The Detroit Red Wings and their fans both breathed a collective sigh of relief on Thursday night, as both celebrated the first win in a calendar month in the form of a 5-2 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets at Little Caesars Arena.
For the players, just knowing that they weren’t in the loss column was gratifying. But of course, these players grew up as fans of hockey teams. And for Dylan Larkin, growing up as a fan of the team he now plays for, he knows the fans want to win just as much as the players do.
“It was really special,” Larkin said of the raucous crowd that cheered them on to victory. “We have such passionate fans and I thin they’re very understanding – they understood how badly we needed this one tonight and they were into it tonight and gave us a boost we really needed, so it was cool to hear them get really loud at the end, and I’m sure they needed it as well.”
The near sold out crowd was in it from the get-go, willing the team to their first win in 13 games and celebrating along with the players as they saluted them after the final horn.
“We’re all in this together,” Larkin continued. “We understand what happened the past 12 games, but the response tonight, I think as big as it was for us, it was just as big for them, and we appreciate that.”
