8701020016
DETROIT FREE PRESS
870107
Wednesday, January 07, 1987
METRO FINAL CHASER
1D
MITCH ALBOM
Copyright (c) 1987, Detroit Free Press
STRANGER IN THE NIGHT GETS A KICK OUT OF WINGS
I did not go to the Red Wings game Tuesday night because they were in first
place. I went because . . . I love hockey. Yeah. That's it.
"How about that Greg Stefan?" I said to a familiar-looking face in the
press box elevator. "He's looking awful sharp, don't you think?"
"Who are you?" came the answer.
What a kidder. Yes, the Wings are something, aren't they? Bounding back
from that embarrassment of a season last year, and now, under coach Jacques
Demers, playing a different kind of hockey, the kind with effort, the kind
with heart.
As a person who sees a fair dose of sports, I appreciate those qualities.
And that's why I went to the game. Besides, they are in fir---
. . . firm control. Yeah. They are in firm control out there. That's it.
"How about that John Ogrodnick?" I asked the man at the entrance. "He's
hot, eh?"
"You got a pass?" he said.
Is this the real thing? Now, I confess a certain hockey innocence. It is
an occupational hazard. The NHL season begins during the World Series, runs
through the Super Bowl, and finishes up just as baseball is getting started
again. It is all I can do to see a goal scored and remember it counts for one
point, not seven, and no one gets an RBI.
And I can't skate.
But excitement is excitement, and it was clear when I walked into Joe Louis
Arena last night that this was exciting sports action. I wanted to see that.
And I wanted to see a team in fi--
. . . fine form. Yeah. That's it. It takes a keen eye to appreciate the
fine form of hockey.
"What a shot!" I screamed when the puck went in off the stick of Gerard
Gallant.
"This is warm-ups," someone said.
I knew that. Just testing. Like other enthused fans inside Joe Louis, I
could barely wait for the game to start. I looked around. The arena was
filled to the rafters. No fair-weather fans in Detroit. No fair weather,
either.
And when the game began, those fans roared whenever the puck got within 30
feet of the goal. I mean roared! The only time Lions fans roar like that is
when you tell them they can go home early.
Stefan made some excellent saves and Allan Bester, the goalie for Toronto,
made some too, and I noted their accomplishments on my pad, along with the
other hard-working journalists there.
By the way, there's a great camaraderie between us hockey writers. A
certain, shall we say, warmth, that comes from our work. I felt that almost
immediately.
And then I spotted Keith Gave, the Free Press' hockey writer.
"Yo! Yo! Keith!" I said, waving my hands up and down. "Yo! Keith!"
"Down the hall and to the left, bud," he said.
And then they went wrong Now, I should explain something here. It is true,
when I left for the Rose Bowl in California, the Red Wings were tied for last
in the Norris Division. And when I returned they were all alone in first.
Never mind that these days, being No. 1 in the Norris division is like
being the smartest kid in the Little Rascals. I am not the type to be lured by
such simple attractions anyhow.
No, sir. I go for the art of sports, the finer points. There's nothing like
seeing two great rivals, Detroit and Toronto, mix it up out on the ice. And
there's nothing like being in f--
. . . front of a great crowd.
Yeah.
"That was a terrific first quarter," I said to a veteran colleague. "I can
hardly wait for the second half. Can you?"
"Are you lost, sonny?" he said.
OK. The truth is, I haven't had a chance to attend all the Wings games I
should. My New Year's resolution is to attend more. I promised to be diligent
on this. In fact, as the night went on, and I got into the flow of the game
more and more, I began checking the calendar. I was already planning on at
least a half-dozen games this month.
And then Toronto scored.
And then Toronto scored again.
And then the game was over.
It was the first time this season the Wings went into the third period with
a lead and lost. It was the first time I was there to watch them.
And it occurred to me that there might be a relationship here.
Which is why, when the game was over, I immediately called my boss.
"Listen," I said, "when you sent me to California for a week, the Wings
went from last place to first place. Well, I've been thinking. Can you imagine
if I went out there for, let's say, a month? Can you imagine how well the
Wings would play?"
"Do I know you?" he said.
HOCKEY;DREDWINGS;Red Wings