New 'hair-raising' looks for Wings' DeKeyser, Quincey

Defenseman Danny DeKeyser and Kyle Quincey made distinct fashion statements at the Detroit Red Wings' HockeyFest at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday.

DeKeyser showed up on stage with his hair short, a big change from his long locks of last season. Quincey — well, he had nice Grizzly Adams beard going on.

Asked why he cut his mullet, DeKeyser explained: "Nobody made me do it — it's just a personal choice. So, it was time to switch it up a bit. It was getting hot in the summer. It's easier to maintain it if it is short."

Quincey had a shorter explanation when asked about his facial growth.

"It's a giant pad, actually," he said. "Could save a hard shot."

DeKeyser and Quincy were among a dozen or more Wings players who met fans and signed autographs at HockeyFest, which also included player Q&A sessions.

Quincey shared information with the crowd on off-season surgery to clean up bone chips in his ankle, a problem that nagged him during 2014-15.

"It was a weird injury," Quincey said. "The surgery was supposed to take about an hour. It ended up taking three hours. They kept finding new bone chips and shaving bone down. But I feel great now. I had surgery on May 10 and was on crutches for about a month."

Quincey played through pain against Tampa Bay in the postseason.

"But the doctors prescribed some good pills," Quincey said. "It is not good for me in the long run, but I was on some stuff that got me through the playoffs. But now I am clean and good to go."

Both DeKeyser and Quincey are looking forward to playing under new Wings coach Jeff Blashill, who replaced Mike Babcock.

"Personally, I think Blashill is going to do well here," DeKeyser said. "I think the guys are going to like him. He is someone who really pushes the guys to be the best they can."

Quincey felt a new face was healthy for the club.

"I think Babs had a great opportunity (with Toronto) and he took it, and so he should have," Quincey said. "Some of the guys in the room only had Babs. Some of the older guys had Babs for 10 years.

"I agree 100% we needed a fresh voice. You know, a lot of things aren't going to change systems-wise, Babs set a great foundation for us, and we are going to keep that.

"But, every day now, we have a new, different voice, and it is going to be a breath of fresh air."

Contact Mike Brudenell: mbrudenell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikebrudenell. Be sure that you follow Freep Sports on Twitter (@freepsports) and Instagram and like us on Facebook.