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The Daily: Berggren Named Red Wings Top Rookie; Americans Overcome Michal Jordan

Berggren’s 15 goals were 7th among NHL rookies

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1 year ago

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Jonatan Berggren, Red Wings
Jonatan Berggren is the Red Wings rookie of the year.

As Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde and the USA moved into the semifinals of the IIHF World Championship, they not only beat Czechia 3-0, they overcame Michal Jordan.

Czechia’s captain shares his name with arguably the greatest American athlete of his generation and yes, he’s constantly reminded of that fact.

“I pretty much get it once a week,” Jordan once told me of the comparisons to his more famous namesake, NBA legend Michael Jordan. To his credit, he’s good-natured about the situation “When you get it that much, there’s nothing else you can do except make fun of it,” Jordan explained.

Google Michal Jordan and you will be politely asked, “Did you mean: Michael Jordan?” In reality, their names aren’t even pronounced the same. The Czechia captain’s name name is pronounced MIH-Kal your-DAHN.

Detroit hockey fans are well familiar with Jordan. He played his junior hockey in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires and Plymouth Whalers.

A couple of times when he was playing in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes, Jordan found himself at the same event with Michael Jordan. However, he wasn’t able to muster up the courage to go over and introduce himself.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

  • Germany lost Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider to ejection but still beat Switzerland in the world tourney quarterfinals
  • Looking at captain Dylan Larkin’s future in Detroit
  • Sebastian Cossa was helping the Toledo Walleye rally from a 4-1 deficit for a 5-4 victory over Idaho in the ECHL conference finals
  • SKA St. Petersburg is seeking a temporary KHL home for Red Wings prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov.

Red Wings Offseason

Right winger Jonatan Berggren is the 2022-23 Red Wings Rookie of the Year according to a vote held by the Detroit Sports Media Association.

Skating in 67 games with the Red Wings during the 2022-23 season, Berggren, 22, ranked among the NHL’s rookie leaders with 15 goals (7th), 28 points (14th), five power play goals (T3rd), nine power play points (T7th) and a 15.3 shooting percentage (3rd). The 5-foot-11, 197-pound forward recorded the highest shooting percentage of any Red Wings rookie (minimum one shot per team game) since Henrik Zetterberg finished at a 16.3% clip in 2002-03.

Hockey Now Network

Florida: Eric Staal signed with the Florida Panthers thinking he’d get a shot at the Stanley Cup. And now he will.

Vegas: No sweep for the Vegas Golden Knights. The Dallas Stars took a 3-2 overtime decision in Game 4 of the Western Conference final.

Montreal: Johnathan Kovacevic established himself as a reliable defender for the Montreal Canadiens.

Boston: Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney is a finalist for NHL GM of the Year.

Buffalo: Forward Kyle Okposo says he’s coming back to the Buffalo Sabres to complete the unfinished business of getting the team back into the playoffs.

Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith was posting the shutout for the USA against Czechia in the IIHF World Championship quarterfinals.

Philadelphia: Philadelphia Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier continues to turn heads He’s delivering an impressive performance for the USA at the world tourney.

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Colorado: What might a Devon Toews contract extension look like for the Colorado Avalanche?

Chicago: Looking back at the 2019-20 Chicago Blackhawks season.

Nashville: Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz is calling out No. 1 center Ryan Johansen. Trotz is suggesting Johansen needs to have his best summer in preparation for the 2023-24 NHL season.

Calgary: Here’s what Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy wants from his new coach. It must be someone who’ll be in sync with the team’s front office.

Los Angeles: Looking back at Gabe Vilardi’s year with the Los Angeles Kings.

San Jose: Could these players be buy-low trade candidates for the San Jose Sharks?

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