Red Wings' ugly loss leaves stench on another disappointing season
The Red Wings concluded the season losing six of seven games. With the season at its most important, they played some of their weakest hockey.
Sunrise, Fla. — The Red Wings are expected to clean out their lockers Friday, with players talking with media for the final time this season before heading off to all parts of North America and Europe. That'll be almost 48 hours since the Wings ended their season with a terrible 8-1 road loss to the Florida Panthers , which was one of those rare times where the score was nicely indicative of how this game transpired.
These were two teams with nothing to play for and closing out their seasons. But Florida — playing a mainly minor-league lineup — simply played with more passion and desire. The Wings did not.
Coach Todd McLellan was blunt and short, approximately 45 seconds, talking with reporters afterward, likely biting his tongue rather than offering truly choice words about the effort. "I'll tell you that both teams came in with nothing on the line and you could see their championship pedigree," McLellan said. "So I'll compliment the Panthers, it runs throughout their organization.
They came and played and it meant something to them. " Did it hurt to watch his team play that way? "Yep," McLellan said.