It was the old Red Wings getting the better of the future Red Wing in Wednesday’s Champions Hockey League final. Swiss club Servette Geneva edged Sweden’s Skelleftea 3-2 in the title game to determine the top club team in Europe.

In posting the victory, Servette Geneva forward Valterri Filppula was also making hockey history. He’s the last active player from Detroit’s most recent Stanley Cup winner in 2007-08. Filppula is also among 30 players who are members of the triple gold club. He’s captained Finland to gold-medal performances at the Winter Olympics and the IIHF World Hockey Championship.

Valtteri Filppula since leaving the NHL in 2021:

-Olympic gold
-WC gold (& Triple Gold membership!)
-Swiss champion
-President's Trophy, for impact on Finnish hockey
-CHL champion

Winner. pic.twitter.com/vJdlGhvycj

— the val, pwhl enthusiast (@Valpix666) February 20, 2024

However, once he was hoisting the Champions Hockey League trophy aloft on Wednesday, Filppula was joining a club of which he is the only member. No player previously was showing Stanley Cup, Olympic and world titles and a Champions League crown on their hockey resumes.

“I am happy to join other big European names with my record,” Filppula told RTSsport.ch. “I was lucky to be able to play for so long and to have been part of teams capable of winning. It makes me proud.”

Filppula would dish out an assist on Sakari Manninen’s first-period power-play goal that gave Servette Geneva the lead at 2-1. In 13 CHL games, he would account for three goals and seven assists. Filppula tallied twice in the Swiss club’s semifinal win over Finland’s Lukko Rauma.

Toista kertaa
Euroopan mestarina. #CHLFinal2024 @officialGSHC @JYPJyvaskyla@championshockey pic.twitter.com/77fgNMwOSf

— hilkka olkinuora (@hilkkao) February 20, 2024

Also playing a key role in the victory for the Swiss team was goaltender Jussi Olkinuora. Earning the win, the Finnish netminder was turning aside 23 shots.

After signing with the Red Wings last season, Olkinuora spent the first half of the 2022-23 campaign with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins prior to returning to Europe.

Red Wings Prospect Sandin Pellikka Blanked

Not so fortunate on the day was 2023 Red Wings draftee Axel Sandin Pellikka. Only recently back from an upper-body injury he suffered while playing for Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Championship, defenseman Sandin Pellikka was held off the scoresheet. The 17th player chosen in last year’s NHL entry draft saw 14:21 of ice time during the contest. He had three blocked shots.

The post Former Red Wings Forward Filppula Makes Hockey History appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

When you consider the NHL, European Club play and international competition, former Detroit Red Wings player Valtteri Filppula seems to have cornered the market on team success.

The Finnish veteran is less than two months short of his 40th birthday and yet he’s still delivering important goals at key moments. On Jan. 16, he scored twice to lift his Swiss League team Geneve-Servette team to a 3-2 win against the Finnish team Lukko Rauma in a Champions League semifinal. The win propels Geneve-Servette into the Champions League Feb. 20 final in Geneva against the Swedish team Skelleftea.

“It’s always nice to score but the assists made these goals happen,” he told the Champions League website, “I don’t score that much these days so it was good to get back into it.”

The post Is Filppula The Most Decorated Former Red Wings Player? (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Valtteri Filppula is only a couple of months from his 39th birthday and yet he is in the hunt to win the scoring title Switzerland’s National League.

Filppula, who last played for the Detroit Red Wings two years ago, boasts 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points playing with Geneve Servette. That places Filppula second, two points behind former Ottawa Senators player Chris Didomenico who leads the NLA with 43 points.

Czech player Roman Cervenka, who played a partial season with the Calgary Flames, is tied with Filppula with 41 points.

Filppula did not practice Thursday because of an undisclosed injury and may not able to play tonight’s Geneve Servette game. He is officially listed as day-to-day

What keeps Filppula competitive? He’s a smart two-way player who understand how the game should be played. Detroit GM Steve Yzerman always liked him.

Gli attaccanti Filppula e Pouliot in dubbio per il Ginevra in vista del match di Bienne – https://t.co/qtqE0BsJy7 #GSHC #NLA pic.twitter.com/e0QQN1MghL

— HeShootsHeScoores (@HSHScom) January 20, 2023

NHL Rumors

The NHL is a tough business. Imagine how Bruce Boudreau hearing reports that the Canucks are close to replacing him with Rick Tocchet.

Tocchet has said he hasn’t signed any contract. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. The Sportsnet report is here: 

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Bob Duff writes that the Red Wings are confounding Detroit fans because they can perform like a playoff team one day and look like a basement dweller the next.

GM Steve Yzerman made a couple of trades that should help create more minutes for Jakub Vrana with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

With the NHL trade deadline coming, it’s time to consider who might be dealt.

Red Wings’ Next Game

The Red Wings (19-17-8) will be home Saturday to face the Philadelphia Flyers (19-20-7). Coach John Tortorella has the Flyers playing better than expected. Even after losing 4-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday, the Flyers are stil 7-3 in their last 10.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: David Pastrnak, to no one’s surprise, is an NHL All-Star. Boston Bruins. 

Colorado:  Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon will represent the Avalanche at the All-Star game. Colorado Avalanche. 

Florida: George Richards writes that the Panthers are playing their best hockey of the season right now. Florida Panthers. 

Montreal: The Canadiens have a surplus of left-shot D men and may move one. Montreal Canadiens.

New York: All-Star Ilya Sorokin’s strong play wasn’t enough to save the Islanders against Buffalo. New York Islanders 

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Philadelphia: The Flyers lose to the Blackhawks in Philadelphia for the first time since President Bill Clinton was in office. Philadelphia Flyers. 

Pittsburgh: It hasn’t been clear sailing for the Penguins. The boat has holes. It’s taking on water. It needs help. “Where is Ron Hextall,” asks PHN’s Dan Kingerski. Pittsburgh Penguins. 

San Jose:  Radim Simek is being extra cautious with his second concussion this season. San Jose Sharks. 

The post The Daily: Filppula Chases Swiss Scoring Title; Tocchet in Vancouver? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

For the fourth successive IIHF World Championship tournament, Detroit Red Wings players are coming home with medals around their necks.

That’s the good news. Of course, the bad news is that if your team’s players are perenially winning medals at the world tourney, it more than likely means the club wasn’t playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

This year, it was Czechia, whose roster included Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek and forward Jakub Vrana, rallying from a 3-1 first-period deficit to whip the USA 8-4 in Sunday’s bronze-medal game. Neither Hronek or Vrana figured in the scoring during the game.

Lift it high, @narodnitym #CZEUSA #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/DuoJ6luQgn

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 29, 2022

Forward Riley Barber, who spent most of the 2021-22 season with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, was part of the vanquished USA roster. Barber led the Griffins with 28 goals in just 49 games this season. He also saw action in four games for the Red Wings.

Last year, then-Red Wings defenseman Troy Stecher helped Canada win the gold medal at the worlds. In 2019, former Detroit forward Anthony Mantha was part of Canada’s silver medal-winning squad. A year earlier, then-Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist won a gold medal with Sweden.

The 2020 IIHF World Championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ex-Red Wings Forward Filppula Joins Triple Gold Club

After squandering a 3-1 lead, Finland ended up scoring in overtime to defeat Canada 4-3 in the gold-medal game. It was the third straight tournament seeing a Canada-Finland final.

Stanley Cup:
Olympic gold medal: #IIHFWorlds title:

Valtteri Filppula is the first Finn to win Olympic gold, the Stanley Cup, and #IIHFWorlds gold.

Welcome to the Triple Gold Club, captain #FINCAN #IIHFWorlds @leijonat pic.twitter.com/moGqmY4fw1

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 29, 2022

Via the victory, Finland captain Valtteri Filppula is adding his name to a very exclusive list. He’s now part of the exclusive Triple Gold Club. This group of players have won the IIHF World Championship, Olympic Gold Medal and Stanley Cup during their playing careers.

Filppula, 38, captained Finland to the gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. He won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2007-08. Fillpula played two stints in Detroit – from 2006-13 and 2019-21.

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He’s the 30th player to earn membership in this fraternity and the 10th who won the Stanley Cup while playing for the Red Wings. Igor Larionov, Slava Fetisov, Brendan Shanahan, Jiri Slegr, Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall, Nicklas Lidstrom, Mikael Samuelsson and Pavel Datsyuk are the others.

The post Red Wings Hronek, Vrana Earn Bronze Medal With Czechia at Worlds appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

His first year away from the Detroit Red Wings is proving to be a big one for Valtteri Filppula. Already a Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings in 2007-08, he captained Finland to the Olympic gold medal earlier this year in Beijing.

“It was a long time ago,” Filppula told IIHF.com of his Detroit Cup triumph. “My second full year of playing in the NHL and I have nothing but good memories from that Red Wings team.

“It’s definitely the biggest thing I’ve won in hockey and obviously the Olympics is another huge thing. It’s just a little different when it’s a tournament whereas the Stanley Cup is something you play for the whole year.”

Leading Finland into the IIHF World Championship quarterfinals on home ice against Slovakia – whose captain is also an ex-Red Wings player in Tomas Tatar of the New Jersey Devils – Filppula is three wins away from his first world title.

Three months ago, Filppula captained @leijonat to an Olympic gold medal in Beijing, China. Now, he’s one of several returning players looking to do it all again, this time on home ice.

Full story https://t.co/r9a13JHsPH pic.twitter.com/scLJelutgL

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 25, 2022

Should he get that win, Filppula would gain entry into one of hockey’s most exclusive groups – the Triple Gold Club. He’d be the first Finn to earn entry into the fraternity.

“I’ve heard about that, yeah,” Filppula said. “But I think the bigger thing would be to just win this tournament with the guys.”

According to the IIHF, over 15,000 players have skated in the World Championship. Some 9,000 have sought to win the Stanley Cup. And approximately 4,000 set out in pursuit of Olympic Gold.

Only 29 players have won all three.

Filppula Would Be No. 30

Were Filppula to win the worlds, he’d be the 30th member of the Triple Gold Club. He’d also be the 10th among that group who won their Stanley Cup while playing for the Red Wings.

Four of Filppula’s teammates with the 2007-08 Cup champion Red Wings are already in the Triple Gold Club. Niklas Kronwall, Henrik Zetterberg and Mikael Samuelsson were teammates for all three of their successes – the 2007-08 Detroit Stanley Cup and 2006 Olympic and World titles with Sweden.

Pavel Datsyuk was a Stanley Cup champion with the the Wings in 2001-02 and 2007-08. He won the Worlds with Russia in 2012 and the Olympics with the Russians in 2018.

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Nicklas Lidstrom was a four-time Cup champion in Detroit – 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02 and 2007-08. He’d won the World Championship with Sweden in 1991 and earned his Olympic gold medal with Tre Kronor in 2006.

Jiri Slegr was a Stanley Cup champion with the 2001-02 Wings. He won an Olympic gold with the Czech Republic in 1998 and a world title with his country in 2005.

Arriving in Detroit in 1996, Brendan Shanahan was a World Champion already, having won with Canada in 1994. He’d win three Stanley Cups with the Wings in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 2001-02, also earning Olympic gold with Canada in 2002.

Igor Larionov was another three-time Cup winner in Detroit in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 2001-02. He was Olympic champion with the Soviet Union in 1984 and 1988 and World Champion with them in 1982, 1983, 1986 and 1989.

Slava Fetisov won Stanley Cups with the 1996-97 and 1997-98 Red Wings. Playing for the Soviet Union, he was a world champion in 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989 and 1990 and won Olympic titles with the Soviets in 1984 and 1988.

Playing In Switzerland

After finishing up with the Wings in 2021, Filppula signed to play with Servette Geneva in the Swiss League this season and intends to return next season.

Valtteri Filppula 1-0 Finland pic.twitter.com/PwqLDkmall

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) May 21, 2022

While he’d be honored to join the Triple Gold Club, it isn’t his priority.

“At the end of the day, it would be great to have all three but that’s definitely not the main focus,” Filppula said. “The focus is doing as well as we can with this group and that would be reward enough, I think.”

The post Filppula Could Add Another Red Wings Player To Triple Gold Club appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill admitted that he didn’t see much of the Olympic hockey action from the Beijing Winter Games. He did, however, see his former player Valtteri Filppula captain Finland to the gold medal on Sunday.

“A very cool experience,” Blashill said. “[Frans] Nielsen was the flag bearer (for Denmark). Fil won the gold. That’s awesome for those guys to get those opportunities.

Congrats on Olympic , Valtteri Filppula!

: @OlympicTeamFI / Jesse Väänänen pic.twitter.com/M1iG51xLWt

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 20, 2022

“Those two in particular are great pros, so I was real happy for those guys that they got those opportunities.”

Filppula spent two stints with the Red Wings, winning a Stanley Cup in 2007-08. He is the 22nd player with Detroit connections to capture Olympic gold. Here’s the complete list:

Detroit Red Wings Olympic Gold Medalists

It was also a golden day on Sunday for Detroit’s AHL farm club the Grand Rapids Griffins. Firstly, both Filppula and Finnish goaltender Harri Sateri played for the Griffins. Secondly, former Grand Rapids netminder Patrik Rybar won a bronze medal with Slovakia. It marked the fifth consecutive Olympics in which at least one Griffins alum stood on the medal podium.

Around The NHL

Detroit: Dominant Swedish club Frolunda is starting to look like a Red Wings farm team.

Boston: The Boston Bruins pulled 10 points ahead of the Wings in the chase for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. That’s thanks to Monday’s 5-1 drubbing of the Colorado Avalanche.

Colorado: Losing 5-1 at Boston, the Colorado Avalanche are coming to Detroit on Wednesday. They will be doing so after playing what’s being described as the club’s worst game of the season.

Washington: Former Wings forward Anthony Mantha (shoulder surgery) skated in Monday’s practice with the Washington Capitals for the first time since Nov. 4. He did so wearing a non-contact jersey, however.

Philadelphia: A 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday was the fifth in a row for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Florida: Defenseman Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers is the NHL’s Second Star of the Week.

NY Islanders: The New York Islanders are welcoming back goaltender Semyon Varlamov from COVID-19 protocol.

San Jose: Forward Jason Dzingel was claimed on waivers by the San Jose Sharks from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The post Duffer’s Dabbles: Filppula is 22nd Red Wings Player To Win Olympic Gold appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Former Detroit Red Wings Frans Nielsen (Denmark) and Valtteri Filppula (Finland) were chosen to carry the flag for their country at the Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing.

Frans Nielsen, 37, was the first player from Denmark to play in the NHL. He has represented Denmark several times in international competition. He is playing for the Berlin Polar Bears this season after playing five seasons for the Detroit Red Wings.

Filppula, 37, is playing in his second Olympic games for Finland. Filppula won a bronze medal playing for the Finns at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. He is enjoying an exceptional season (13 goals, 36 points in 39 games) for Geneve Servette  in the Swiss League. Fillppula played 10 seasons for the Red Wings.

“This is an honorable task and wonderful thing,” Filppula told a Swiss organization.

We spy #AHLGrad Frans Nielsen as one of Denmark’s flag bearers! #OpeningCeremony

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) February 4, 2022

NHL Trade Rumors

Vancouver: Hockey Now’s Rob Simpson, weighs in on the Canucks-Bruins NHL trade rumors. JT Miller, Conor Garland and Bruins 2021 pick Fabian Lysell. He’s playing for the Vancouver Giants.

Around the NHL

Detroit: Shawn Horcoff named the Detroit Red Wings’ new assistant general manager Thursday.

Also: Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin reminisces about his 2016 Fastest Skater win at the NHL Skills Contest.

Boston: Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty, gives his take on the state of the Boston Bruins at the midseason point. The turning point came when head coach Bruce Cassidy changed the Boston Bruins lines.

Colorado: Can Cale Makar win the NHL’s Fastest Skater Competition in Las Vegas tonight?

Florida:  Jonathan Huberdeau is heading to the NHL All-Star game as the league’s points leader.

Philadelphia: Flyers are asking their fans to give their opinion on how to make the Philadelphia game experience better.

San Jose: It’s San Jose Hockey Now’s subscriber mailbag time. Answer is provided for the question about whether Brent Burns is ruining Mario Ferraro.

The post The Daily: Two former Red Wings named Olympic Flag Bearers appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The last-minute change from NHL players to thrown-together rosters has also thrown the Olympic men’s hockey tournament for a loop in terms of the betting odds on the event.

Canada was a clear favorite when NHL players were scheduled to participate. Since the change to lesser rosters, it’s the Russian Olympic Committee squad that sportsbook like across the board as the betting chalk.

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Forward Alexander Kadeikin, selected 201st overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2014 NHL entry draft, is part of the Russian squad.

Olympic Hockey Odds Fluctuating

After the Russians, sports betting sites are all over the map as to where they rank the teams. At FanDuel, Canada, whose roster includes ex-Red Wings forward Landon Ferraro, is the second betting choice at +340. DraftKings prefers Finland, with former Wings forward Valtteri Filppula, at +400.

BetMGM also likes the Finns second-best at +440. They’ve got Slovakia, with ex-Wing Tomas Jurco at +500, Denmark and former Wing Frans Nielsen at +1000 and China, with ex-Wings defensemen Ryan Sproul and Jake Chelios, is also at +1000.

Down On The Farm

It isn’t just the Red Wings who are struggling to put together wins. Their AHL farm club the Grand Rapids Griffins have also hit the skids.

A 4-3 loss to the Toronto Marlies Wednesday at Van Andel Arena exptended GR’s winless skid to six games (0-5-1). The Griffins squandered a 3-2 third-period lead.

Around The NHL

Detroit: Red Wings assistant GM Pat Verbeek is expected to be named GM of the Anaheim Ducks as early as today.

Pittsburgh: With the arrival of the NHL All-Star Break, the Penguins sent four players to AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton.

Boston: The Bruins are again being linked to Vancouver’s Conor Garland in trade speculation.

NY Islanders: As the Isles were being shut out 3-0 by the Seattle Kraken, the question had to be asked – should the Islanders have protected Jordan Eberle over Kyle Palmieri in last summer’s NHL expansion draft?

The post Duffer’s Dabbles: Olympic Betting Odds All Over The Place appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

It was clear almost from the outset when he arrived with the Detroit Red Wings. Forward Ville Leino wasn’t going to be someone who flowed with the NHL traffic. In a paint by number culture, he was someone who did his best creative work outside those lines.

Leino and then-Red Wings coach Mike Babcock never saw eye to eye. During the 2009-10 season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. There, in the spring of 2009-10, Leino posted 7-14-21 totals in the Philly’s run to the Stanley Cup final. That total ended up setting a new playoff mark for rookies.

Valtteri Filppula and super fresh Pineapple cap + pocket tee combo Get yours at https://t.co/6T8ki8pYXl pic.twitter.com/5zR9xndLQt

— Billebeino (@billebeino) July 20, 2016

”I had to bite my tongue so many times over the years,” Leino told Hockey Wanderlust. “Yes, hockey is a team sport and you’re expected to fall in line, but hockey is such a conservative world.”

He’s a self-taught musician, artist and yes, hockey player. Leino has added clothing designer to his repertoire since leaving the NHL. His Billebeino line is growing rapidly in popularity. He’s produced clothing lines in conjunction with the Angry Birds, the Beatles, New Balance and EA Sports. Among the celebrities serving as brand influencers for Billebeino are Formula 1 driver Kimi Raikkonen, and NHLers Tuukka Rask, Teemu Selanne and former Red Wing Valtteri Filppula.

Down On The Farm

The AHL Grand Rapids Griffins fell to 0-5-0-1 in their last six trips to Manitoba. They lost to the Moose 3-2 on Saturday.

Finishing the night with a goal and an assist, Turner Elson extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.

Around The NHL

Detroit – Goalie Sebastian Cossa and defenseman Simon Edvinsson, Detroit’s 2021 first-round draft picks, are offering inklings that like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, they could quickly become impactful Red Wings.

Boston – It’s probably just a coincidence that Bruins goalies Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman both are stepping up their game since Tuukka Rask participate in a Boston practice.

Islanders: The Isles come to Little Caesars Arena to face the Red Wings on Tuesday. Coach Barry Trotz sent his struggling team a message by benching veteran forward Anthony Beauvillier for Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.

The post Duffer’s Dabbles: Billebeino A Hit For Fomer Red Wings Forward Leino appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Another member of the 2021 Detroit Red Wings has found a new hockey home. Veteran forward Valtteri Filppula has signed to play the 2021-22 season with Servette Geneva of the Swiss League.

Filppula, 37, played 10 of his 16 NHL seasons with the Red Wings, including the last two. He scored six goals in each of the past two seasons. Over 591 games for Detroit he accumulated 112 goals and 175 assists.

Vrana & Filppula connect for Fil's 5th of the season. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/WODxXtXtGe

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 21, 2021

An 2010 Olympic bronze medal winner with Finland, 2005-06 was Filppula’s rookie season with the Red Wings. Filppula left Detroit the first time in 2013. He signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning and then Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. Yzerman brought Filppula back to Detroit as a UFA in 2019.

Filppula and Darren Helm were the last connections with the Wings to Detroit’s most recent Stanley Cup winner in 2007-08. Helm also departed this summer. He inked a free agent deal with the Colorado Avalanche.

He’ll be one of four import players who will suit up for Servette Geneva this season. That quartet also includes 11-season NHL veteran forward Daniel Winnik.

Filppula is the second member of the 2021 Red Wings to sign to play in Switzerland. Defenseman Christian Djoos joined EV Zug shortly following the conclusion of last season.

The post Former Red Wing Filppula Signs To Play In Switzerland appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.