"Jerseys": The Red Wings Players Under the Microscope, Part 1
At several points down the stretch of the regular season, Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan decried what he viewed as "jerseys" on the ice. Which players are most under the microscope after the latest late-season unraveling?
Follow Michael Whitaker On X For the 10th consecutive season, the Detroit Red Wings are watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs from home. Their fate was officially sealed after yet another late-season collapse, in which a once-comfortable lead above the playoff cut line vanished, culminating in a disappointing 5–3 loss and a chorus of boos from frustrated fans at Little Caesars Arena on April 11. Following a 4–3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the penultimate game of the season, they were then throttled 8–1 in the regular-season finale by the Florida Panthers.
Head coach Todd McLellan was nothing short of incensed afterward and, during what was his shortest postgame media availability session of the campaign, said bluntly that the entire team should be embarrassed. It was McLellan who decried what viewed as "jerseys" on the ice, or players who weren't making a difference and weren't giving a complete, total effort. “Right now, for us, I think we have some players that are playing well and playing hard, and then we have some guys that are just jerseys,” McLellan said on February 28.
“What I mean by that is they’re wearing jerseys. They’re skating around, they’re eating up some minutes, but we need more. We just flat out need more.
" Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news , game-day coverage, and player features . Which players, especially during the final third of the season, was McLellan referring to? Jersey No.