If the Detroit Red Wings are going to make the playoffs, it’s you, the loyal fans of the team, who must play a vital role. We know this to be true because it’s the first question every TV talking head asks in a post-game scrum.

They always start by questioning a player about how inspired they are by the loud, loyal support coming from the fan base on game night. And naturally, the answer is that this support is so valuable, it’s like starting the game with a one-goal lead.

So the question that must be asked then is, what’s wrong with you, Red Wings fans? What is it that you aren’t doing right?

In the midst of the most important games of the season, it’s evident that you’re letting the side down. Fighting for their playoff lives, Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild was Detroit’s fourth straight home-ice loss in regulation.

Maybe it’s the players who should be booing the fans.

Interesting post game interview from Andrew Copp. Fan negativity is getting to the room… not surprising whatsoever given we are a Detroit team.

— j (@_rallyal_jk16) April 5, 2026

“It feels a little heavy for sure,” Red Wings forward Andrew Copp said of the pressure to make the playoffs. “So that’s, I mean, that’s … you guys have jobs to do, fans have, you know, like, that’s it is what it is.

“That’s on us to not let it creep in. In this day and age, that is pretty hard.

“We gotta find a way not to let it weigh on us. You know, we’ve got a way to free ourselves up.”

Okay, so us ink-stained wretches – can you still call us that in this digital age? We’ll shoulder our share of the blame. We’re accustomed to being the scapegoats.

Red Wings Can’t Stop The Bleeding

Last week, when the issue was raised about coach Todd McLellan noting that some of his Red Wings were nothing more than guys wearing jerseys in some games, Copp sought to turn that into a media production.

“I think those kind of get taken and ran with in the media,” Copp said.

Yeah, the nerve of those in the media to actually report on what the coach and the players say during interviews.

I’ve been a fan of #LGRW since the late 80s and will be a long time after players like JT Compher have gone. As a player, you have to ask yourself why such noise is happening and if you cannot confront the reality of the answer, then you don’t deserve to wear the jersey imo #LGRW

— James Phoenix (@JPhoenix7) April 5, 2026

Sorry, but we’re not about to let the players off the hook when they don’t deliver the goods. And neither is their coach.

McLellan sees the problem within his team as lacking bandages, not lacking confidence.

“I don’t think we stop the bleeding when we start to bleed,” McLellan assessed to what ails his team.. “And is that confidence? I don’t know. I think that that’s mental fortitude, the ability to dig in and respond when it’s not going well.”

He pointed to Sunday afternoon’s game. The Red Wings surrendered a 1-0 first-period lead by allowing Minnesota to score four unanswered second-period goals. Then the Red Wings rallied to tie the score in the third period before ultimately falling.

“If we lacked confidence, did we find it between the second and third, then, and come back, come out and play that type of game?” McLellan asked rhetorically. “We just have to stop the bleeding when it starts.”

Copp made a promise to the fans following Sunday’s loss, one we’re sure you’ve heard before. They’ll be coming with their best game when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets at home on Tuesday.

“You know, we’re not gonna cry ourselves to sleep tonight and bail on the last five games,” Copp said after Sunday’s game. “It’s not the DNA in the room. It’s not the DNA of our profession in general.

“So it’s gonna suck tonight. [Monday’s] an off day for us. After a back-to-back, we regroup, and we’re gonna come with the most amount of intensity and jam that we can bring on Tuesday.

“We’re not six feet under yet.”