Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill on brawl with Flames: 'You have to fight for your teammates'

Blashill says Red Wings let themselves get pushed around last year

Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill made it clear he wants his players sticking up for each other like they did Wednesday night against the Calgary Flames. 

In an interview with SportsNet this week Blashill said he thinks this kind of thing can create bonding for players. 

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"There's something to be said for making sure you don't get pushed around, and I'm a big believer in you have to fight for your teammates. And that isn't always physically fighting, it's making sure you're sticking up for each other and you're looking after each other," said Blashill. 

The Red Wings coach continued with a comment about the Red Wings missing the playoffs last year for the first time in 25 years. 

"I thought at the end last year -- you know, we were out of it for the first time in a long time -- and to some degree we let it happen, and to some degree we let ourselves get pushed around. And I think something we talked lots about is making sure we draw a line in the sand and say we're not gonna get pushed. That's not always going to show up in fighting but sometimes it is. I think it's important for our team to know that when people bump our goalies a couple times there could be a consequence. When people take runs at some of our young players, there could be consequence," he said. 

Blashill said the Red Wings acquired Luke Witkowski for this very reason. Witknowski was sent off the ice for a fight late in the third period Wednesday night. Instead of going straight to the locker room, he returned to the ice, triggering the 10-game suspension.

Listen to the full interview here: