McCarty meets with Red Wings

[96warrior 11]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...PDATE/801090451

Report: McCarty meets with Red Wings

Ted Kulfan / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Darren McCarty has met with Red Wings officials about the possibility of returning to the team, the Windsor Star is reporting, citing an NHL source.

The former Red Wing has been working out after going unsigned as an unrestricted free agent last summer.

McCarty, 35, hooked on with the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League. The Generals said McCarty would be in their lineup for Wednesday night's game at Muskegon.

"I still think I had something left to give and I want to find out for sure," McCarty told the Windsor Star about signing with the Generals. "I want to work my way up the ladder and to do that, I've got to start somewhere."

Red Wings center Kris Draper is a minority owner of the Generals.

"I just want to play hockey. I don't care where," McCarty told The Detroit News.

McCarty was at the Wings' game Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche at Joe Louis Arena.

McCarty had a terrible season in Calgary in 2006-07. He did not score a point in 32 games and missed the second half of the season and playoffs with injuries.

McCarty played for the Wings from 1993-94 to 2003-04. He has 126 career goals, 160 assists and 1,450 penalty minutes.

[Dominator2005 558]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...PDATE/801090451

Report: McCarty meets with Red Wings

Ted Kulfan / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Darren McCarty has met with Red Wings officials about the possibility of returning to the team, the Windsor Star is reporting, citing an NHL source.

The former Red Wing has been working out after going unsigned as an unrestricted free agent last summer.

McCarty, 35, hooked on with the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League. The Generals said McCarty would be in their lineup for Wednesday night's game at Muskegon.

"I still think I had something left to give and I want to find out for sure," McCarty told the Windsor Star about signing with the Generals. "I want to work my way up the ladder and to do that, I've got to start somewhere."

Red Wings center Kris Draper is a minority owner of the Generals.

"I just want to play hockey. I don't care where," McCarty told The Detroit News.

McCarty was at the Wings' game Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche at Joe Louis Arena.

McCarty had a terrible season in Calgary in 2006-07. He did not score a point in 32 games and missed the second half of the season and playoffs with injuries.

McCarty played for the Wings from 1993-94 to 2003-04. He has 126 career goals, 160 assists and 1,450 penalty minutes.

If he can play why not - I would rather have him (or Downey) than Drake...

[Draper_Rocks#33 4]

Id be soo stoked if that happen..we may not need him but i would love to see the grind line back together..

[Opie 308]

I think he gives the team basically an Aaron Downey who can play nightly and maybe, just maybe chip in some points along the way like a younger Dallas Drake.

He is sort of the perfect combination of both IF he can play!!!

[Guest Jeremy88]

Idk, he'd probably be coming in right around the time of the playoffs starting...and he hasn't played in a year and a half, and he wasn't that great when he played for calgary...he might hurt us rather than help us

[Opie 308]

Idk, he'd probably be coming in right around the time of the playoffs starting...and he hasn't played in a year and a half, and he wasn't that great when he played for calgary...he might hurt us rather than help us

True but imo no way in hell Babcock lets that happen. He seems to be the type of coach that will only give roster spots to those who earn it. No matter how much of a fan favorite D-Mac was or is, Babs will not let it interfere and I think Holland and Mr. I would stand behind him. If he can't play at a level they expect he won't play in the winged wheel.

[kylee 727]

id be alll about Big Mac with the Wings again,

but,

if McCarty makes a come back, who is on the outside of the line up?

[puckloo39 5,686]

Mac couldn't possibly be any worse or cause more damage to us coming in right at the playoffs than Derian Hatcher did.

I bet Mac would be lots cheaper, too. Besides, I like him.

[Winged Scooter 0]

C'mon everyone! This can ONLY be a good thing! Just think......A LOT more Grinder concerts at local events!!!

[Guest jaytan]

I love Mac, but I don't really think he has anything to contribute to this team. I'd hate to have his previous accomplishments with the Wings be overshadowed by an embarassing comeback attempt.

[Viperar 16]

I love Mac, but I don't really think he has anything to contribute to this team. I'd hate to have his previous accomplishments with the Wings be overshadowed by an embarrassing comeback attempt.

Contributing points maybe not, but I am willing to bet if he works out and gets his life back together, he could provide a much more efficient enforcer role than sir dallas drake is right now.

In my opinion he deserves a shot more than Drake, drake hasn't done anything in my eyes to contribute to this team, so to write Mac off when we clearly have a lame duck enforcer on the team is ridiculous.

Sure he had an atrocious season in Calgary, but notice everyone judges that on the point contribution, and he was injured for most of the time, missing the playoffs against us as well.

Give him a shot at the enforcer role, cant hurt to let him try, because I dont think we can get any worse than what Drake is contributing now...nothing

Edit: Spelling

Edited January 9, 2008 by Viperar

[DaKineMaui 8]

Maybe I've been living here too long, but there's a saying: "Only take what you need."

And in this case? No need.

aloha

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

I love Mac, but I seriously doubt that he'd be much better here than in Calgary during his last year. He's not a top fighter anymore, and we know he can't score. Yeah, he might be more useful than Kopecky, Drake, or Ellis, but that's not saying much. I've been saying all year that we need to go after either a physical D-man, or a top 6 forward. There's no reason now to make this move. He doesn't give us anything we need.

[Doggy 130]

I sincerely doubt he can make this team better. I love Mac and he'll always have a spot in every Wings fans heart but I really think he's done.

[Turkey 0]

I assume Drake is done after this year. Downey may or may not be coming back. The one scenario I could see being (remotely) possible is for Mac to play this year in GR and then if he truly rocks, get signed in the off season by somebody....maybe.

[Grittzkey 1]

McCarty will not have anything to do with the Wings.. Nor the Griffins

He started the game out with a long ass shift, then like late 2nd period/3rd period he was just gassed and couldnt really do much at all. He did play the Homer roll good on the PP, blocking the Goal tender and all.

But meh Overall i wasnt impressed. 1 assist and 1 good scoring chance. No physicality at all.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

As I said in the other thread about McCarty, he would have to make a MAJOR transformation and comeback before he deserves any spot in the Wings lineup.

Even if his attitude and commitment level has improved, I still wonder if he can stay healthy enough to play at an elite level.

[Reds4Life 51]

I would still give him chance. Can't be worse than Drake.

[Hockeytown Red Wings 245]

As I said in the other thread about McCarty, he would have to make a MAJOR transformation and comeback before he deserves any spot in the Wings lineup.

Even if his attitude and commitment level has improved, I still wonder if he can stay healthy enough to play at an elite level.

Yeah, I love the guy, but he's not the same player he was at 25.

I think it might be good for Wings marketing though, Mac was a huge fan favorite. I'm not saying to give him the keys to the locker room yet, but I'm inclined to give him a shot.

[irishtemper14+25 11]

I listened to the generals game earlier and he sounded like he was playing good, the announcer kept saying he was impressed with his play.

he tallied one assist and almost had a couple goals.

[96warrior 11]

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2008/01/wi...ncement_as.html

With no Wings announcement as to McCarty's inclusion in organizational plans, 'Mac's' got to focus on his tenute as a Flint General

Posted by George James Malik January 09, 2008 16:33PM

The Wings' press corps questioned whether the Wings' "major personnel announcement would include announcing some sort of provisional agreement with Darren McCarty to bring him back into the Red Wings' fold.

Realistically, such a decision is, at the very least, a month or more away as McCarty needs both significant IHL and AHL play to work himself into shape, so McCarty's focus at present is centered upon making a favourable impression on Flint Generals GM Ron Sanko and coach Kevin Kerr:

January 8, Flint Journal: "Obviously, we're excited to have Darren be part of the lineup and part of the organization," said director of hockey operations Ron Sanko. "We look forward to helping him in his comeback. As much as we can help to offer some conditioning, that's what we're looking for."

Barring unforeseen circumstances, McCarty will make his home debut Friday night against the Port Huron IceHawks at Perani Arena. The Generals are also home Sunday vs. Muskegon.

"You're putting a three-time Stanley Cup champion in our lineup," Sanko said. "I think we'll be a better team (today) and Friday night when we face Port Huron. All the good things are obvious. The character, the leadership, the ability, the work ethic he'll show our kids who want to get to the higher levels."

...

Flint coach Kevin Kerr said he would likely use McCarty on a forward line with Jason Cirone, Mike Kinnie and John DiPace, rotating the foursome to see which combination clicks.

"He's going to have a big impact on our team and a big impact in our locker room," Kerr said. "All the stuff we've talked about before with the younger guys, showing them what it means to be a pro."

The Detroit Free Press's Helene St. James attempted to analyze the situation as best she could:

January 9, Detroit Free Press: My question to those who want to see McCarty, 35, back in a Red Wings uniform is this: Whom could he supplant in the lineup?

We can, right off the bat, eliminate Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom, Jiri Hudler, Johan Franzen, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Valtteri Filppula and Mikael Samuelsson from the list. Yes, Samuelsson too. While he hasn't been very consistent this season, he is capable of being an offensive juggernaut, and he did have a good performance in last year's playoffs.

That leaves Tomas Kopecky, Matt Ellis, Dallas Drake, and Aaron Downey. Kopecky is only 25, and while he's still learning to be a physical player every night, he's a good, inexpensive depth player. Ellis is 26, and has shown himself a solid reserve when needed. Drake? He hasn't had a great first half, but his effectiveness was restricted by having to wear a full facemask to protect a broken cheekbone. He will fight if called upon, and is a solid penalty killer.

Then there's Downey. He's the enforcer on the team, and often a healthy scratch. But when he does play, he's smart - he makes sure he bothers opponents without being obvious enough to get called for a penalty. He's impressed Mike Babcock with a terrific work ethic, and Downey's sense of humor makes him a locker room favorite with teammates.

Is McCarty, whose contract was bought out by the Wings following the 2004-05 lockout season, an upgrade over anyone in this lineup? Keep in mind, this isn't the 1997 version of McCarty we're talking about. McCarty will be 36 on April 1. He's got a long history of injuries; most recently, last season with Calgary, he was limited to 32 games, and he played single-digit minutes in all of those games, didn't score a single point, and was a minus-3.

I think in all likelihood what will happen is this: If he doesn't garner interest from other NHL clubs over the next few weeks, the Wings will sign him to play in Grand Rapids.

[esteef 2,679]

If he can show progress he'd be a great depth player if someone goes down, and he is a proven playoff performer (especially against Roy!) Keep him in GR until something happens.

Cheers to DMAC coming back!

esteef

[Offsides 21]

If he earned it..I'd welcome him back. I have never been big on McCarty. I know he's a beloved Wing, but never been one of my personal favorites. Still, I like a good comeback, and the Wings have always been a family team, and he's a part of the family. Hopefully he can do it. It's a longshot, but it would be nice, heartwarming even.

[JackMallory 0]

He started the game out with a long ass shift, then like late 2nd period/3rd period he was just gassed and couldnt really do much at all. He did play the Homer roll good on the PP, blocking the Goal tender and all.

But meh Overall i wasnt impressed. 1 assist and 1 good scoring chance. No physicality at all.

This morning's game in Muskegon was for school kids. Teams do this once a year in the league and rough stuff is not encouraged. McCarty pounding someone into the ice was not on the agenda in today's game. It was supposed to be a G-rated game, my friend.

Here's an article about Mac from the Windsor newspaper: http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/story.ht...58a&k=81337

[Lady in REd 0]

Thanks for the article.

As for me, this issue has been debated for the last couple of weeks and there are those who think Mac has a good chance, and those who think he will contribute nothing.

I say we just sit back and see what happens, for me it can really go either way depending on his effort to earn a spot though there is going to have to be a lot of dedication on Mac's part.