Red Wings' Nielsen has sentimental return to New York

New York — Frans Nielsen spent his first 10 years in the NHL with the Islanders and his feelings for those years were on display Sunday before the game in a media scrum..

“All of the players you play with,” Nielsen said. “You talk all the time. You learn all the time. 

“Not only one or two guys. There’s so many people who’ve had an impact on me, and that I have to be thankful for where I am today.”

Nielsen has seven points, three goals and four assists, in his last six games, which included an assist on Mike Green's power-play goal in the first period of Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Islanders.

He is clearly taking a leadership role with the team, especially when it is time to underline the reality of their situation, including giving away points and pucks like they did against the Penguins in an anguishing third-period loss Saturday.

On Sunday, before the game, he said he was happy to have the night in New York, before flying Monday to Winnipeg, Manitoba to visit friends and renew some of the relationships with his former team.

“For sure. it’s not going to be just another game. For sure, there’s going to be some butterflies and nerves. You know, it’s just going to take a couple of shifts for me to relax and play my game.”

As most professional athletes say when they leave a team or the sport, it is the people they miss.

“Just the friendships you build up with all of these people over the years,” he said.

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“We had some tough times when we weren’t winning and just going from that to a new building a competitive team. You just build a special bond when you go through that, I think.

“I think the guys are one of the things I miss the most.’

When Nielsen was asked about playing in both closing seasons for Joe Louis Arena and the Nassau Coliseum, his appreciation for playing in Detroit was clear

“You can feel it around there, all the history they’ve had and the culture,” he said of the Wings and the arena.

“Just walking around in the locker room, with all of the Stanley Cup pictures, all the pictures of the great players that have been there, you feel it, where it’s such a special place where so may good players have played. 

“So it’s awesome just to get to sit in that locker room,” Nielsen said.

“I believe I got Steve Yzerman’s old locker, you know? So it’s just so much cool old stuff in there.

“I am happy I got to play one year in there before we move into the new arena. It’s such a special place.”

Culture of success

When the New York media questioned Blashill about his team’s situation, lying outside of the playoffs, and whether its past resilience would be an advantage, Blashill provided a frank assessment.

“We need to be ultra-competitive to be successful. Because we’re not a super big team and right now with some guys out we’re not a super-fast team.

“We’ve got a culture in our locker room that’s allowed us to have success for a number of years, and certainly that culture still exists.”