Detroit — Justin Faulk remembers in October when he was still a member of the St. Louis Blues and they visited the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.
It was an evening Faulk and the Blues would have liked to forget, although it did prove something to him about the Wings.
“That was a rough one for us,” Faulk said. “We were up 4-0 and lost the game.”
The Wings defeated the Blues, 6-4, then defeated St. Louis, 5-2, four days later to complete the two-game sweep.
All of which solidified what the Faulk felt about the Wings, and why was he was pleased to join the Wings when they acquired him March 6 at the trade deadline.
“There’s some real good hockey players here,” Faulk said as the Wings departed for the offseason last month. “You see guys at times (during the season), but you don’t know them until you get in the locker room and see how they operate.
“There’s a lot of talent here. There are some really, really good hockey players in that group, and young too, which is even more exciting because you know there’s room to grow and there’s potential for more. That excites me and gives me belief that this group is really close to getting over that hump.”
The Wings were hoping adding Faulk to the lineup would be a final piece to securing a strong enough lineup to get into the playoffs this spring.
The veteran offensive defenseman provided the spark the Wings were expecting, producing eight points (five goals) in 17 games while slotting into a pairing with Ben Chiarot, right behind the top pair of Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson.
For the season Faulk had 16 goals and 40 points with the Blues and Wings, offensive numbers that would be welcomed by any NHL team.
“He’s a hell of a defenseman,” coach Todd McLellan said. “He’s got a ton of experience, not intimidated by the league or new environment or anything like that.”
The acquisition of Faulk rounded out the Wings’ defense. But too many other holes sprung up in the season’s final weeks, key injuries exposed the Wings’ lack of depth, and suddenly what appeared to be a promising season ended with the Wings’ missing the NHL playoffs for a 10th consecutive season.
Faulk believes the Wings can learn from the disappointment and ask more of themselves and each other.
“When you get close, you just have to keep getting more, asking more from each other and demanding more to push yourself over that hump,” Faulk said. “Then things can start to snowball. Whatever that hump is, not even just hockey, there’s always that period when you feel like it’s the hardest, and then once you get there it starts to go, but that’s when you have to push each other the most.”
Missing the playoffs was disturbing, Faulk said, for himself and everyone in the locker room. But there are experiences along the way teams need to go through, and the Wings are learning difficult lessons.
“It’s hard to get in the playoffs and it’s a hard stretch to go through mentally,” Faulk said. “It’s frustrating right now, It’s a something that is a goal along the way. The ultimate goal is to win a Stanley Cup, but there’s a lot of process and steps that need to happen before that.
“But you have to get to the playoffs to give yourself a chance. We all know in this league anyone that gets in there, there’s always a chance for upsets every year and teams that go on runs. (But) you have to get your foot in the door.”
Faulk’s transition to the Wings appeared seamless. But that might have been due to the shuttle that has connected the Wings and Blues in recent years, with several trades and free-agent signings that have gone in either direction. Faulk had a familiarity with the Wings, having talked to former Blues teammates who had spent time in Detroit, and had a good idea of what to expect.
“It went pretty well,” Faulk said of his acclimation. “I’ve said this a little bit (before), but playing with David Perron (reacquired at the deadline from Ottawa, and a former Faulk teammate in St. Louis) and some other guys, we had made a few trades over the years back and forth, I’ve known plenty of guys who had familiarity with this organization and nothing was really unknown to me.
“There’s a lot of getting to know people and feeling it out, but those guys filled me in over the years. The transition was smooth.”
But the losing stung down the stretch. Faulk felt the lineup was good enough to be a playoff participant, and that’s something that the Wings will push for again next season.
“It’s a hard league and the playoffs are a hard position to get into, but it’s a welcome challenge,” Faulk said. “It can be a little uncomfortable when you’re trying to get better and make that next step and you have to be willing to be pushed by yourself and your teammates. We have to held accountable as a group and individually.”
Faulk isn’t done with his hockey season. As a testament to his veteran leadership and experience, Faulk accepted an invitation to be part of Team USA at the men’s world championships in Switzerland, and was named captain of the team.
Team USA finds itself in a ticklish spot, but with victories in its last two games, earned a spot in Thursday’s quarterfinals against Canada.
“It’s awesome,” Faulk said of being named captain. “Where I’m at in my age (34), you don’t know how many opportunities you’re going to have left to get this. I’ve been in this situation where you grew up, you’re lucky enough (at) 15, 16 years old to have those opportunities (and) it seems like it’s going to happen all the time, but that’s not the case.
“Everyone is appreciative to be here and excited to wear the red, white and blue.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
@tkulfan
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Justin Faulk sees talent in Red Wings — and a need to push each other
Reporting by Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
