Going on walks, baking cinnamon rolls, ice fishing, and watching movies are some of the Detroit Red Wings’ favorite things to do while on vacation.
Their Christmas break was extended by a day when Friday’s game at Ottawa was postponed due to winter weather. They meet for practice next Tuesday before playing on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
The Wings are 14-11-7 as they approach the midway point of the season. They snapped a six-game skid before heading into the NHL’s three-day break with a confidence-building, 7-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the league’s elite teams.
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Even when the games ended in losses, coach Derek Lalonde was mostly positive about the performances.
“We went through a stretch where we were probably underdeveloped,” he said. “Maybe we weren’t even technically good enough to win. Sometimes we’ve had holes in our game that have developed on their own, and there are times when we’ve had complete games.
“I will say one thing about this group: they worked. They had goodwill. They didn’t go down at all. For the most part, it’s the most enthusiastic, high morale 0-4-2 stretching team I’ve ever experienced and I think it’s a credit to the boys.”
Reflecting on the holiday season, the players shared why this is such a special time of year for them.
Winter wonderlands
For Moritz Seider, Christmas Eve brings back memories of family times in her native Germany.
“We’d all go for a walk at night on the 24th and then when we’d come back Santa was there with all the presents under the tree,” she said. “We used to go before lunch, after coffee. We’d take a big walk together and come back and the tree was really precious and stunning.”
Oskar Sundqvist also has fond memories of growing up in northern Sweden.
“At my grandparents’ cabin, about an hour north of the Arctic Circle, we’d take the snowmobiles out and take a Swedish fika on the lake,” he said. “It was always fun. We would have coffee and Cinnabo. Sometimes we would dig a hole and go ice fishing. It was a whole day on the lake.”
Comfortable inside
What does Cider watch when he’s home now for Christmas? “‘Home Alone’ is one of the good ones,” he said. “It never gets old to me.”
Alex Nedelykovich turns to Dr. Seuss’s holiday classic. “Maybe my favorite Christmas movie is The Grinch,” he said. “Jim Carrey, because he is the man.”
Jonathan Berggren is grateful to be able to stream Swedish comedy for comfort and joy.
“It’s called ‘Svensson Svensson,'” he said. “It’s really good. It’s a comedy. I watch it every Christmas at 10pm, and I will continue to do so this year as well.”
While Mickey Mouse is the king of Disney in the US, in Sweden it’s Donald Duck, or as he’s known there, Kalle Anka.
“In Sweden, we always watch Donald Duck before Christmas dinner,” said Elmer Söderblom. “You watch it with family and friends, and it’s just a chance to get closer to the ones you love and have a great time.”
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Jake Wallman starred in the 2006 romantic comedy. “I watched ‘The Holiday’ this year,” he said. “It was pretty good. I think I’ll start watching it. And make Cinnabons.”
Happy Hanukkah!
Wallman explained how he celebrates this time of year.
“My mother grew up Christian, Catholic, and my father’s family was Jewish. I consider myself Jewish, but our Christmas tree looks like a leafless birch tree with lights, so it’s pretty cool. Then we have eight days of Hanukkah and you have to open a gift each day. We light one candle every night, so that’s pretty much how we do it with the family.”
Eat, drink and be merry!
Dylan Larkin likes being quiet this time of year because it means he can take part in family traditions.
“We always do the same thing, go to church and then have dinner on Christmas Eve,” she said. “On Christmas day we have a big family party with big friends. It’s kind of changed now that everyone can enjoy the day, they can legally have a few drinks. There are some fun games we play. It’s a fun day.”
Larkin is fortunate to be from the metro area, which makes him easily accessible to his family. Pius Suter’s family is in his native Switzerland, so for him this time of year is more about remembering his father’s cooking.
“We would always have Fondue Chinoise,” she said. “That’s our Christmas dinner.”
The fine dining tradition also makes Will Huso sentimental.
“In Finland we had Christmas ham, but here in the U.S. you can’t really get it, so we just do turkey or something,” he said. “But that ham, that’s what I miss the most. It is a traditional Finnish dish. it’s in the oven for a long time, then you put some mustard on it. It’s a Finnish Christmas dish and I’ve always liked it.”
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The most wonderful time of the year
For Jakub Vrana, who recently returned to his hockey family after spending two months in a player assistance program, his immediate family is back in his native Czech Republic, so phone calls and video calls were on the menu over the weekend. That’s how he walked around the Campus Martius park with his girlfriend and drank hot chocolate.
“What I love about Christmas is that it brings people together,” Vrana said. “That’s why they say that it’s the best time of the year, the most important thing is for the family to be together. It’s nice.”
Contact Helen St. James[email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@helenestjames:. Read more onDetroit Red Wings and register for usRed Wings newsletter. His latest book, On the Clock. Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available. Amazon:,Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies are available through her email.
Next: Penguins
Match. Red Wings (14-11-7) at Pittsburgh (19-9-5).
Faceoff: 19:30 Wednesday; PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh.
Television/Radio. Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).
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