Red Wings ‘work out the plane legs,’ enjoy first practice in Sweden on Sunday

STOCKHOLM -- After an eight-plus-hour overnight flight across the Atlantic Ocean, the Detroit Red Wings arrived in Sweden on Sunday afternoon and immediately hit the ice at Hovet Arena adjacent to Avicii Arena.

Detroit defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-4, in a matinee matchup on Saturday, which ended at 3:35 p.m. EST, and the Red Wings left shortly before 11 p.m. EST that evening and arrived in Stockholm just after 1 p.m. CET on Sunday.

Within two hours of arriving in Sweden, the Red Wings skated for about 45 minutes, going through a more laid-back practice designed to help the players shake off jet lag and start adjusting to a six-hour time difference.

“We’ve pretty much done exactly what our nutritionists and sports science team asked us to do,” Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde said Sunday from Stockholm. “Right from Friday night into the (Saturday) game, travel and recommended skating. Got a light skate today. We’ll try to stay up until a certain time and hopefully that benefits us going forward.”

Red Wings players and coaches slept as much they could on the international flight, some faring better than others.

“I slept for most of it,” Jake Walman said. “I had a meal when I got on, slept and then (Red Wings support staff members) woke me up for another meal.”

While Detroit captain Dylan Larkin described Sunday’s practice as tough, he believes getting on the ice and keeping to a schedule will help players better adjust to their surroundings in the coming days.  

“Trying to get our bodies moving and acclimated as quick as we can, kind of work out the plane legs,” Larkin said. “It was a productive skate. A day off tomorrow, which will be really nice to see the city a little bit and recover from yesterday’s game and the flight.”

Fischer agreed with Larkin, reiterating the value of physical activity after being lethargic for an extended period.

“I think every guy, as tired as we are, would prefer skating right when we get here,” Fischer said. “You get the plane legs out. It also keeps you staying awake. I think for a lot of guys, if we were to be at the hotel right now, you wouldn’t see until tomorrow morning. There’s some sports science to this, so we trust the professionals.”

The Red Wings will hold two more days of practice (Tuesday and Wednesday) before playing the Ottawa Senators on Thursday (2 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CET) and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday (2 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CET).

According to Fischer, an experience like the NHL Global Series can help bring the club closer together.

“It was a lot of the guys’ first time doing this,” Fischer said. “A fun experience for most of us. We had a fun plane ride here. All this stuff, I think it really does relate to team bonding and being together as a group. We’re only 14 games in, but it’s still pretty early (this season). A good opportunity for this group to get together and jell.”