Detroit – Now that Dylan Larkin has gotten a taste of winning a gold medal, there’s another prize out there the Red Wings’ captain has his sights set on.
Larkin returned to Wings’ practice Wednesday, with the regular season resuming Thursday in Ottawa.
“You get a taste of winning and how special that is, and you check a massive box with the gold medal,” said Larkin, his voice extremely hoarse. “The Stanley Cup would be next and that would be unbelievable. You guys know how much it would mean to do it in this city.”
Sunday’s dramatic 2-1 overtime victory over Canada – Larkin was on the ice for the winning goal, scored by Jack Hughes – sparked a whirlwind several days for Larkin, who returned to Detroit Tuesday night after touring the White House during the afternoon.
The time since Sunday, the experiences and celebrations, have been “incredible,” said Larkin.
“(I) didn’t really understand the impact wholly until we got home,” Larkin said. “Just to see the reception we got from people on the streets, people coming up to us, it was just truly unlike I’ve ever experienced, and it makes you proud.
“I’m proud of the group of guys and what we accomplished.”
The gold medal is in a “secret, safe place,” said Larkin, a Waterford native who was thrilled to see the impact the state of Michigan had on the men’s and women’s gold medal-winning teams.
All four players on the ice for the men’s winning goal had Michigan connections. On the women’s side, Megan Keller (Farmington Hills) scored the winning overtime goal.
“Incredible, it truly is,” Larkin said. “Just a few nights before, Megan Keller scoring the game-winning goal, we were in the village watching them all as a team and we celebrated that one just as hard as we did when we won. It was a really special couple weeks for Michigan hockey and USA hockey and we’re proud to represent our great state.
“Throwing my equipment, my sticks and gloves in the air like we did in minor hockey, dreaming of that moment, seeing the puck go in and just not even believing it. I still don’t really believe it.”
Larkin chose to participate in Wednesday’s short practice and will be in the lineup Thursday against Ottawa.
“He was excited, a little bit weary,” said coach Todd McLellan of seeing Larkin before practice. “He’s been through a lot over the last little bit. He said he wanted to skate, which was a real good sign. He wanted to be out there with his teammates.”
With 24 games left in the regular season, and the Wings in prime position to end a nine-year playoff drought, Larkin’s presence is huge, McLellan said.
“We all watched those games and the impact Larks had throughout the Olympics was significant,” McLellan said. “In the game being played, on the bench, in the Olympic village, he left his mark there. As our leader and captain, we now believe he can come back and do that here.
“But here’s the ‘but’ part – it just can’t be Dylan. But it has to be Dylan, and that’s kind of strange. But he’s our leader and sets the tone each and every night and we expect that every night. But it just can’t be Dylan. It has to be the group as a whole and we think the group is ready to answer the bell, and now we have to go take that test for the next five weeks.”
Larkin was injured during last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, impacting his performance. But coming off another impressive performance at the Olympics, and healthy this time, Larkin feels he can positively impact the Wings.
“With where my game is at, and how I’m feeling personally, I feel I can be a factor here,” Larkin said. “Just winning and being able to celebrate and getting a taste of it, talking to the guys today, it motivated them and it’s motivated me to hopefully win more in my career.”
During all the elation Sunday, two moments stood out for Larkin.
One was bringing the two children of Johnny Gaudreau, who died in a cycling accident in August 2024, onto the ice and holding Gaudreau’s jersey during the team photo.
“That was pretty special,” Larkin said. “That one for me was probably No. 1.”
A close second for Larkin was letting his infant daughter hold the gold medal.
“I had a hold of the medal, but she held onto it and tried to throw it,” Larkin said. “She’s at that phase right now. But we got a cool picture with her holding it.”
Ready to play
The Wings have had eight practices since returning from the Olympic break and haven’t played a game since Feb. 4 in Utah.
To say they’re ready to play Thursday in Ottawa would be an understatement.
“Players are sick of practicing,” McLellan said. “They’re not used to that kind of rhythm at the NHL level. You don’t get that much practice time in a row.”
Veteran players Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk said the break was beneficial physically, but it is unnatural to not have an actual game for such a long period of time.
The Wings understand the importance of these final 24 games and the task ahead.
“The last 24 games are always harder than the first 24 games,” said defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who will return to the lineup after missing the last seven games. “We know where we are in the standings and what we have to do to really be where we want to be after those 24 games.”
Red Wings at Senators
Faceoff: 7 p.m. Thursday, Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa
TV/radio: FDSN/97.1 FM
Notable: The Wings (33-19-6, 72 points) play their first game since Feb. 4, as NHL players participated in the Winter Olympics. … The Wings have defeated Ottawa (28-22-7, 63 points) twice this season. … The Wings begin a three-game road trip, with games Saturday in Carolina and Monday in Nashville, to follow.
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
@tkulfan
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: The captain is back! Dylan Larkin eyes next prize, this time with Red Wings
Reporting by Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
