Red Wings blend young and old in winning mix

DETROIT - Tomas Tatar was 4 months old and Gustav Nyquist was 19 months old when the Detroit Red Wings started their 23-season playoff streak in 1991.

The dynamic European forwards played a major role in helping keep the streak alive last spring and are primary reasons it could continue for years to come.

"We didn't want to (be the ones to) break the streak," Tatar said. "After the Olympics, it didn't look really good."

The Red Wings were struck by injuries in 2013-14, with stars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg among those missing a significant number of games. Reinforcements such as youngsters Tatar, Nyquist, Brendan Smith, Riley Sheahan and Danny DeKeyser stepped in to help Detroit earn the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Younger players were able to get playing time that normally they wouldn't have been able to see, and given the opportunity they excelled.

"I think we did a really good job and we pushed ourselves through to the playoffs, and it was really huge for us," Tatar said.

This season, those same young players have merged with healthy veterans such as Datsyuk and Zetterberg to put the Red Wings among the NHL's top teams.

The young players, who seemed like raw recruits at the start of last season, are playing like seasoned veterans. Tatar has 12 goals and Nyquist has 14 goals. Sheahan has 16 points, and DeKeyser is playing nearly 21 minutes a game. Smith is skating about 19.

Meanwhile, Zetterberg leads the Red Wings in points with 26 in 32 games and Datsyuk has 12 goals in 21 games.

Such seasoned veterans have a lot to offer to their young counterparts.

"I think we have a great great atmosphere here in locker room, lots of young guys with a good mix of veterans and lots of leadership from those guys," Tatar said. "I'm happy to be in this locker room."

It's like the past Red Wings team has been merged with the future Red Wings team to form a highly competitive modern team.

"We're entering the zone way better than our first 10 games, creating more offense, lots of switches in the zone, and the puck is finding the net right now," Tatar said. "It has been fun."

Having a healthy Datsyuk and Zetterberg has made Tatar and Nyquist more dangerous because the opponent's defensive effort is usually geared to the two stars.

"This season is obviously way more fun to play beside guys like Henrik or Pav, and we're happy they're healthy," Tatar said.

Datsyuk and Zetterberg were limited to 45 regular-season games each last season.

No one in Detroit's locker room is confused about why the Red Wings are playing at such a high level this season.

"We're finally healthy," Nyquist said. "It's not like you don't know who's going to be on the ice every night."

The younger players do have the advantage of knowing how to win, because they played for Grand Rapids (Mich.) of the American Hockey League when it won the Calder Cup championship in 2013.

But the experience the younger players picked up last season has been its own reward.

"I would say last season I wasn't sure (I had a spot). ... I had to battle through to stay mentally strong," Tatar said.

Smith said having all the veteran Detroit players back was just as valuable to the younger players.

"Consistency is a huge thing," Smith said. "That's what created a guy like Nicklas Lidstrom. Niklas Kronwall is another guy that you see come in every day and plays his best. You can't be a roller-coaster ride.

"We are lucky to be able to see veterans who have done it for so many years, seeing (Datsyuk), (Dan) Cleary. It is easy for us to see that and emulate that."

Detroit is an organization that prides itself on developing prospects slowly. General manager Ken Holland has often said he likes his prospects "over ripe."

The Red Wings were forced to bring up players more quickly than they wanted, yet their development still worked.

"There is a process that the Red Wings have taken, and it works," Smith said. "And it continues to work."

Datsyuk is 36, and Zetterberg is 34. Tatar and Nyquist are 24 and 25, respectively.

Zetterberg had 37 goals in his first 140 games with Detroit. Datsyuk had 23 goals in his first 134 games. Tatar has netted 36 goals in his first 132 NHL games. Nyquist has 45 in his first 129.

It seems as if the Red Wings apprenticeship program is working.

Said Holland, "Both of them (Tatar and Nyquist) are great hockey players, and they're off to a tremendous start."