What we have feared and known for months has now become official.

The NHL has imposed a league-wide lockout.

Unable to come to terms on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, NHL Comissioner Gary Bettman locked out players at 12:01 a.m. after the Saturday night deadline passed.

NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr said this in a statement:

“Today, we suggested that the parties meet in advance of the owners’ self-imposed deadline of midnight tonight. Don Fehr, myself and several players on the negotiating committee were in the city and prepared to meet. The NHL said that it saw no purpose in having a formal meeting. There have been and continue to be private, informal discussions between representatives of both sides.”

Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard said this prior to the lockout becoming official:

“It’ll be weird. I don’t know if I’ve wrapped my head around it. It’s just one of those things you have to take day by day.”

Forward Henrik Zetterberg was angered by Bettman’s position and the previous lockout in 2004.

“We did enough last time in 2004. We gave them basically everything they wanted so we didn’t want to be in that situation (again), but here we are again.

“We’re ready to have a fight here.”

The last lockout saw the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season.

Former Red Wings captains Steve Yzerman and  Nicklas Lidstrom have made NHL.com’s list of ‘Top 10 Captains in NHL History.’

Yzerman, who captained Detroit from1986-2005, ranked No. 2.

2. Steve Yzerman

Yzerman had established himself as one of the NHL’s great offensive players by the time theDetroit Red Wings named him captain in 1986 at the age of 21 — at the time, the youngest player in NHL history to wear the “C.” He scored at least 100 points in six straight seasons from 1987-93 — but the Red Wings’ success did not match his own until the arrival of Scotty Bowman as coach in 1993.

Bowman convinced Yzerman there was more to success than putting up points, and he became one of the great two-way players and leaders in NHL history. He put all doubts about his leadership ability to rest when Detroit ended a 42-year championship drought by winning the Stanley Cup in 1997 and repeating in ’98. He played through a painful knee injury to help the Red Wings win again in 2002.

Yzerman’s 19 seasons and 1,303 games wearing the “C” are the most of any player in NHL history.

Lidstrom, who followed Yzerman and held the title of captain from 2006 until his retirement this past offseason, ranked No. 5.

5. Nicklas Lidstrom

Steve Yzerman was a hard act to follow in Detroit, where he wore the “C” for two decades and was one of the cornerstones in the Red Wings’ rise to perennial contender and three-time Stanley Cup winner during a five-year span.

But Lidstrom put his own stamp on the Red Wings when he took over the captaincy following Yzerman’s retirement in 2006. Having earned three Cups from 1997-2002, Lidstrom became the first European-born captain to lead his team to a championship when the Red Wings won in 2008. They came up one win short of another title in ’09 despite Lidstrom’s 16 points in 21 playoff games.

Lidstrom led by example (he won the Norris Trophy seven times) and by demeanor (his nickname is the Perfect Human). He announced his retirement this summer after a career that will soon earn him a berth in the Hall of Fame.

Congrats to Stevie Y and Nick on the honor!

The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Martin Frk, their first pick in last month’s NHL draft, to a three-year entry-level deal on Tuesday.

It was the first time in the last four years that the Wings have inked a prospect in his draft year.

Frk, who was drafted with the 49th overall pick, will return to Halifax to play in his third season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

“He came to camp and our guys liked him in Traverse City,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “He competes hard and has a good shot and he has one year of junior remaining and then he’s pro eligible. So based upon his age, based upon what we saw in Traverse and what our scouts have seen out of him the last couple of years, we decided to sign him to a contract.”

Frk still acknowledges that he needs to improve in some areas.

“For sure, play better defense and be a better skater,” he said. “And trying not to look too much for other guys (to pass to) because I think I have a great shot, so using my shot more.”

Photo: Detroit News

Scotty Bowman is returning to Hockeytown. For the Winter Classic, that is.

According to the Detroit News, Bowman, along with longtime assistant Barry Smith, will coach Detroit in the Alumni Showdown game at the Hockeytown Winter Festival on Dec. 31 at Comerica Park.

Bowman coached the Wings to three Stanley Cups in his eight years with the team (19967, 1998, 2002) and retired following Detroit’s 2002 Stanley Cup title.

Red Kelly and Pat Quinn will coach the Maple Leafs alumni players.

The alumni game is a part of the Winter Classic festivities being held in Hockeytown this winter.

The Detroit Red Wings signed four players on Sunday, including forward Jordin Tootoo and former Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson.

Tootoo, the ex-Predator, signed a three-year deal worth $5.7 million and told Detroit media that he was surprised when the Wings came calling.

“We didn’t hear from them at all, there was no talk,” Tootoo said. “It definitely was a surprise. I wanted to stay in the Western Conference. This is a great fit for me. It’s a fresh start and I’m definitely overwhelmed about it.”

General manager Ken Holland is looking for big things from Tootoo.

“He adds that snarl to our mix,” Holland said. “We know him well, we’ve played against him many years, and he adds that quality. He plays hard, he comes in hard on the forecheck. He’s a grinder.”

Samuelsson, who split last season between Vancouver and Florida, is making a return to Hockeytown. The Wings signed the forward to a two-year contract worth $6 million.

“We know Sammy and we know what he can provide us,” Holland said.

“He has size, he has a great shot, he can play the point on the power play. He adds size and skill and we know him.”

The Wings also signed Swiss forward Damien Brunner and ex-Maple Leaf goaltender Jonas Gustavsson.

The NHL released the schedule for the 2012-13 season and the Detroit Red Wings won’t have to wait long to get revenge on the Nashville Predators team that knocked them out of the opening round of the playoffs.

Detroit will host the Predators to start the 2012-13 season on October 12.

Some highlights:

• The Wings will be spending Thanksgiving weekend in Florida when they visit the Panthers (Nov. 23) and Lightning (Nov. 24).
• The Bruins will visit Joe Louis Arena on Dec. 10.
• The New York Rangers also head to Detroit on March 20.
• Detroit would close the regular season on the road vs. Nashville (April 11) and Colorado (April 13).

But no doubt the most exciting game on the slate is the 2013 Winter Classic at the Big House on January 1, 2013 vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The question is whether or not we’ll see this schedule.

The NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire on Sept. 15 and some NHL analysts believe that we are headed for a lockout. Though it wouldn’t be for an entire season, it would potentially cut a few weeks or a couple of months off the schedule.

Check out the full schedule:

PRESEASON

September

26 – at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

28 – at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

29 – CHICAGO, 7 p.m.

30 – WASHINGTON, 5 p.m.

October

3 – PITTSBURGH, 7:30 p.m.

5 – TORONTO, 7:30 p.m.

6 – at Toronto, 7 p.m.

7 – at Washington, 5 p.m.

REGULAR SEASON

October

12 – NASHVILLE, 7:30 p.m.

16 – at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

18 – at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

20 – at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

22 – VANCOUVER, 6 p.m.

23 – at Columbus, 7 p.m.

26 – SAN JOSE, 7 p.m.

27 – at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.

30 – at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

» Continue reading “2012-13 Schedule: Red Wings to open season vs. Predators”

Photo: Detroit News

Darren Helm isn’t departing from Hockeytown anytime soon.

The Red Wings locked up the 25-year-old forward to a four-year deal worth $8.5 million, it was announced on Tuesday.

Helm, who scored 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 68 games last season with Detroit, was due to become a a restricted free agent on July 1.

Helm struggled with a knee sprain in the last 10 games of the regular season.

After making an appearance in the first game of the playoffs, Helm suffered a lacerated right forearm tendon just a few minutes into the game. Helm is expected to be ready for training camp in September.

“Darren is an important part of our team, and we’re very happy that we’ve reached an agreement,” said general manager Ken Holland. ”He’s one of the fastest skaters in the game, and we love the physical element that he brings. He’s an outstanding penalty killer and the ideal third-line center for us behind Pavel (Datsyuk) and Henrik (Zetterberg).

“We really missed him when he was out of the lineup in March and April.”

Forward Justin Abdelkader and defenseman Kyle Quincey remain the Wings’ other restricted free agents.

Photo: Detroit News

Either way Brad Stuart was headed to San Jose. The Detroit Red Wings just managed to likely get a draft pick out of the situation.

The Wings traded Stuart’s rights to the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.

Stuart, whose family lives year-round in San Jose, was prompted by family obligations to make the move. Stuart intended to sign with the Sharks on July 1 or remain with the Wings if that didn’t work out.

“It was clear what direction Stewie was leaning toward,” said Wings general manager Ken Holland. “He wanted to be closer to his family.”

“I’m real grateful to Kenny for doing this,” Stuart said. “It just shows what kind of organization the Wings are. This gives us some time to work something out.”

Stuart had some great times with the Wings, highlighted by a 2008 Stanley Cup championship just months after Detroit acquired him from Los Angeles.

“Great teammates, great organization, just a first-class place all the way around,” Stuart said. “I enjoyed my time there.”

Stuart’s departure, along with Nicklas Lidstrom’s retirement on May 31, leaves a big hole in the Wings defense, one that they will have to address.

Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter looks to be the No. 1 target for teams.

“We’ll be active,” Holland said. “We’ve lost two quality defensemen.”

Bryan Rufenach was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 2007.

Toldeo Walleye defenseman Bruan Rufenach, 23, was killed on Monday in Switzerland, according to ToledoBlade.com.

Rufenach, who was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2007 NHL Draft, was “backpacking through Europe with a childhood friend when he died accidentally.”

According to the Ontario newspaper, The Lindsay Post, Rufenach was electrocuted. No other details have been revealed.

Rufenach, who signed with the Walleye on March 25, 2011, played in 54 games last season and was the Walleye’s fourth-leading scorer.

The Nicklas Lidstrom Era has come to an end in Hockeytown.

The long-standing captain of the Detroit Red Wings announced his retirement from the NHL on Thursday at Joe Louis Arena.

“I’ve been dreading this day since I became manager in 1997,” said Red Wings general manager Ken Holland.

“It’s one of the most emotional days in Red Wings history with Nick retiring and all you people showing your respect for such a high-quality individual,” said Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch.

Lidstrom, 42, said that he didn’t have what it takes physically to play at the high level that he wanted to play at.

“My drive and motivation are not where to need to be to play at this level,” Lidstrom said.

Lidstrom will go down in history as one of the greatest Detroit Red Wings and one of the greatest defense men in the history of the game.

He sports a Hall-of-Fame resume with four Stanley Cups, seven Norris Trophies, 12 All-Star appearances and a Conn Smythe Trophy among other numerous accomplishments.

“Retiring today allows me to walk away with pride, rather than have the game walk away from me,” Lidstrom said.

It is an emotional day for Red Wings fans everywhere and I’d like to thank Nick for such an amazing 20 seasons. Not only was he one of the best players to wear the winged wheel, but he was such a class-act on and off the ice.

Thank you, captain.