DETROIT - Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg thanked fans for their support during his team's first season at Little Caesars Arena and apologized for the results.
The Red Wings missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, a fate sealed long before Saturday's season-ending 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders on John Tavares' goal with 1:44 remaining in overtime.
The Red Wings (30-39-13) finished 24 points out of the final playoff spot, a gap that might not be bridged anytime soon with a long rebuild looming.
"It took a while to admit it, but we're in a rebuild," Zetterberg said.