In last night’s gold medal game for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, it was Canada’s world, and the US found out it had just been living in it. The Canadian U18 team drubbed the US national team 8-1 in a game that didn’t seem particularly close at any point of the competition as the Canadians took home top marks at home in Edmonton.
Gunnar Conboy was the USA’s sole goal-scorer on the power play, with the team going 1-for-5 on the night when given the man advantage. Three of Team Canada’s members found the back of the net twice, and prospective top overall pick in next year’s draft, Landon DuPont, recorded four assists throughout the night.
Red Wings fans hoping to see standout performances from some of next year’s top draft-eligible centers may have come away disappointed, with 6-foot-4 center Alexis Joseph finishing the night without a point.
However, questions about who the team should take in their next draft come secondary to how the front office resolves the current vacancy in the top chair. Or, as most new reports seem to indicate, vacancies.
While the Red Wings have typically only employed one person to act as general manager and President of Hockey Operations in the past, it seems that that philosophy is likely to change going forward. Elliotte Friedman, in a podcast appearance, confirmed the Red Wings have hired an outside consulting firm to assist in their search for new top executives, with interviews beginning next week.
Friedman also speculated in his appearance that the Red Wings may look to a structure similar to the Detroit Tigers, with current Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg named as a person of interest in the next Red Wings GM search, for a variety of reasons.
In Case You Missed It
Igor Larionov has acquired a Red Wings player for SKA St. Petersburg, even if he won’t be playing there this year.
Kevin Allen gives some background on the former Blackhawks assistant GM working in the Red Wings’ backyard.
Trey Augustine looks ready for the pro level.
Red Wings Extra
It was on this day in 1983 that the Red Wings signed Hall of Fame defenseman Brad Park, who would go on to win the Bill Masterton Trophy that year, setting a Red Wings record with 53 assists that season. That was Park’s fifteenth season in the league, having been drafted by the New York Rangers in 1966 and making his debut in 1968, playing in the Big Apple until the Rangers traded Park and several others to the Bruins.
Park would finish out his playing career with the Red Wings after the 1984-85 season and would coach the team for a season until he was fired on June 3, 1986.
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