Detroit’s dynamic duo of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk was back together again on the ice at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday. And if everything goes according to plan, they’ll stay on the same line.
Earlier this week, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock told reporters that his plan is to have Detroit’s two best players on the same line.
“(Stephen) Weiss will play with (Johan) Franzen; Zetterberg and Datsyuk together. That’s all I can tell you,” was Babcock’s response on his plans for his line combinations.
Of course, Babcock has paired Zetterberg and Datsyuk before, only to split them up to generate more offense. However, with a forward corps that has a lot of depth, perhaps the pair will spend most of the season on the same line.
“We'll see how long it lasts this year, but we're real excited that we'll get a chance from the start again,” Zetterberg said. “I think also it's a little bit up to us, too. We have to play good. If we don't do that, we're probably going to be split up.
“We're looking forward to it. I think the forward situation is a little different this year. We have a little more depth.”
Datsyuk wasn't his usual playful self when addressing reporters after Thursday's workout. He was more cryptic.
When asked about the three-year contract extension he signed over the summer, Datsyuk said, “Obviously, I go back home and stay with friends and family a lot, now come back. Come back to work here. The summer is too short, but now it’s forget about summer. Lots of work. The beginning.”
He also said that he’s looking forward to the season, but was reluctant to assess his team.
“We’ll see after season starts,” Datsyuk said. “Yeah, it’s a different team, a more younger team and some more older. It’s a similar team with few guys change.”
When asked about his apartment being broken into back in Russia, Datsyuk would only say, “Don’t worry about it. Sports news. Don’t worry about it.”
This is going to be a special year for Datsyuk, with the Winter Olympic Games being in Sochi, Russia. He’s excited about playing for Team Russia and acknowledged that the pressure to win the gold medal is intense back home.
But he also loves playing for the Red Wings and especially enjoys being paired with his good friend Zetterberg, although he thinks it will be short-lived.
“It’s going to be fun, but every year he (Babcock) say we play together,” Datsyuk said. “In the beginning, we play together a little, and they break us.”
Well, Pav, I couldn’t agree more with that observation. As George Kell use to say, “You’re so right, Mr. Kaline.”
