Detroit — The backdrop of dueling Red Wings and Penguins logos on the Little Caesars Arena was flush with tie-dye. A Grateful Dead cover band, “Dead Again,” played in the concourse before the game. Special edition jerseys with skulls wearing hockey helmets with a lightning bolt on the forehead graced every section in the arena.
But no, fans in attendance were not, in fact, tripping — at least not at the sight of the Wings losing their 11th game in as many tries on Saturday night, the realities of which are far too tangible and well-documented to be part of some psychedelic fit.