After being traded to the Detroit Red Wings late last week, Madison Bowey made his debut in the Motor City Tuesday evening.
Bowey debuted with a new number. The former Caps defenseman is wearing no. 74 in honor of John Carlson.
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“Bowey will be the first Red Wing in history to wear the number 74,” Red Wings broadcaster Ken Daniels said before the game. “He is wearing that number out of respect to last season’s top scoring defenseman in the NHL, John Carlson, who was a mentor to him in Washington.”
Carlson became one of the senior members of the blue line last season with the introductions of Christian Djoos and Bowey into the lineup.
Bowey previously wore the number 22 in Washington in honor of the NHL’s first black player, Willie O’Ree.
“He’s a big reason why I’m playing hockey today and why other [black players] have a chance to play in the NHL,” Bowey said. “It goes a long way what he does. We’re definitely proud of him and what he did is pretty huge. He’s why I wear 22 because he was the first [black] player to play in the NHL, so he has a lot of history for me and it’s definitely a big deal in my life. My dad kind of educated me on him a bit growing up. His story is pretty special and it’s something I always think of, too. It’s special for all of us. We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him.”
In Detroit, number 22 was last worn by Red Wings prospect Wade Megan, who has spent this season with both the Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins.
Tonight’s @Huntington_Bank Player to Watch is Madison Bowey who is making his #RedWings debut! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/K2K5J5lLZb
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 27, 2019
Bowey’s Wings debut didn’t come without hardship, just like his first NHL game with the Capitals too. The Red Wings lost 8-1 to the Montreal Canadiens while Bowey skated 16:47 on the third pairing with Jonathan Ericsson. Bowey was on the ice for three Canadiens goals.
Habs rang up eight against the Red Wings in the third (?!) shellacking of the night. Madison Bowey, freshly arrived from Washington, had a dire night +9/-28 in shots and +0/-3 in goals.
All game charts: https://t.co/rAr9Gl1m1B pic.twitter.com/8TYk0Sd8rJ
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) February 27, 2019
S/T to @selchies for the heads up.
