Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Red Wings name Blashill, Peters as assistants; pressure builds for ‘Commodore 64' to happen

Mike Cvik, Mike Commodore

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Mike Commodore receives help from official Mike Cvik, center, and a Blue Jackets staff member after being injured in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009, in Dallas. Commodore re-entered the game with a few minutes left in the Blue Jackets’ 3-1 loss to the Stars. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

AP

Here’s a bit of news from the oft-interesting world of the Detroit Red Wings.

As we speculated earlier, one of them is Jeff Blashill. Blashill is the former head coach for Western Michigan and also coached the USHL’s Indiana Ice after assistant coaching stints with Miami of Ohio and Ferris State. Blashill called Friday an “emotional day” and stated that he is “excited for the opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream to coach in the NHL with the best organization in sports.”

Bill Peters will be the other Red Wings assistant. He spent three seasons with the Rockford Ice Hogs, the Chicago Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate. Peters compiled a 122-97-7-14 record in that time and also won a Memorial Cup with the Spokane Chiefs in 2007-08.

Puck Daddy promised to pledge $64 to Commodore’s favorite charity if he made the number change and encouraged others to do the same, raising a reported $3,456 (and counting?) if people stay true to their words and Commodore’s charity accepts the donations. Commodore discussed the possibility with Greg Wyshynski today.

About that decision: Commodore emailed us on Thursday to let us know a few things: His Twitter account was “blowing up” because of the campaign; he needs to talk to the Wings about the number, seeing as how he’s only spoken to Mike Babcock and Ken Holland so far and we doubt pop culture references to obsolete computers came up; and that he admitted “now there is pressure” on him to follow through.

This wouldn’t be the first time a professional athlete evokes video game nostalgia, but let’s hope that things end up better for Commodore than they did for troubled Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones and marginalized Green Bay Packers safety Atari Bigby.