(Photo: Mark Humphrey, Associated Press)
July 1 is a national holiday in Canada.
It used to be a local one here in Detroit, too. Canada Day was the day the Red Wings and their owner flashed their independent streak, spending money freely — and foolishly, at times — in pursuit of what eventually became a fading ideal.
But those days are a thing of the past, at least for the moment. And coupled with the return of Steve Yzerman to lead the franchise as general manager, Monday’s rather mundane start to NHL free agency was another reminder of how much things have changed.