DAVID E. KLUTHO (2)25 and 17—to veterans. So Larkin
wears 71, a number significant for
its insignificance in Red Wings lore.
(No one wore it for more than a
season before Larkin.)
All that incredible franchise historywas not so far in the past for Larkin.
His favorite Red Wing growing up
was Henrik Zetterberg, who had led
the team to that 2008 Cup. In his
rookie season, Larkin often played on
the Wings’ top line with his idol. He
finished the year with 23 goals and had
22 assists, and potted his first playoff
goal against the Lightning.
“I don’t think I can really put intowords the transition from being a
fan and idolizing him to playing with
him and becoming friends with him,
and ultimately learning from him,”
Larkin says.
That playoff appearance was the25th in a row for Detroit, a streak that
started in 1990–91, five years before
Larkin was born. The Wings haven’t
made the postseason since. While
Larkin’s time with Zetterberg was a
special one, it was also a transition. In
2018–19, after Zetterberg’s retirement,
Larkin had his best season yet,
registering 32 goals and 41 assists
in 76 games. The team, however,
finished just 32-40-10. Now a city used
to winning is counting on its native son
to deliver them back to glory.
VETERAN PRESENCE
In January 2021, the Red Wings announced
that Larkin would be the team’s 37th captain,
its first since Zetterberg. The honor reflects that
he’s the team’s best player and a leader in the
community. Larkin has volunteered his time at
the Special Olympics in Waterford and teamed up
with his dad, who works in the beauty industry, to
donate extra gloves and masks to local hospitals
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now he’s living up
to the responsibility of
the captaincy on the ice.
Before the NHL paused its
season before the holidays,
Larkin led the resurgent
Red Wings with 29 points
(15 goals, 14 assists) in
27 games. Detroit was
15-13-3 at the break, on
pace for its first winning
season since 2015–16. And
Larkin, who got to live his dream a few short
years ago by playing with his idols, already
finds himself in the opposite position,
leading a pair of star rookies in Swedish
winger Lucas Raymond and German
defenseman Moritz Seider. The Wings’
success also owes to a hometown reunion:
They traded in the offseason for starting
goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, an old friend of Larkin’s
from his under-16 team.
Now, a fairy-tale career seems destined for
a storybook ending. But for Larkin the idea of
the hometown hero ending the title drought is
almost beyond comprehension.
“It’s something I’ve thought about, and I don’t
even know how much excitement I would have,”
Larkin says. “I don’t even know what I would do
with the Cup. I think I would probably just bring
it to the center of Waterford and have everyone
spend some time with it.” QTHE NEXT GEN
Larkin is enjoying a
career year, leading
a group of talented
rookies that includes
Seider (No. 53 ).4 0 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS