Justin Abdelkader bade farewell to the Detroit Red Wings in an emotional outpouring that came a month after he was let go.
Writing in the Players' Tribune on Monday, Abdelkader shared a funny encounter with Mike Babcock on Abdelkader’s first day at Joe Louis Arena, and revealed just how nerve-wracking that day was overall. Abdelkader also touched on how much it meant to play for the team he grew up adoring.
“All I ever wanted to be was a Red Wing,” the piece begins. “As a boy, that’s what I dreamed of. It was a dream I felt like I could reach out and touch when I was five years old and I was at the Joe Louis Arena for the very first time.