Todd McLellan says Dylan Larkin chose to stand on the Detroit Red Wings bench during opening-night introductions and take the boos head-on.
"Dylan being part of the team, he wanted to be out there for the ceremony," McLellan said in a video posted by the Red Wings and shared by Brad Galli on Saturday.
In the clip, McLellan sits in a pale blue shirt in front of a red team backdrop, leaning toward a single Red Wings microphone.
Credit to Larkin for that. Hiding in the tunnel would have been easier, and he picked the uncomfortable option instead.
It's showing up to the family reunion after the big falling-out, knowing exactly how the room is going to react.
Does standing there change anything? Not the trade request, and McLellan didn't pretend otherwise.
Larkin wasn't in uniform for the opener, and Marqueur.com reported that some fans wore modified jerseys insulting him directly.
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Todd McLellan ties the boos to Larkin's trade request
"Obviously he's got to live with the ramifications of asking for a trade," McLellan said.
"It's not comfortable for anybody, I feel bad for him. I do," he added.
That's about as candid as a coach gets with a trade request hanging over his room.
Larkin named three teams in June where he'd accept a trade, per Marqueur.com: Florida, Vegas and Minnesota. Elliotte Friedman later reported that Colorado, Tampa Bay, Washington and Dallas were added.
Nick Kypreos reported last week that he still had no interest in coming to Canada, even after Montreal took a crack at him.
The Red Wings lost the opener 2-0 to the Rangers, with Dylan Garand stopping all 22 shots. John Gibson made 19 saves on 20 at the other end.
The Jets visit Sunday afternoon, followed by the Senators on Tuesday.
Detroit's first trip to Montreal comes on October 10.
Steve Yzerman has a player who wants out and a building that has picked a side. Every home game until a deal gets done is going to sound a lot like Friday.
Did Red Wings fans go too far by booing Dylan Larkin at the home opener?
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