It was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.
Sitting in the press box at Ford Field, this writer observed fans of the Detroit Lions deciding it was time to send a message to ownership.
Very clear.
For years, the team was simply known for incompetence, disrespecting players, losing seasons and being among the very small number of teams that had a season with no victories.
It was that September 26, 2021 halftime speech at Ford Field from owner Sheila Hamp, intended to honor wide receiver Calvin Johnson and his entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, that fans sent a clear message. Stop being a loser and stop asking for money back from players when they retire.
It was awkward, uncomfortable but much needed. The response from ownership was to be even more transparent, actually speaking to the media when team issues popped up. When Dan Campbell started his second season with a 1-6 record, Hamp addressed the rumblings publicly and gave Campbell and general manager a vote of confidence.
Since 2022, the Lions have enjoyed four consecutive winning seasons and are a team that should be in playoffs consistently.
Interestingly, the Lions still like asking for money back from players. Business is business, I guess.
Red Wings and Detroit Tigers owner, Chris Ilitch, is now facing the same wrath from fans.
At the Red Wings season-opener, fans began chanting “Sell the Team, Sell the Team” just five minutes into the game against the New York Rangers.
During introductions, former team captain Dylan Larkin was booed by the home crowd.
This is what it has come to for the Red Wings. A disastrous ten-year period marked by lack of success and stamped with a home-grown talent demanding to be traded.
“Dylan today being part of the team, he wanted to be out there for the ceremony. So, let me make that real clear,” coach Todd McLellan said. “That’s what our team has done for 101 years now, is put the players out there. And Dylan’s explanation was, I don’t want the rest of my teammates, the ones that aren’t dressed, to not be out there.
“So, we went out as a team, and that’s what we’re going to do. Obviously he’s got to live with the ramifications of asking for a trade,” McLellan said. “It’s not comfortable for anybody. I feel bad for him. I do.”
The decision to send Larkin out there to be embarrassed was lampooned by TNT broadcasters, calling it “bush league.”
Could it impact free agents wanting to come to Detroit to play hockey? Probably not. Ilitch is described as a fiscally responsible owner, otherwise known as cheap.
It is not like NHL free agents are demanding their agents land them in Motown.
Ilitch decided the best way to address the ills of the Red Wings was to answer written questions from a columnist known for witty television antics far more than his hard-hitting opinions on Detroit sports matters.
The lack of public accountability has forced fans to now share their frustrations publicly at Little Ceasars Arena.
Hamp and the Lions tackled it head on. Ilitch ran and hid behind a “friendly” media member.
Hey, not answering questions and not sharing the plan for the Red Wings is one way to approach it. But, the consequences are going to be felt. More embarrasing nights are ahead for an organization that replaced Steve Yzerman with an interim general manager.
This writer was a little surprised that many qualified front office executives did not want this opportunity. But the Red Wings do not have the seem mystique and aura any longer.
The Yzerplan failed and their owner is scared of accountability.
Corny.
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