Blashill, who also threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park on Saturday as part of Detroit's Biggest Summer Baseball Bash, said he enjoys being able to get out into the community for events like this, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to in-person gatherings for nearly a year and a half.
"I think we all have been waiting for these moments and to be closer to normal," he said. "It certainly hasn't been an easy year and a half, for a multitude of reasons. You want to be around people, you want to share experiences with people. To be here today with these kids to be able to interact personally, it's a great feeling."
Fabbri agreed with his coach about what a great feeling it was to interact in person with Red Wings fans in the community.
"This was a lot of fun, for sure," the forward said. "We missed doing that throughout the year, interacting with our fans, especially the youth. I'm happy I'm here this summer and was able to get out and do this."
Fabbri, who was one of 11 players the Red Wings are protecting for Wednesday's NHL Expansion Draft, said he's healthy again after suffering a concussion in April that forced him to miss the last 17 games of the season.
The forward said he'll be ready for training camp in September.
"I'm 100-percent now," Fabbri said. "I've been training for a couple months and everything is back to normal. It's nice to get healthy."
Fabbri said he's back at Little Caesars Arena skating with a group of players including forwards Vladislav Namestnikov and Michael Rasmussen, defenseman Danny DeKeyser and goalie Thomas Greiss, while captain Dylan Larkin and forward Tyler Bertuzzi continue their injury rehab.
Blashill said Larkin and Bertuzzi are on track with their rehab after season-ending injuries, and the coaching staff is hopeful for both forwards to be back on the ice for training camp.
"I know Dylan is at LCA on a daily basis, and I know he's progressing. He's progressing in a manner that we think that he'll be ready," Blashill said. "They are in the same boat that way. They are kind of moving at that rate together. They are beginning the process of skating, beginning the process of lifting."
The Wings' coach also gave his thoughts on Detroit acquiring veteran defenseman Nick Leddy from the New York Islanders in a trade last Friday, in exchange for forward Richard Panik and a 2021 second-round pick.
"We're excited, obviously, with Nick. It adds a player who's been a legit top-four defenseman for a long time in this league," Blashill said. "I've known Nick a long time as a player. Obviously an excellent skater. The people that I know in New York say he's an excellent person.
"He's been part of an organization that wins in a fashion that we're going to have to win like. We're excited about it. We believe we're on the upswing and when you add players like Nick Leddy, it hopefully accelerates that a little bit."
Blashill said one of his biggest takeaways from Monday's street hockey clinic was how important it is to continue growing the sport and continue introducing hockey to kids in the city of Detroit.
