Injuries ravaged the Red Wings last season, and one day into the preseason, they're already starting to pile up.
Against the Penguins, both Johan Franzen and Derek Meech suffered injuries. Meech's injury is something dealing with his head, and he left tonight's game and didn't return. Losing Meech wouldn't be a blow to the Red Wings at all, but they can't afford to be without Franzen's services again like last year.
Because of how Franzen got hurt tonight, I would say Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik quickly vaulted himself to public enemy No. 1 for Red Wings fans.
Then, after Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik committed a kneeing penalty at 18:17 on Franzen. Orpik and Todd Bertuzzi went at it. Bertuzzi was also assessed an instigator penalty and a 10-minute misconduct. Orpik was (given) a game misconduct penalty.
Franzen suffered a charley horse on the play. Wings announcer Ken Kal reported Franzen's charley horse on WXYT-AM (1270.
A charley horse shouldn't be a serious injury, so if that's all that happened to Franzen, the Wings got lucky. As for Orpik, who committed what was apparently a pretty dirty play, he ought to be suspended. Putting your knee out anytime like he did to collide with Franzen is cheap, but to do it in a meaningless preseason game is just plain wrong. Hopefully the NHL punishes him appropriately for the play.