Detroit – The Red Wings made a personnel move before Sunday’s game that’ll excite many of their fans.

The Wings called up forward Nate Danielson from the minor-league affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins.

Danielson was in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, skating on the third line.

Danielson, 21, recorded five points (one goal, four assists), a plus-two rating and four penalty minutes in four games with the Griffins this season.

Danielson (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) had an impressive training camp in September, and appeared on his way to making the Wings’ opening night roster, but an injury the week before the final roster was set eliminated any chance of that.

Danielson returned to the active roster recently, and has gotten off to a hot start with the Griffins.

Last season with the Griffins, his rookie pro season, Danielson ranked among the team leaders with 71 games played (second), 12 goals (sixth), 27 assists (second), 39 points (sixth), and a plus-four rating (tied for fifth).

Danielson also registered one goal and nine penalty minutes in three Calder Cup playoff games.

Danielson was drafted in the first round, ninth overall, in 2023.

Fedorov’s fond memories

With the Wings celebrating their centennial season over the weekend, much of the focus was on the Stanley Cup championships and the joy that accompanied them.

But there were, obviously, plenty of gut-wrenching defeats and playoff eliminations – primarily leading up to the Wings’ Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998 – that were painful for everyone involved.

Sergei Fedorov, whose No. 91 will be retired later this season and was such an integral part of those Wings’ teams, reflected on the pain and euphoria of that era.

Fedorov felt fans played a big part in pushing the Wings to those championships.

“We had a few disappointing seasons, but we never thought we cannot have done it,” said Fedorov, who was in Detroit over the weekend for the Centennial Celebration. “The fans drove us, supported us win or lose, bad or good. It was an amazing platform for us to continue this hard-working process until eventually to get that precious trophy to the city, to the state, to the fans.”

The outpouring of emotion after winning the Stanley Cups still shakes Fedorov.

“Those parades, over one million people, it was a sea of people,” Fedorov said. “It was a tremendous honor to be on that stage and speak to all those people who really want us to succeed. And really, thank God we did it.

“This kind of winning attitude helped one another.”

There has been speculation about Fedorov, 55, who has been a successful head coach in Russia’s KHL, possibly coming over to coach in the NHL at some point. But Fedorov, who is married with two children, struck down those rumors.

“I don’t think so,” Fedorov said. “I wouldn’t like to be a coach or involved with that kind of tremendous, grueling process. I’m totally a family man. I don’t see myself, to be honest with you, trying to conquer something else, like coaching or something like that. It’s not going be on my mind and I don’t think it’s possible.

“I want to stay with the family and grow together with my kids and be around for them.”

Dirty goals

Going into Sunday, the Wings had one goal in the past two games and there was consensus about why.

As can often be the case with a hockey team, right now the Wings are doing too much on the perimeter and not getting to the net enough.

Lucas Raymond felt the Wings were looking to score from too far out.

“We’re a little bit too much on the outside right now and looking for that perfect opportunity,” Raymond said. “Guys are not getting to the net. We’re not getting to those dirty areas right now where a lot of those goals are scored.

“We talked about it after the Vegas game (Tuesday’s 1-0 loss) and knew it coming into (Friday’s 4-1 loss to the Rangers). It’s easy, when it’s (the puck) not going in, to start looking for it even more.”

tkulfan@detroitnews.com

@tkulfan