Wings Trim Roster as Traverse City Training Camp Comes to a Close

By Jessica Haskin
The Detroit Red Wings had their final practice this morning at 10:00
a.m. Steve Duchense suited up for the first time this week and
practiced with the team, although he wont be able to play any games for
2 more weeks.


Chris Chelios who didn’t practice yesterday due to a sore back was back
skating today and said that he was fine for tonight’s game.


An intrasquad scrimmage at 7:00 this evening at the Van Andel Arena in
Grand Rapids, Michigan.


Manny Legace was very relaxed this morning, as were most of the players,
Legace was standing by the boards waiting for his turn in net. He
decided that while he was waiting he’d “practice” throwing his stick
down in disgust. The more people laughed at his actions the more
animated he became. He had to stop though when it was his turn to
really practice, stopping the pucks. But when he let one in all his
“practice” had paid off and he threw his stick up in the air in disgust.


After practice was over management, volunteers, and about half the
players had a group photo on the ice. The other half of the players
were coming but got off the other rink too late.


Ken Wregget stopped and signed autographs as he was going to the locker
room, giving a young boy his stick. The young boy was elated and Ken
Wregget mad a new friend, and fan.


As the players got ready to go there were all the good-bye’s until next
year between friends that had been made between players that were
staying with the team and those going back home, between friends made
with workers and volunteers at the rink and players.


John Wharton and the medical staff were busy getting all their equipment
and bandages loaded on the truck, as Paul Boyer and the equipment
managing staff loaded the players equipment and the equipment needed to
keep it in repair.


Finally the last player, coach, and trainer had left the arena to go to
the hotel to check out and head to Grand Rapids for their last game of
Training Camp before their exhibition season starts on Sunday night.


The rink is now silent, no players, no coaches, but tomorrow it will be
alive with the young voices of boys who love to play the same game and
may someday be trying out at a NHL camp like this one was. Where dreams
come to life and for a few all their hard work and hours of practice pay
off and they take their first steps into the NHL.


The Detroit Red Wings have started to trim their roster down from the
70+ players going down to 40 or so players by the beginning of
exhibition season on Sunday. They have released 70 plyaers so far the
cuts are as follows.

Ballantyne, Paul  
Barkman, John
Bogas, Chris
Borodkin, Anton
Boutin, JF
Brand, Aaron
Davis, Ken
Davison, Kori
Dzieduszycki, Matthew
Jinman, Lee
Kearns, Justin
Kopecky, Tomas
Lakos, Phillipe
Leonov, Dmitri
McNiel, Shawn
Patterson, James
Peach, Sean
Perras, JF
Seyferth, Sean
Van Leusen, Aaron
Villeneuve, Marc
Villeneuve, Martin
Vogel, Ron
Wedderburn, Tim