The Daily: Caputo Always Had Time for Red Wings Talk; Mazur Four in Four for Griffins

The post The Daily: Caputo Always Had Time for Red Wings Talk; Mazur Four in Four for Griffins appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Red Wings in Case You Missed It

When my colleague Bob Duff and I drove to Grand Rapids to see the Red Wings farm team beat the Manitoba Moose in a AHL playoff clinching game Friday, we had a lengthy list of possible topics of conversation.

We need to sort out what the Detroit Red Wings should do, or can do, this summer to improve a disappointing hockey team that hasn’t played a playoff game since the Barack Obama administration. That should have occupied the entire ride.

But what we ended up talking about instead was the passing of long-time Detroit journalist and radio personality Pat Caputo who died this week after a short battle with cancer. Bob and I had both known him for decades. Bob recalled how welcoming Pat was when he started covering the Detroit Tigers in the late 1980s.

You meet many people in your life’s journey but meet very few as memorable as Caputo. With his bombastic approach on the radio and his columns at the Oakland Press, he was the big bang in many of our universes. His sports knowledge was encyclopedic, and his opinions were explosive and plentiful. His verbal jousts with callers were legendary.

But what Bob and I talked about Pat was what a quality man and entertaining person he was on a personal level. Even though I was USA TODAY’S hockey columnist for more than three decades, I covered all of the Detroit Lions home games for decades and enough Detroit Tigers games to know all of the characters in the Press Box. Pat was one of my favorites.

His death is a major loss for those who knew him and certainly for avid sports fans. Before the NFL draft, Pat would do a deep dive into the prospects. If you listened to Pat, you felt both entertained and enlightened. Before an NFL draft, I made sure to catch some of his shows about prospects because I trusted his take on players. He worked at his craft.

We will all miss Pat’s voice in the Detroit sports world, particularly hockey fans. The NFL and the Detroit can dominate sports talk radio. It’s not easy for show hosts to carve out space for the Red Wings. But Pat, who always enjoyed playing recreation hockey, always worked Red Wings talk into his show time. Fans appreciated that about him. The Inside Hockeytown show, even with the respected Ken Kal and Daniela Bruce, won’t be the same without Pat’s passion. The Detroit Red Wings and Tigers issued tributes to Pat this week.

I’m glad Bob and I spent time Friday talking about Pat. The Red Wings will still there to talk about tomorrow. But Pat’s important voice is gone forever. Rest in peace, Pat. Your life was well lived.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Paywall story: The Red Wings need to make a pitch for Evgeni Malkin if he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

The more comfortable Michael Brandsegg-Nygard gets the less comfortable he makes opponents field. This physical young player is very comfortable in the AHL playoffs.

The Grand Rapids Griffins downed the Manitoba Moose 5-2 to clinch their best-of-five series.

Red Wings Extra

Carter Mazur had four goals and five points in the Grand Rapids Griffins’ four-game triumph against the Manitoba Moose in their best-of-five playoff series. In his career with Grand Rapids, Mazur has played 13 playoff games. He boasts seven goals and six assists for 13 points. Mazur is feisty. He hits. Let’s pencil him into Detroit’s third line for next season and see what happens. . . The Grand Rapids Griffins’ series clinch was their first home clinching since 2017. . . The Prince Albert Raiders downed Carter Bear’s Everett Silvertips 4-2 in Game 1 of their Western Conference Final. Bear scored one of Everett’s goals. . . Detroit prospect Rudy Guimond posted 26 saves as the Moncton Wildcats downed Chicoutimi 5-2 in Game 1 of the QMJHL Final.

Hockey Now Digest

Boston: Jack Studley explains why there should not be a hurry to name a captain on the Boston Bruins.

New Jersey: The Devils and Maple Leafs could be competing for another executive. James Nichols has the story. New Jersey Devils.

Philadelphia: The Flyers need to use what they learned in the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Philadelphia Flyers.

Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Hockey Now offers a case to keep Evgeni Malkin for another season. Pittsburgh Penguins.

San Jose: TSN’s Craig Button has thoughts on who the Sharks should draft with the No. 2 pick. San Jose Sharks

The post The Daily: Caputo Always Had Time for Red Wings Talk; Mazur Four in Four for Griffins appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.