Jeff Blashill praises red-hot Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi

Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi is enjoying a red-hot start to the 2021-22 NHL Season, having tallied five goals in the first three games (four alone in Thursday's home opener) and showing zero signs of rust after having missed the majority of last season with a back ailment that eventually required surgery. 

“He looks like he’s got great energy,” coach Jeff Blashill said Wednesday. “He’s been on pucks. He’s always been kind of a junkyard dog in terms of how he plays, but he looks like he’s skating well, which is great. Over the years, different guys have had major back surgery and sometimes the damage is more significant than others, so you just don’t know. So it’s been great to see him skating well, feeling good and playing good hockey.”

Of course, Bertuzzi has also made headlines for his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccination, only one of four National Hockey League Players who have made that decision. Because of this, he's ineligible to participate in his team's games north of the Canadian border. He'll have to miss his first game of the year this weekend when his team visits the Montreal Canadiens, but Bertuzzi said he'll be cheering on his teammates from home. 

Meanwhile, Bertuzzi is tied for the NHL lead in goals alongside Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar. His hard-nosed playing style and knack for the net is coming in handy for the Red Wings, who are 2-0-1 to begin the year. And for Blashill, he's got all of the qualities that you'd want on your team. 

“Bert is a winning hockey player,” Blashill said. “When he first came to play for me, it was in Grand Rapids in the playoffs. As a guy coming from juniors, he stepped right in. As I remember, actually he was sick the first two games and we went down 0-2, and then went up 3-2 in the series, against Toronto.

“He’s a good player. He’s somebody that I think is the type of player you want on your team and he does a lot of things well. He’s a good defensive player, he goes to the net hard, he wins puck battles and he’s got skill.”