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Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat takes on crazy offseason task
Photo credit: NHL.com
Michigan native, and Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat, soared to new heights this weekend as he got to enjoy a smooth ride with a Navy Blue Angel's pilot in an F/A-18 Hornet.
Alex DeBrincat is a high-flying, skillful sniper in the Detroit Red Wings lineup. So it'd make sense that he'd seek a thrill riding with Navy pilot Major Scott Laux, of the esteemed Blue Angels group.
The Group puts on air shows across the nation, showing the kind of skillful, agile capabilities the Hornet and the Blue Angel pilots are capable of.
So DeBrincat was able to see firsthand how Laux handles the action.
«That was wild,» DeBrincat, with a big grin, told DetroitRedWings.com shortly after disembarking the backseat of the Blue Angels' No. 7 F/A - 18 Super Hornet. «I feel like you can look online and see all the stuff, but you don't really get the full thing until you're out there. It was pretty fun.»
The flight occurred during the 2025 Thunder Over Michigan Air Show, and was selected to fly with the Angels as a "key influencer" along with local swim captain Stefanie Kersha.
Despite all the prior training beforehand with breathing techniques taught to DeBrincat beforehand nothing prepared him for the ridiculous 45-degree takeoff that Laux would put the former 40-goal scorer through.
«That got me pretty nervous for the rest of the flight honestly,» DeBrincat said. «That was pretty crazy. I would say I'm not a huge fan of heights in general or being up there and doing all that stuff, but I definitely got more comfortable as we went through.»
During the postseason, it's not often we get to see players get to enjoy themselves and take on new risks.
For DeBrincat, this is another notch on his "to-do" list he can cross off, as many of us can say we've never flown in a fighter jet, let alone with the capabilities of Major Laux and the Blue Angels.
Laux would put DeBrincat through the ringer, go up to speeds of 650 miles per hour, along with 7-7.5 G's. He had support with his family in attendance and would see him through, while Major Laux would be there with words of encouragement as the challenge was ongoing.
For DeBrincat, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and hopefully something valuable to draw upon as far as lessons go.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 22 | 100 ANSWERS Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat takes on crazy offseason task Would you ever consider flying in an F/A-18 like forward Alex DeBrincat of the Detroit Red Wings did at the Thunder Over Michigan Air Show? | ||
| Yes | 62 | 62 % |
| No | 38 | 38 % |
| List of polls | ||
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