It’s been quite some time since we checked in with Detroit Lions fans regarding their opinion of general manager Brad Holmes. The last time we polled our audience was almost exactly a year ago, following the team’s 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, those poll results were lost to time (and a migration to a new content management system at SB Nation).
Detroit, MI
Game Preview: 09.30.24 at Detroit | Pittsburgh Penguins
Game Notes
Earlier this summer, the Penguins added David Quinn to Head Coach Mike Sullivan’s coaching staff as an assistant coach. Quinn, 57, joins Assistant Coaches Mike Vellucci and Ty Hennes, Goaltending Coach Andy Chiodo, Video Coach Madison Nikkel and Assistant Video Coach CJ D’Alimonte. Quinn will oversee the team’s defensive group.
Quinn, who has over 30 years of coaching experience, has served as head coach of the San Jose Sharks (2022-24) and New York Rangers (2018-21). Under his reign as head coach with the Sharks and Rangers, two defensemen captured the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defensemen, with Adam Fox and Erik Karlsson claiming the award in 2020-21 and ’22-23, respectively.
The Cranston, Rhode Island native has extensive experience at the international level with Team USA, most recently as the head coach of the 2022 and ’23 World Championship teams and the ‘22 Olympic Team. Quinn has also represented Team USA as an assistant coach at three World Championships (2007, ’12 & ’16) and the 2005 World Junior Championship. He spent two seasons (2002-04) as the head coach for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Quinn also helped guide the U.S. Women’s National Team to a pair of silver medals (2000 & 1999) in the Women’s World Championship.
The Pittsburgh Penguins selected six players at the 2024 NHL Draft at Sphere in Las Vegas. The Penguins selected defenseman Harrison Brunicke (44th overall) and forward Tanner Howe (46th overall) in the second round, defenseman Chase Pietila in the fourth round (111th overall), defenseman Joona Vaisanen in the sixth round (175th overall) and forward Mac Swanson (207th overall) and defenseman Finn Harding (223rd overall) in the seventh round.
Brunicke, who was drafted by the Penguins this past June in the second round (44th overall), has played parts
of three seasons with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League. This past season, the defenseman recorded 10 goals, 11 assists and 21 points in 49 games. In 110 career junior games, he has tallied 14 goals, 15 assists and 29 points. Brunicke also played for Team Canada at the World Under-18 Championship this past year and tallied one goal and four points in seven games.
Howe, who was drafted 46th overall by the Penguins in June, has played parts of four seasons with the Regina Pats of the WHL. As captain of the Pats last season, the forward tallied 28 goals, 49 assists and 77 points in 68 games. In 207 career junior games, Howe has recorded 92 goals, 141 assists and 233 points. He has played in two World Under-18 Championships with Team Canada in 2022 and ’23, winning the bronze medal in ’23.
Harding, who was selected in the seventh round (223rd overall) in 2024, has spent the last two seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League. In 2023-24, the defenseman tallied 10 goals, 24 assists and 34 points in 68 games. Over the past two seasons, Harding has recorded 12 goals, 32 assists and 44 points in 131 games.
Pittsburgh’s prospects went a perfect 3-0 in Buffalo at the 2024 Prospects Challenge, winning the tournament for the second-straight season. Below is a recap of each game:
Friday, Sept. 13 – PIT vs. BOS: Pittsburgh got off to a slow start, falling behind 3-1 before rattling off five unanswered goals to win their opening game. Tristan Broz tallied twice for Pittsburgh, as he was one of five players to record multiple points.
Saturday, Sept. 14 – PIT vs. OTT: Three second period goals from Pittsburgh helped them start off 2-0 in the Prospects Challenge. Jack Beck (1G-1A) and Atley Calvert (2A) each notched multiple points.
Monday, Sept. 16 – PIT vs. BUF: The Penguins capped off the weekend with a tournament-high eight-goal outburst. Atley Calvert recorded a hat trick (3G-1A) as he and Tristan Broz (1G-3A) each notched four points. Rutger McGroarty (1G-1A) and Ville Koivunen (1G-1A) each had multiple points in the win.
On Sept. 16, the Penguins re-signed Captain Sidney Crosby to a two-year contract extension, which runs through the 2026-27 season and carries an average annual value of $8.7 million.
The three-time Stanley Cup Champion (2009, ’16 & ’17) will be entering his franchise-record 20th season in a Penguins uniform and 18th with the ‘C’ on his sweater, trailing only Detroit’s Steve Yzerman (19) as the longest- tenured captain in NHL history. Crosby is the Penguins’ franchise record holder in games played (1st, 1,272), even- strength goals (416, 1st), even-strength points (1,025, 1st) and game-winning goals (90, 1st), and trails only Hall-of- Famer Mario Lemieux in every major category in Penguins history including goals (2nd, 592), assists (1,004, 2nd), and points (1,596, 2nd).
Named one of the ‘100 Greatest NHL Players’, the 37-year old ranks 10th in NHL history with 1,596 points (592G-1,004A) in 1,272 games played, and has averaged at least a point per game in each of his 19 NHL seasons, a feat only he and Wayne Gretzky have accomplished. The 5-foot-11, 201-pound forward ranks in the top-25 in league history in goals (592, 21st), assists (1,004, 14th), points (1,596, 10th) and game-winning goals (90, 23rd). The 50-goal scorer in 2009-10 has surpassed the 30-goal mark a franchise-record 12 times and the 100-point plateau six times, which is the seventh-most instances in NHL history.
Among players drafted first overall in NHL history, only Lemieux (1,723) has recorded more points than Crosby’s 1,596.
The Penguins coaching staff will be well represented on the national stage, as earlier this summer Mike Sullivan was named the head coach of Team USA for the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off and the 2026 United States Men’s Olympic Hockey Team. Additionally, David Quinn will be serve as an assistant coach for Team USA at the Four Nations Face- Off.
The 2025 Four Nations Face-Off is an international tournament with NHL players from the U.S., Canada, Finland, and Sweden that will be played from Feb. 12-20, 2025. The tournament will take place in Boston, MA and Montreal, QC. The 2026 Olympic Games will be held from Feb.6-22, 2026 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Sullivan, 56, will be representing his native country at the international level in a coaching capacity for the fifth time. He previously served as an assistant coach at the 2006 Olympics. He has also represented his home country as head coach of Team USA at the 2007 World Championship and as an assistant coach at the ‘08 World Championship and ’16 World Cup. He was named head coach of the 2022 Olympic squad, but did not attend due to NHL players not participating in the Games.
The Marshfield, Massachusetts native will be the third U.S. Olympic head coach in the last 20 years with Pittsburgh Penguins connections. Herb Brooks was a Penguins scout in 2002 when he guided the Americans to a silver medal in Salt Lake City, while Dan Bylsma was Pittsburgh’s head coach when he was the U.S. Olympic team’s bench boss in 2014.
Sullivan has a career NHL head coaching record of 445-275-115 with Pittsburgh and the Boston Bruins, and is one of just three American-born head coaches, along with John Tortorella and Peter Laviolette, to notch 400 wins. This past season, he appeared in his 800th NHL game as a head coach on Feb. 6, 2024. His 430 wins through his first 800 NHL games were 11th-most in NHL history.
But as you can see below, Holmes has been an extremely popular figure among Detroit sports fans for pretty much his entire career.
Although, if there was a time when Holmes’ popularity took a hit, it was likely during the 2025 NFL season, when the Lions took their first clear step back since he and Dan Campbell came to town.
Since last year’s data was lost to time, this is a good opportunity to check back in with Lions fans. While Holmes certainly deserves a ton of credit for getting the Lions back to relevancy and helping them produce four consecutive seasons with winning records, there are some serious blemishes on his resumé now. The 2024 NFL Draft class has not lived up to his high standards through two seasons, some of his riskiest picks over the last few years have all failed to pay off, and last year’s roster just wasn’t good enough to withstand the injuries.
But Holmes is also coming off a very crowd-pleasing draft. Detroit addressed their two biggest needs with their first two selections, and there were no crazy head-scratching picks or expensive trade ups. Many have categorized his latest draft as “back to business as usual,” which could have some fans he lost back on his side.
However, that is all up to you. Vote on your thoughts about Holmes’ time in Detroit below, and share your extended thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
Dan Gilbert paid for an army of Cleveland Cavaliers fans to take over Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena for Game 2 of the NBA playoffs against the rival Detroit Pistons.
Gilbert, the longtime Cavs owner who has founded several Detroit-based companies and owns much of the real estate in downtown Detroit, sent seven bus loads of Cavs season ticket holders up I-75 North on Thursday, May 7, to wear maroon and gold shirts that read “BEAT DETROIT!”
Coworkers Rick Amador, 46, of Lorain, Ohio, and Eric Karr, 24, of Strongsville, Ohio, said they were thankful their trip to the playoffs in Detroit was fully paid for.
“Dan Gilbert fully paid for all of our tickets, paid for the shirts that you see here today,” Amador said. “He paid for the swag and he brought us here, fed us. We had a party at The Beacon [in Detroit, owned by Gilbert]. DJ, food, it was phenomenal.”
[ Pistons vs Cavaliers score updates, Game 2 highlights, commentary ]
Gilbert earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State and a law degree from Wayne State in downtown Detroit.
“I’m just ready to bring a dub home to Cleveland,” Karr said. “It’s been a long time coming. We got lucky with LeBron [James] always coming here and now it’s time for us to build our own future and win our own championship. All of them. Yes, Donovan [Mitchell] has to have his legacy game.”
The Pistons on Tuesday night won Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, 111-101, in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Games 3-4 will be in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon and Monday night.
As for a prediction for the rest of the series?
“Five games, Cavs win it,” Karr said without hesitation.
On the roster: Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Wonnum, Derrick Moore, Payton Turner, Tyler Lacy, Tyre West, Ahmed Hassanein
Twentyman: Hutchinson, 25, was named Second-Team All-Pro after setting a new career single-season high in sacks (14.5) while leading the NFL with 100 total pressures. Hutchinson is the first player in franchise history to log multiple 10.0-sack seasons through the first four years of a player’s career. With Al-Quadin Muhammad and his 11.0 sacks last year signing with Tampa Bay in free agency, the Lions needed to find Hutchinson a new running mate on the opposite edge.
Detroit added Wonnum in free agency and Moore in the NFL Draft and like what both bring to the table. It will be interesting to see how their unique skillsets fit in Kelvin Sheppard’s defense. Onwuzurike is a defensive tackle by trade but could also get some run as the big end.
While Detroit’s 49 sacks were the fourth most in the NFL last year, Detroit’s average time to pressure of 2.92 seconds was the slowest in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. It wasn’t always the kind of pressure that affected the timing of opponent passing attacks as opposing quarterbacks finished with a 92.5 rating against Detroit’s defense, which ranked 19th.
On roster: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jimmy Rolder, Damone Clark, Trevor Nowaske, Joe Bachie
Twentyman: The departure of Alex Anzalone means the Lions will have a new starter at the WILL in 2026. The leading candidate to fill the role is the veteran Rodriguez. Rolder has an interesting skillset, but is he ready to step in right away after playing limited defensive snaps at Michigan? Could the versatile Clark potentially be a fit there too? The competition for the starting WILL spot will be one of the better ones to watch in camp.
It will also be interesting to see how Sheppard might evolve his scheme after an extensive sit-down with head coach Dan Campbell this offseason going through all the cut-ups on defense from last year. Detroit wants to be more adaptable and versatile. Will Barnes’ SAM role change at all within the defense? Will a team that played the most base defense of any team in the NFL last year play more nickel?
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