Seidel: Pair of Michigan's finest enjoy Red Wings debuts

Imagine this moment.

You were a kid who grew up a Detroit Red Wings fan, and you were raised in Sault Ste. Marie, and you played at Ferris State, and you coached at Western Michigan, and now, you are standing in a tunnel at Joe Louis Arena, waiting to make your debut as the new Red Wings coach.

Your family is up in the stands; and the Wings are lined up across the ice for the home opener, banging their sticks; and the fans are waving blinking, red lightsaber sticks; and your mentor and friend, Mike Babcock, is standing behind the other bench; and the energy feels electric.

"In his first season behind the bench," the announcer says. "Jeff Blashill."

And then, Blashill steps behind that bench, officially taking over; and a new era begins in Hockeytown, as he waves his right hand, trying to savor the moment. "I'm somebody that believes in enjoying the journey," Blashill had said Friday morning, after the pregame skate. "You have to enjoy life. I totally believe in that. I'm sure when I step on that bench and look around and say, 'This is pretty cool.' There is no doubt about that. I won't hide away from that."

Pretty cool, indeed.

Then, the starters skated across the ice, going through a final warm up; and there was Dylan Larkin, the 19-year-old wonder kid from Waterford, who would admit later that he was focused on one thing: not falling.

"My whole life I've been dreaming about this," Larkin said. "It's a special night for me."

Red Wings rookie Dylan Larkin, 19, gets assist, goal in first game

Larkin was nervous and tied his skates too tight and his toes were going numb. So he left the bench and loosened his skates and started to feel comfortable. Then, this turned into an unforgettable, magical night for him, as he scored a goal and had an assist in his debut, living up to the hype as the Wings rolled to a 4-0 victory.

"It's an incredible feeling, just to see it go in and see The Joe go crazy," he said.

On the other side, Babcock stood behind the Toronto Maple Leafs bench. During a stoppage in play, Babcock was honored by the public address announcer, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Babcock had coached in Detroit for 10 years and won 458 games and a Stanley Cup, and he deserved that ovation.

"I'm going to enjoy being here," Babcock said after the pregame skate. "I'm looking forward to this game being over so I don't have to talk about it anymore. But I'm enjoying being the Leafs coach, too. It's energizing."

Interesting. That's the same word that several of the Wings use. It was not easy for Babcock to leave. He said he "anguished" while making the decision to leave Detroit. But it was probably best for both sides. This is a fresh start for Babcock, trying to rebuild a franchise; and it's a fresh start for the Wings, after they seemed to grow stale, losing in the first round of the playoffs three times in the last four years. This organization needed a new voice and new energy and now it has arrived in the 41-year-old Blashill, the second youngest coach in the NHL. But there is no animosity between Blashill and Babcock. They share nothing but friendship and mutual admiration.

Babcock discovered Blashill coaching at Western Michigan and brought him to the Wings to be his assistant. "I met with Blash (Thursday) night, so I know he is enjoying being the Red Wings coach and he should be the Red Wings coach," Babcock said. "He's a Michigan guy. He has done a lot to get to this opportunity and he has a good team."

This is such an intriguing team, full of veterans and talented newcomers and youngsters who feel comfortable with Blashill, after playing under him in Grand Rapids. It is a team that has a Made in Michigan feel, which was reinforced after Justin Abdelkader, who grew up in Muskegon, scored a hat trick.

"I thought we played really good," Blashill said. "I thought the energy was good. I thought the attention to detail was really good. I thought it was a good step for a hockey team."

As the game ended, Wings owner Mike Ilitch came out of an elevator and got into his vehicle.

Made in Michigan. From the owner on down. Blashill looked like he belonged. He looked unflappable and so did Larkin. This moment was not too big for either of them.

A new era began on Friday night.

As Blashill said, this is pretty cool.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel/. Check out our new Red Wings Xtra app on Apple and Android!