Detroit Red Wings will be rooting for, checking on Lions, while playing Leafs in Toronto

Much as the Detroit Red Wings are keyed in on stoking their own playoff hopes, they are, naturally, all in on cheering for the Detroit Lions as they embark on theirs.

"It will be hard," Wings coach Derek Lalonde said with a smile Friday when asked about keeping focused on hockey come Sunday night. The Wings have a game against the Maple Leafs in Toronto slated to start at 7:08 p.m., roughly an hour before the Lions kick off against the Los Angeles Rams.

"We’re all very excited for them and we’ll be getting our updates during the game when we can," Robby Fabbri said. "I’m sure we’ll all be glued to the TV after our game is done.

"Maybe we’ll delay the plane a little bit so we can all watch it on our phones. In the air, we won’t be able to."

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The Wings are scheduled to be in the air around 11 p.m., depending on when the game ends. They're flying directly to Fort Lauderdale, Florida., where they play the Panthers on Wednesday. There's wifi on the plane, but not it's good enough to stream while in the air.

"It’s OK," Ben Chiarot said. "Not the greatest.

"I'm really excited for the Lions. I’m really excited for them. Detroit’s an awesome sports town and the Lions, they show that."

There might be a delay leaving Toronto if the team's video coordinators — LJ Scarpace and Jeff Weintraub — have anything to do with it. Lalonde's roots in upstate New York make the Buffalo Bills his primary NFL allegiance, but he's become a fan of the Lions, and especially coach Dan Campbell, since being named coach of the Wings in 2022. The two have met and texted, and Lalonde has invited Campbell to come speak to the Wings when time allows.

"I’m huge on the Lions bandwagon, I’m a huge Coach Campbell fan," Lalonde said. "This is awesome. I’m not as invested as with my Bills, but our two video coaches will be mush."

Lalonde brought up a situation from Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers, when Connor McDavid scored. Out on the bench, Lalonde and his assistants were considering challenging offside, but in the back, Scarpace and Weintraub were immediately able to review video and see that McDavid waited a split second for Leon Draisaitl to get onside before McDavid touched the puck. Had the Wings challenged they would have lost, and been assessed a penalty for delay of game.

"The call they made for us (Thursday), to not challenge the offside, was huge," Lalonde said, laughing. "They’ll miss that Sunday night. Hopefully, we won’t have that situation."

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Weintraub is an especially big Lions fan, and that has Lalonde prepared.

"Jeff Weintraub, he’s gong to call in a weather report," Lalonde said. "He's ready.

"He helps me with the schedule. I have to fight between whether he’s trying to rearrange the schedule to help our group, or he’s trying to rearrange the schedule for his own Detroit Lions sporting needs."

Moritz Seider has caught Lions fever since coming to Detroit, and got the opportunity to go to Ford Field along with good friend and teammate Lucas Raymond.

"We had a chance to go out there for training camp, me and Lucas, and it was really cool," Seider said. "We had a chance to meet some of the guys and went to a couple games the last few years. We’ll be cheering for sure."

Alex DeBrincat grew up in Farmington Hills rooting for the Lions even as they endured some tough seasons.

"They were a big part of my childhood," he said. "Not the best of times, but it’s nice being around for the bad times to enjoy these good times a little bit more.

"It’s cool as a fan seeing the city buzzing over it. It’s awesome to watch that happen and see they’re one of the best teams in the league. It’s been fun as a fan."

DeBrincat had a close encounter over the past week with Lions tackle Penei Sewell.

"I was at dinner the other night and I was sitting next to Penei," DeBrincat said. "I don’t think he knew who I was, so I just kept quiet. We were eating dinner right next to each other, it was a hibachi, so the table was in the middle and we were at the same table.

"I knew who he was, so it was pretty cool. Pretty big dude, for sure. He probably thought I was still in high school."

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her @helenestjames.

Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings all in on cheering for Detroit Lions in NFL playoffs