and a lot of fans were there for both games,” Larkin said. “They brought energy to our building and you could feel it. We saw what the Lions could do and that really motivated us.”
The Lions have two more practices this week before heading to their second preseason game – a rematch of last season’s opener. They will face the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. In their last meeting, the Lions secured a narrow victory, beating the Chiefs 21-20.
