DETROIT, Mich. — Detroit Red Wings owner Chris Ilitch told reporters Thursday he understands sell-the-team chants at Little Caesars Arena and that he shares the frustration after a 1-3-2 start and a 10-year playoff drought.
Speaking ahead of the Flyers game, Ilitch said fans have every right to voice anger about the club’s direction and that the team belongs to them as much as to ownership.
He rejected the notion of running daily hockey moves himself, saying he will not act like a general manager and instead must hire the right executives and stay accountable for franchise direction.
Ilitch pointed to interim GM Shawn Horcoff handling issues such as Dylan Larkin’s future and Simon Edvinsson’s contract while the club searches for a president to oversee hockey operations.
That president, he indicated, will decide whether and when to add another general manager, and the search could finish during the season or after it.
The chants surfaced in the season opener against the Rangers and returned in a later home game as the longest active NHL playoff drought continues.
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