CHICAGO CASTIGATION IS BILL’S MOTIVATION
CHICAGO — Oooh, they hate him now. They really hate him. They want to take his big, gawky body and break it in half and then break it in half again and then scatter his remains all over the basketball court and set the whole thing on fire.Oh, goody!”Hey,...
DARK NIGHT DOESN’T DIM WINGS’ YEAR
They walked down a long, empty corridor in Metro Airport. It was dawn. It was cold. They were home, but not feeling welcome. “What you gonna do about your hair?””Dunno. Maybe dye it black.””Or shave my head.””You don’t...
Wings Lost Much More Than A Game
EDMONTON, Alberta — Long before the puck was dropped here Wednesday night, before the Detroit hockey season saw its sad and bitter conclusion with that final 8-4 loss to Edmonton, there was a crack in the heart of this Red Wings team. It may take a long, long time to mend.
We are talking about an incident that left half the team angry, and its coach almost numb with disbelief. It is not a story I want to write. It is not a story you want to read — not this morning, when we should be paying tribute to the fine effort of the Wings all year.
Ot Heartbreak: Wings Lose; The Oilers Drive Home Cruel Truth
The puck came flying off of Jari Kurri’s stick and pierced the dream smack dead in the heart.
“They lost?” the crowd at Joe Louis Arena seemed to whisper, a dying whisper, after the Red Wings fell to Edmonton, 4-3, on Kurri’s wrist shot in overtime of the biggest, best and most heartbreaking game of hockey to be played in Detroit in 22 years. “How can it be? They really lost?”
After Killing Bunny, Pistons Go For Bulls
They came off the court like bounty hunters who had just killed a bunny rabbit. The Pistons shot the Bullets — dead, finally, the fifth game of this best-of-five opening round playoff series. There was no champagne. No loud cheering in the locker room.
There was . . . relief.
“What did this series teach you?” someone asked center Bill Laimbeer, after Detroit beat Washington, 99-78, to advance to the NBA’s second round.
“That every game is a bitch,” he said.
Captain Inspires His Crew
He was last in line for introductions, not by choice, but because the Red Wings knew that when the announcer called his name, you wouldn’t be able to hear anyone else’s.
“NO. 29 GILBERT DELORME . . . ” boomed the voice, working its way down the list.
“NO. 34 JEFF SHARPLES. . . . “
Yzerman Gets Tired of Waiting
EDMONTON, Alberta — The man who might make a difference was sitting high above the action Thursday night, in a concrete catwalk that hung over the ice like heaven’s terrace. Steve Yzerman wore no skates. He was dressed, as he has been for the last nine weeks, in street clothes, a blue blazer, powder blue shirt, gray slacks.
“How much do you miss what’s happening down there?” he was asked, as the Red Wings skated against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of this Campbell Conference final.
Recollections Differ Except For Friendship
EDMONTON, Alberta — Once upon a time, before we ever heard of them, they were best friends, two blond-haired boys skating on frozen lawns in Brantford, Ontario. Wayne Gretzky says they were seven. Greg Stefan says they were five. Whatever.
“We used to call Wayne ‘Weener,’ ” says Stefan. “He was dominant even then. He’d score seven or eight goals a game.”
“We met when Stef joined our local tyke team,” says Gretzky. “He was the best goalie around. One time, he lost his stick and dove to the ice and stopped a puck with his face mask. I’ll never forget that.”
For The Red Wings It’S Do And Dye
EDMONTON, Alberta — Let’s check out Shawn Burr’s head. It now has three flavors. Coffee on top, vanilla in the middle, strawberry around the ears. It’s the latest. It’s the greatest. The Stanley Cup semifinals.
Red Wings hairdos.
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