We Swear

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I am very happy that the Detroit Red Wings have won the Stanley Cup.

I really enjoy watching that team play hockey – they control the puck and the flow of the game. It is like watching a chess game that is constantly moving.

I watched the players celebrate after the game for two hours. It was cool watching the players drink from the Cup, but it was also very cool to watch their 5 year old kids stick their faces into the cup – filled with champagne – and drink.

Like in all sports, it is a combination of skill, effort, and luck.

The skill is common among most professional teams. The leagues try to get parity so that all cities believe they have a shot at winning.

The effort is the most important element. Teams that work together as teams and work hardest at focusing on their goal tend to be successful.  More on that some other day.
The luck has a lot to do with injuries and opponents. The Wings had few injuries and were stacked deep in case they occurred. They had a defensive award winner in Chris Chelios as a healthy scratch (meaning he sat out the game) and they had a goaltending award winner in Dominick Hasek as a backup. Most teams would be happy to have either player on the ice. This team had both as backups. A more subjective comment is the opponents. I think one of the reasons the Wings didn’t have many injuries is because they didn’t play the “rougher” teams in their division. By the time we played Colorado, they had lost key players to injury. Dallas played Anaheim and San Jose. These teams beat the crap out of each other. Against Dallas, we played a team that was worn out. If Detroit had needed to play Anaheim, San Jose, and Dallas – if they survived – the Wings would have been severely depleted and very tired. Also, unlike previous years, the Wings did not encounter an opposing goaltender who stood on his head and was in a zone. The importance cannot be overstated.

So, all-in-all, I’m very happy for the Wings and have enjoyed this special year supporting them. I’ve been to several games with my family – for regular games and special events. And I got to send my mom to her first game in decades (I couldn’t attend with her that day). During the regular season, I would get a call whenever her favorite player, Chris Draper, would score. During the playoffs, I got a call for every goal we scored. Those are special phone calls. The best ones were when we scored 6 goals against Colorado and I got phone calls from her from inside Joe Louis Arena. I could hear the crowd still cheering and sometimes hear the goal announced over the PA system. Good times.

This team will probably be just as good next year. So if you have a chance to watch a Red Wings game next year, take a few hours and watch it. You may not understand it all, but I’m sure you’ll appreciate the flow and energy. This team is special in the way they play and the way they play as a team. It is worth watching. I’m very happy to be a fan today.