Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Head coach Dan Watson saw the silver lining in his Grand Rapids Griffins’ recent slump.
“One hundred percent” his team got jolted back to reality, he said.
When you start a season with one regulation loss in the first three months, you get a little more leeway. Watson’s Griffins were an astounding 29-1-1-1 through 32 games, then suddenly lost six of their next nine outings.
In the bigger picture, Watson believes that brief swoon reinforced to his players that nothing about the rest of their quest for a Calder Cup championship will come easily.
“We face some really good teams,” Watson said. “Our guys have to understand that we’re going to face everyone’s best, and we have to be prepared for that.”
Even the celebration for officially clinching a playoff spot was muted by a loss. The Griffins dropped a 3-2 decision last Friday to Iowa – 45 points behind them in the standings – meaning Grand Rapids needed to wait for Rockford’s loss later in the evening to secure their postseason invitation.
One of the dangers of locking up a playoff berth so early is that it leaves a quarter of their season still to go without the pressure that typically comes with the stretch drive. Bad habits could creep in. Complacency as well. Given their 21-point divisional lead, the Griffins can expect to have a first-round bye in the postseason, meaning some down time following their regular-season finale at Cleveland on April 19.
Then there is Detroit’s own fight to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. How will the Red Wings approach this week’s trade deadline?
And of course, the Griffins have history in their sights also. They’re poised to claim their first division title since 2014-15. They’re trying to hold off Providence and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as regular-season champions, a prize last won by Grand Rapids in 2005-06. And they have a chance to push aside the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers in the AHL record book; that Rangers team went 57-13-10 for a league-record .775 points percentage. The Griffins need 26 points over their last 19 games to surpass that mark.
Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman and assistant GM Shawn Horcoff maintain a close focus on the operations in Grand Rapids. Yzerman has made a point of saying he wants “a winning environment” for the Griffins.
Watson believes that his team’s foundation has staying power that can serve them well into the spring.
“I think we’re competitive,” Watson said. “Our guys have an unbelievable work ethic whether it’s practice [or] games, instilled in them since training camp. I think they’ve done a really good job trying to push each other to be better.
“That’s how you can cultivate a good culture and identity.”
Having stumbled a bit recently, Watson and his players are ready for whatever is to come.
“You have to go through adversity, be tested, and see how you come out on the other side.”
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.