Patrick Kane & Todd McLellan Practice Media | Nov. 6, 2025

Patrick Kane & Todd McLellan Practice Media | Nov. 6, 2025

Obviously, um you know, it’s nice to get back in practice with with the team today and um uh you know, other than that, feel pretty good and we’ll go from there. See how it is tomorrow, but um I don’t think there’s any real, you know, decision on when I’m back or anything. How important was it to be able to go the whole process? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, um I think the last, you know, four or five days, I felt like I I uh was um you know, seeing some progress. So, um, you know, I was pretty confident that I was going to get into practice and be able to, uh, to skate with the team today. So, um, but I mean, yeah, you never really know once you get into it. So, I was happy that I was able to, uh, participate. It kind of lingered a little bit longer than you thought it would or No, no, I don’t think it was anything like that. I think, um, you know, uh, it just kind of the injury was what it was. You know, it’s just like, you know, sometimes I give it some time. So, um, you know, maybe originally it was, uh, especially right after it happened. We didn’t think it was as bad as maybe, you know, the next day. And, uh, you know, after that, it was just kind of seeing where the symptoms were, where I was at. So, um, you know, you know, the team played 14 games and I’m only playing five. I kind of missed that much. But uh you know happy time seeing all the time a lot of uh a lot of skating the past you know couple weeks um working out kind of felt like a couple weeks summer training to be honest with you. So uh you know get back into action I think there should drop off. How frustrating is the timing? I mean, you start off the season, play a few games, but then you have to miss what you know. I mean, you you look forward to um you know, starting the season, kind of getting through the summer, getting through training camp, and then the games come and all of a sudden finally time. So, um not a great feeling, but you know, that’s what you do. [Music] Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Um, you know, really really good start for the team. Obviously a good record. I think uh, you know, found some ways to win on the road trip, get some extra points. Um, uh, and I think that was important coming into the year, you know, a lot of focus on, you know, people want to talk about playoffs and things like that. I think focus more in here was just getting off to a good start and putting ourselves in a good position. So, I think we got to be happy where we’re at now. you know, can we contain? No. Todd, we saw Patrick Kane obviously get through a practice with you guys today. What’s his status and when do you expect him to be available? Um, practice was it looked good. Um, I made contact with him a couple times about how he felt. He said he felt pretty good. So, uh, I think that’s positive, but, uh, that decision will be made tomorrow when we when we get a little more information. I know you guys wanted a better result in Vegas, but overall a good trip. How do you build some momentum off that now coming home? Well, the first thing we have to do is come home and get engaged. Um, you know, the somebody’s probably going to ask me, you know, after a long road trip, you come home, you know, get your legs going, whatever. I don’t buy that at all. Like, that excuse is for for losers. Um, we never talk about it after a team plays really well when they come home from a road trip. Um, we usually only talk about it after a a crappy game and we don’t plan on having a crappy game. So, there’s no excuses. We’ve had some time to rest all day yesterday and uh get the cobwebs out today. We we did have some cobwebs early in practice. Uh, but I thought as practice went on, we were a little bit better. So, um, you know, now we we come home to, you know, a good chunk of home games and we have to uh perform well here and find ways to put points in the bank. There’s, as you see in the standings, very little separation in our division and our conference. Everybody’s in it and um so you better keep your foot on the gas to keep going. Mason. Uh Mason, uh just a personal thing. Um he’ll be available tomorrow. What were you most encouraged by that you saw on the road trip? On the road trip, um I would say our resiliency. We we talked about it on the road a little bit. Um, you know, we go, it it started at home. We’re down four nothing and we find a way to come back. So, that’s that’s where it began. Um, we weren’t happy with that start. Um, we get to St. Louis, we’re scored on real early. We stuck with it and played a pretty solid game. Uh, we go to Los Angeles, we play a solid game and and they get two quick ones at the end and it would have been easy to to, you know, be happy with a point, but we were resilient enough to overcome the call in in overtime and get playing again. uh bounced back after uh a game in Anaheim where we didn’t play as well. So the the the resiliency, the the mental drive uh for the group ended in in Vegas. Um as I said, I’ve been on teams before where sometimes that game five or game six of a road trip is, you know, if it goes your way, great. If it doesn’t, then you’re you’re done and you’re getting home. Um it’s just that that demanding and and that wasn’t the case with us again. We uh you know right to the last minute we we left what we had out there. It wasn’t enough but at least we had it. And then it looked like Sandy Pelico was getting some looks on the flank for that power play unit. Is that something you guys are considering for tomorrow? There’s there’s a chance that he could be there. Um that’s what practice is for to try and find out different uh you know different looks, different combinations or pairs. Uh we think he has a good shot. We think we can shoot more on the power play. One of the biggest areas of concern coming into the season was the penalty kill. Right now it’s ranked fifth overall in the NHL in terms of efficiency. What have you what are you doing differently and how encouraging is it to not see such a a vast improvement? Well, it starts with goalending. Um you know they have to make uh the expected save and then on the penalty kill the goalenders have to make the unexpected saves and we’ve been getting some of that. Uh we’ve made some changes with our structure, our approach, the way we roll some players out. Um and it was just a clean sheet. We paid a lot clean starting sheet, I guess, at the beginning of the year. You start all over. Uh we paid attention to it and we got off to a good start. So all those things lend to a bit more confidence. Uh there’s a long way to go and um you know we’d like to maintain that that position and that standing that number if we can but takes a lot of work. Hey Todd, what are you missing right now with Kainer not available? What what have we been? What are you Yeah. What have you been missing and what are you missing without him? One, he’s Patrick Kane. Two, he’s very competitive. Three, he handles the puck well and sees things. He’s got the ability to play fast or slow. Um, you know, he really he finishes off that line well when they’re playing good. Um, you know, Cat I thought on the trip had some some good looks, some good shots, produced offensively. I think there’s more in Marco Casper App did an admirable job when he was up there, but he just finishes that line off and and certainly the power play. He’s he’s uh a guy that a lot of it runs through. And one more just the fact that the 100th anniversary this week, Marong American celebration, you’ve had what you’ve coached some newer teams, some a Canadian team. Just being part of an original six franchise like that, Todd. How special is it? It’s really special. Um, you know, the logo, the jerseys, the the the hundred years, the winged wheel, Hockey Town, um, the legends that have come through. Um, you know, you can go you can go places whether it’s a bookstore, if they even have them anymore, you can go online and you can find documentaries about the Detroit Red Wings. That doesn’t happen with a lot of the new teams. They just don’t have the history. Uh, so you can read about them, you can study them, you can uh experience the past. Um, you know, we’re teams are talking about building new arenas or their first arena. What are we four in now? um you know I think we’re four in um that in itself is remarkable and um that’s all part of being uh around for a hundred years and part of being an original 16.

Patrick Kane and Head Coach Todd McLellan speak with the media following Detroit’s practice at Little Caesars Arena on November 6, 2025.