from Dana Wakiji of DetroitRedWings.com,

The hardest thing is not just getting to the NHL, it's becoming what former Wings coach Mike Babcock calls an "everydayer."

Over the course of a grueling 82-game schedule, there aren't that many games where players feel 100 percent.

So players have to find a way to prepare themselves to get through a 60-minute game and help their team win somehow.

"Guys (who) are coming up from the American League generally are elite players at the American League level so their talent discrepancy is greater," Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "There's still, I think, discrepancy in talent amongst the American League teams where you can take nights off and win in that league. There is none of those here. It's way different than five years ago, it's way different than seven years ago. Certainly (much) different than 15 years ago. There's no bad teams. Even teams with bad records aren't bad teams.

"So every night you have to be so much on top of your game. I think it's a learned process at times for young guys to understand and that's what separates the elite players in the league from the good players is the guys that find a way to be at the 90 to 100 percentile of their max every single night because there just is no chance to go out and kind of work yourself into the game and there's no chance to go out and kind of skill yourself around the rink."

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added 3:29pm, Below, Ansar Khan of Mlive points out it is just not the younger players...