Some Red Wings Struggle to Look Away

To look or not to look, that is the question facing many Detroit Red Wings players.

In most cases, when asking a Detroit player about how much they pay attention to the NHL standings and the playoff race, you’ll get a pat answer back.

“Right now, I think we got to worry about us and not anyone else,” is how forward Alex DeBrincat put it. That’s a sentiment most of his teammates also share. Don’t worry about what any other team is doing. Take care of business and it won’t matter.

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— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 2, 2025

That being the case, Joe Veleno is kind of the exception to the rule – or maybe it’s simply a case of him not dealing in the cliche business.

“At least for me, there’s obviously a lot of hockey that I follow and a lot of accounts that I follow that are heavily involved in hockey, so I’m always seeing that,” Veleno said of the goings on of the NHL. “I like to watch other teams and obviously teams that are right behind us. Just keeping track of what’s going on in the league.

“Obviously I’m a big fan of the game.”

Red Wings Coaches Also Peaking

On the one hand, Detroit coach Todd McLellan was toeing the company line when it comes to the standings. Then, he admitted, sure, they’ve got one eye on what other teams are doing.

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— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 28, 2025

“We have a very direct focus on our group right now,” McLellan said. “But we’re well aware of what’s going on around the league. We know where we sit, where we stand.”

Good Conversations To Have

In Veleno’s mind, that we’re all having this discussion again this season is in itself a positive development.

“It’s good that we’re having this conversation,” Veleno said. “I mean, playing meaningful games, it’s definitely something we wanna do and keep doing.

“Especially with the organization, the way it’s trending, we wanna be part of these meaningful games. For a lot of us, like I guess youngish players, we
haven’t had that playoff experience yet, so for us, this is really all we know.

“We hope to one day be in that position where we’re playing every year in the playoffs and competing and that’s the team we want to become.”