from Dana Wakiji of DetroitRedWings.com,
The hardest thing is not just getting to the NHL, it's becoming what former Wings coach Mike Babcock calls an "everydayer."
Over the course of a grueling 82-game schedule, there aren't that many games where players feel 100 percent.
So players have to find a way to prepare themselves to get through a 60-minute game and help their team win somehow.
"Guys (who) are coming up from the American League generally are elite players at the American League level so their talent discrepancy is greater," Wings coach Jeff Blashill said.