The Detroit Red Wings head to Calgary on Saturday night carrying a six-game point streak, but the occasion is about more than just form. This will be their final regular-season visit to Scotiabank Saddledome, a building that has clearly meant something to more than one person in the Red Wings camp.
Detroit and the Calgary Flames meet at 8 p.m. MT, 10 p.m. ET, with the Red Wings finishing a four-game trek through the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. The Flames, meanwhile, are back home after beating the Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Thursday during their current four-game homestand.
Todd McLellan said he has many memories of the arena, having played there, coached junior there, coached pro there and even taken in concerts and the Stampede. He also pointed to Trent Yawney, noting that his assistant coach played in the Olympics in Calgary in 1980, which adds another layer to the nostalgia around the night.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play in this building, coach junior in this building, coach pro in this building, also concerts, the Stampede, the whole thing,” McLellan said.
“Being from Western Canada, this is part of what we did. Trent Yawney played in the Olympics here in 1980, so a lot of memories,” he added.
Why the Saddledome matters to Detroit
The Red Wings are trying to keep their run going after a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday. McLellan said he liked the way his team handled that night, stressing that Detroit started well, pushed back when needed and then defended their way through the rest of the game.
That kind of response will matter again in Calgary. The Red Wings have been good enough to build momentum, but they now face a Flames team with a clear edge in special teams and enough confidence at home to make this a proper test.
Ben Chiarot also underlined what this rink has meant to players of his generation. For him, the Saddledome is tied to late-night Hockey Night in Canada memories and to watching Calgary names such as Jarome Iginla and Robyn Regehr before ever skating there himself.
“I think, for the guys my age that grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada and you catch the late game, you stay up late enough watching Jarome Iginla, Robyn Regehr… A lot of good memories watching them and then getting to play here,” Chiarot said.
“It’s always been a special rink for me. Sad to see it go,” he added.
Special teams could shape the night
One of the clearest numbers attached to Calgary this season is on special teams. The Flames have a 26.1 percent power play and an 83.9 percent penalty kill, so discipline is likely to be central to Detroit’s thinking.
Chiarot was blunt about that. “Stay out of the penalty box,” he said, before adding that the Red Wings will want to give their own power play a chance to work against a strong Calgary penalty kill.
“With their PK unit, give our guys a few looks out there, see what they can do. I like our power play, so hopefully they can hang in there,” he said.
That makes the game feel like more than a sentimental stop on the schedule. Detroit are on a good run, but this is still a road game against a Calgary side that can punish mistakes quickly, especially if the Red Wings spend too much time shorthanded.
Who starts in goal?
McLellan said the starting goaltender will be decided after warmups. “We’ll have to make those decisions after warmups,” he said, while noting that the team is dealing with the usual bumps and bruises at this point in the season.
So the answer for now is simple: Detroit have not yet confirmed who will start in goal. What is already clear is that the Red Wings enter the game with momentum, the Flames bring special-teams strength, and Scotiabank Saddledome will host one more regular-season Red Wings visit before the arena chapter closes.
