Playing on New Year’s Eve is a Detroit Red Wings franchise tradition that dates back nearly a century, and one the Wings are all the more thrilled to continue this year.
It has been a tumultuous time, one that has heightened appreciation of what might have been taken for granted in the past. COVID-19 forced the Wings to shut down after playing the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 18 — with two games postponed before Christmas and two more this week — so Friday’s match against the Washington Capitals is a welcome sign of normalcy.