GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Griffins announced Friday that left wing Justin Abdelkader has been signed to a professional tryout.
Abdelkader played for the Griffins for two seasons before moving on to Detroit and playing in the National Hockey League for 13 seasons. As a Muskegon native, Abdelkader was the first West Michigander to play for the Griffins in the 2008-09 season.
After joining the Red Wings in 2010, Abdelkader went on to captain Team USA in two world championships and appear in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games. He wrapped up his NHL career with 739 games played.
Before his professional career, Abdelkader was named Mr. Hockey of Michigan in 2004 after scoring 80 points in 28 games with Mona Shores High School. He won the USHL Clark Cup with Cedar Rapids and went on to play for Michigan State, where he helped the Spartans clinch a national championship in 2007 and earned NCAA Tournament MVP.
If Abdelkader plays in Saturday's game against Milwaukee, he will set a new record for the longest time between Griffins appearances at 4,305 days, or 11 years, nine months and 12 days. The previous record holder is Jonathan Ericsson at 3,888 days, or 10 years, seven months and 22 days.
To grab your tickets for the game, click here.
Related video:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
