Frans Nielsen is glad to have his first game against the New York Islanders since leaving as a free agent last summer behind him.
“There was some nerves,” Nielsen said on Sunday after assisting on a goal in the Detroit Red Wings’ 4-3 overtime victory over the Islanders. “I’ve been looking at the schedule for a long time waiting for this game. Feels like now that it’s done, I can move on.”
The 32-year-old Danish center was drafted by the Islanders in the third round in 2002, No. 87 overall, and had 119 goals and 230 assists over 10 seasons in New York before signing a six-year, US$31.5 milion deal with Detroit.
Photo: AFP
There were about a dozen signs held by fans near the ice welcoming Nielsen back during warmups and he received some applause from the crowd when his name was called during the announcement of the Red Wings’ starters.
Nielsen also got an ovation during a video tribute about eight minutes into the first period.
“It was awesome,” he said. “I had been here so long. So many people in this organization mean so much to me. I was happy about that.”
Nielsen knew it was not going to be just another game.
“There’s going to be some butterflies for me and some nerves,” Nielsen said when he met with reporters about three hours before the game. “Hopefully, it just gonna take a couple of shifts, and I can relax and play my game.”
Nielsen, one of three players to leave the Islanders in free agency along with Matt Martin (Toronto) and Kyle Okposo (Buffalo), said he was not looking to go elsewhere, but began exploring other options when talks with the Islanders stalled.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” said Nielsen, who was the longest tenured Islander at the time of his departure. “I don’t have anything bad to say about anything here. It dragged out for some reason, and got to a point where I got a chance to talk to other teams and kind of realized it might be fun to get a new challenge and try something new.”
So what does he cherish most about his time in New York?
“A lot, from playing the first game to scoring the first goal,” Nielsen said. “The first playoff series I was in against Pittsburgh [in 2013]. The [Nassau] Coliseum, just how loud it was. I don’t think I’m going to experience that again.”
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