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The Warriors Return
Why the Red Wings Will Still Win
the Cup
By Marty Wright
For Outsports.com
On occasion I've heard it suggested there must be some way to
redesign hockey uniforms. Design them in such a way to accentuate
the prowess of the players. Give onlookers the opportunity to admire
the magical poetry of the male form in ice warriors. Muscular
athletes working together as a team, battling for top position.
Safety precautions aside, I wholeheartedly concur.
In reality, that is what a true devotee and lover of hockey sees.
It was certainly what I witnessed as the Detroit Red Wings snapped a
0-2 playoffs deficit to come out victorious over the Vancouver
Canucks 3-1 at GM Place April 21. After Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman made his stellar powerplay goal in the second period on a
wraparound shot that banked into the Canuck's net, my mind wandered.
My mind wandered back to 1983, when Steve came to Detroit as a 160-
pound 18-year old kid. I chuckled when I remembered wondering if he
could even make the grade. At 37, he's still one of hockey's pretty
boys, but also undisputed as Hockeytown's Gladiator.
Ever after the Wings got into some penalty trouble, and even after
Canuck's brickhouse, Todd Bertuzzi, picked up Vancouver's lone goal
three seconds into a powerplay, I was tuned into the mindset of the
Wings. Tonight their spirit and drive would be unstoppable.
It was that single mindedness that caused Nicklas Lidstrom,
Detroit's smooth and handsome 6' 2", 190-lb. blond and blue-eyed
Swede, to take a risk and let loose with a 102-foot shot past Canuck
goalie Dan Cloutier and into the net, giving the Red Wings a 2-1
lead.
What led to the most intimate moment of the game was when Detroit's
Brendan Shanahan scored the winning goal at 3:18 into the third
period. Shanahan took a pass from Yzerman along the boards and
wristed his shot through Cloutier's legs. As intimate as that
sounds, the crowning moment of the entire game was when Brendan made
his way back to the Wings' bench to sit next to Steve. As they
looked deeply into each other's eyes, they smiled in a way that
transcends a simple captain and teammate relationship. Much was
being said, though no words were spoken.
Dreams and aspirations reside within them. The Detroit Red Wings are
ablaze with the flame that will lead to the capture of their 10th
Stanley Cup.
The Warriors have returned.
Marty Wright has been an avid
follower and player of hockey since the age of 4, when he
received his first hockey stick and pair of skates as a
Christmas gift. He was playing on a team by 7 and
continued to play throughout junior and senior high
schools. He is a web design and development
consultant for General Motors, is a staff writer for the
Detroit Red Wings Web site
Hockeytown Central, and plays amateur hockey with the
Hockey North America organization. Marty also does
volunteer work with the Affirmations GLBT Community Center
in Detroit.
April23, 2002
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