Horcoff Only Interested in Red Wings’ Future

With the goings-on of the past few months, it’s been easy to portray the Detroit Red Wings as some sort of Mickey Mouse operation.

Here’s the thing, though: that may not be an accurate portrayal.

As the Red Wings open training camp on Thursday, they’ve been evicted from the main ice sheet at Little Caesars Arena by Disney on Ice.

So you see, they aren’t a Mickey Mouse outfit. They are playing second fiddle to one.

For the first time since he was named interim GM of the Red Wings, Shawn Horcoff met with the media in a formal setting on Wednesday. He’s aware of how the team is being viewed by the general public, and lately, by their own fan base.

It is not a pretty picture that is being painted.

” Horcoff said. “What noise?

I think that’s what it was, just external noise. It wasn’t as loud for the people that were in here.

“We went through a major leadership change, and it took a couple of weeks for us to get used to that. But then it became very clear what our goal was: Everyone in their department take control of it, take ownership of it, and find ways to improve and get better.”

Horcoff Only Interested in Taking Red Wings Forward

Yes, it’s true. The missteps by this team since the end of last season have been many.

The GM is gone. The former captain wants out.

And the entire situation has been handled about as effectively as someone attempting to put the pin back in a live hand grenade.

Let’s be clear on another thing: None of this was Horcoff’s doing. He’s simply the one who’s been tasked with the duty of cleaning up the mess.

There were questions about the summer of turmoil. Horcoff fielded queries about the collapse of last season.

He’s making it clear that his choice is not to live in the past.

“I want to focus on this season and moving ahead,” Horcoff said. “We want to focus on what it’s going to take for us to get over that hump.”

He also wants nothing to do with the “R” word.

“A rebuild to me is out of the question,” Horcoff said. “We have too many good players in that lineup.

“Listen, we’ve been close the last three years in a row. We’ve been really close.”

How Long Will He Be In Charge?

As long as he wears the interim tag, Horcoff also recognizes that he lives in uncertainty. When will he be replaced?

Two weeks? Three months?

Next summer?

No one knows, including him. It is worth noting, though, that you generally don’t hold media availabilities with short-term solutions.

In the meantime, as long as he’s at the helm, he’ll emphasize the task at hand – righting the ship, setting sail in a better direction.

“We have some fantastic people here, from players to staff, very capable staff, management, coaches,” Horcoff said. “I want to listen to them all and come in and hear their ideas on how we can make improvements.

“But my philosophy is to focus on the day-to-day, and hopefully we can get some results.”