Stu Grimson is headed back to Detroit, only this time the job description looks a lot different.
Nearly three decades after his last role with the Red Wings was to keep teammates safe as one of the NHL’s most feared heavyweights, Grimson is returning as a voice on the team’s broadcasts. The Red Wings announced Friday that he’ll be Mickey Redmond’s primary backup analyst in Redmond’s 30th season working with Ken Daniels on television. When Redmond skips road trips, Grimson will fill in.
Grimson will also work some games on radio with Ken Kal as part of the rotating analyst setup that replaces Paul Woods, who retired after last season. Chris Osgood, Larry Murphy and others will also take turns in that role.
The arrangement mirrors what the Detroit Tigers now do with Dan Petry, Andy Dirks and Bobby Scales alongside Dan Dickerson. Osgood and Murphy will also appear on TV as pre-game, intermission and post-game analysts.
After his NHL playing days ended, Grimson went to law school and practiced as a lawyer before moving into media. He has already done broadcast work with the Nashville Predators, and the NHL Network also brought him in. His game-day commentary leans on the same instincts that made him such a tough presence on the ice, often focusing on what a player or coach is likely thinking in a given moment.
Trevor Daley Jr. also made a little noise in the family business. The son of the former Red Wings player of the same name scored his first Ontario Hockey League goal for the Sault Ste.
Marie Greyhounds, and it came in overtime. He added an assist in the Greyhounds’ 5-4 win over the Saginaw Spirit.
And on social media, hockey insider Pierre LeBrun wondered whether Patrik Laine could be a fit for the Red Wings. Detroit, as noted, could use more scoring.
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Pierre LeBrun has put Patrik Laine into that conversation as a possible fit for Detroit, which is enough to get fans debating the upside and the risk of a move like that. For now, though, Laine remains unsigned and has not committed to a professional tryout or a contract, leaving the idea in the rumor stage while the Red Wings sort through their options. [Read more 🡒]
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McLellan made clear the group is still in the evaluation stage, which makes these early looks more revealing than they might seem in a normal camp. For a team trying to settle on an opening-night plan without much runway, every rep matters, and the way certain players are paired now could offer the first real hint of how Detroit intends to start the season. [Read more 🡒]