DETROIT — Lucas Raymond He looked like he was going to go around the net, but he braked and slammed the puck into the left post at 3:41 of the first period at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday.
That goal got the Detroit Red Wings off to a good start, and they went on to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4, just what they needed as they headed to Raymond’s home state to the 2023 NHL World Series, Sweden presented by Fastenal.
The Red Wings were scheduled to fly to Stockholm on Saturday night. They will face two Atlantic Division rivals at Avicii Arena: the Ottawa Senators on Thursday (2 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, NHLN, BSDET) and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday (2 p.m. ET; BSDET, NHLN, TSN4 ).
“I think it’s a good thing the NHL is doing,” Raymond said. “I think it grows our game. Especially for a lot of Swedes, young kids, to be able to watch these games, I think it’s going to be exciting.
The 21-year-old was one of those kids not too long ago.
Growing up in Gothenburg, Sweden, Raymond didn’t watch many NHL games on television due to the time difference. He remembers trying to stay awake to watch goalie Henrik Lundqvist, a Gothenburg native, play for the New York Rangers against the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
“I couldn’t get past the first 10 minutes,” Raymond said.
The only NHL game Raymond saw live was on a family trip to New York when he was 10, until the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils came to Gothenburg to play in the NHL World Series on October 6, 2018, when he was 16 years old.
He got to see real NHL players in his hometown – on the street, in a restaurant – including the Oilers center. Connor McDavid.
“I remember being really excited about it,” Raymond said. “It was remote, but it was a lot of fun.”
Then he got to see a real NHL game in his hometown. He sat in the stands as a fan at Scandinavium Arena with his older brother, Hugo, and watched the Devils win 5-2.
“I hope many young children in Stockholm will have the same experience,” Raymond said. “I think you read about the NHL, you see the highlights, and then for the kids to be able to experience an NHL game, I think that will be special.
“I will try to do as much as possible to participate in different events as well. It’s only a week, but I think this week is going to do a lot for the NHL and also for hockey in Sweden and Europe.
Raymond is the only player on Detroit’s roster born in Sweden.
But the Red Wings have had several prominent Swedish players over the years, like Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Niklas Kronwall and Johan Franzen.
Even Borje Salming, who spent most of his career in Toronto, and Daniel Alfredsson, who spent most of his career in Ottawa, each finished their NHL careers with one season in Detroit.
And this opportunity doesn’t come around often.
It will be only the second time the Red Wings have played overseas and the first time since they played in the same arena in Stockholm, then known as the Ericsson Globe, during the inaugural NHL Series. October 2 and 3, 2009. to the St. Louis Blues 4-3 and 5-3.
“I think the Red Wings are probably the most popular team in Sweden, considering all the Swedes who have played here,” Raymond said. “I know a lot of them will be there too, which is going to be really exciting.”
Raymond, the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, leads the next wave with several Swedish prospects in Detroit’s system.
He had 57 points (23 goals, 34 assists) in 82 games in 2021-22 and finished fourth in voting for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s rookie of the year. After producing 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 74 games last season, he has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 15 games this season.
“He was excellent,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “He plays a big role in what we’re trying to build.” I think he is a very special player, who continues to develop and grow. I’m really excited for him for this experience.
Lalonde was an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning when they faced the Buffalo Sabers in the NHL World Series in Stockholm on November 8 and 9, 2019. He remembers the defenseman Victor Hedman, originally from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, crying as he heard his own national anthem played before NHL games in his home country. The Lightning beat the Sabers 3-2 and 5-3.
“For me, it was like, ‘Wow, this is awesome,’” Lalonde said. “So I’m sure ‘Razor’ will go through some of those similar emotions.”
