Remember the Past

I was recently reading the Sports Illustrated I received on Thursday with all the football and Superbowl coverage you could ever need. I got to the who's hot who's not page, and at the bottom it said that Claude Lemieux was hot. The most hated man in Detroit is back folks. He had a 23 game warm up in the AHL, and now, at the age of 43, he is back, playing for San Jose Sharks.

Although its been about 12 years since the brawl at Joe Louis Arena, I know Red Wings fans can still feel hatred for this guy, who, in the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs, boarded Kris Draper, causing severe injury to his face. Then, the following year, when Darren McCarty got his revenge by beating the crap out of the guy. Old time hockey, when fights were really fights, not just some shoving behind the net, and when all the seats were filled at every home game.

Even though Lemieux is not on the Colorado Avalanche, and the Red Wings are not the same team they used to be, there are still six guys on the team who played on March 26, 1997, including Draper and McCarty. Right now, McCarty is recovering form hernia surgery, and Ken Holland has said that McCarty should be back in around six weeks, so the next time the Sharks and Wings meet it should be a fun battle to watch, and right now, at the All Star break the Wings have plenty of time to prepare for it.

Right now, the Red Wings trail the season series 1-2, and the home team has won each time. The Wings next play the Sharks at home on Feb. 25. McCarty should be back by then, and hopefully Lemieux from will still be in the lineup.

Adrenaline Rush

When I walked into the Farmington Hills Ice Arena, it was pitch black. I couldn't see anything. There were fans roaring with excitement and the players were gearing up for a battle. After all, this was the rivalry game; the Farmington Flyers vs. the Farmington Falcons.

I recently attended a high school hockey game for the first time in my four years at North Farmington. The team, made up of players from North Farmington and Harrison, call themselves the Flyers. They played the Farmington Falcons.

The fans were jumping up and down as the Flyers skated out on to the ice. At the time, I didn't think much of this because, even though I love sports, I had never seen a high school sporting event where the students hadn't gone just to socialize with their friends.

Once the puck was dropped, and NF senior James Long gave the first open ice hit, I could see the fans were into it. The stands were full, everyone was on their feet, and, as the first goal was scored, the fans jumped and rejoiced with one another, something I don't often see at football or basketball games.

As the game went on, the fans got more excited, and I got more excited. I was sitting on the edge of my seat the whole game. Senior Austin Murtland lead the team with two goals, and the way the team skated showed the effort they give in practice everyday. Going into the third period, I began to think that this was the most exciting high school game I had ever attended. At the end of the second period the score was 4-1 Flyers.

In the third period, the game got even more exciting when the Falcons came back to tie the game. Senior Goalie Adam Whitehead let in three unanswered goals. As the third period came to an end, two fans, seniors Jordan Mifsud and Jovan Bryant got the entire crowd on their feet. Senior Trevor Lamson was playing the cowbell, and the fans were doing the "Lets go Flyers" chant.
As the game went into overtime, the crowd was still filled with energy. The game ended with a Flyers goal, and the fans rejoiced along with the players. Because the game went into overtime, it won't count as a win for the Flyers because other arenas can't support overtime and therefore it cannot be upheld as an OAA stat or standard.

When I walked out of the arena that night, I couldn't help but think, "I have to come to more of these." The game kept me on the edge of my seat, bitting my fingernails from beginning to end.
Th hard core sports fan dreams for moments like these. The sound of an open ice hit or a check against the boards. It is what we live for, that adrenaline rush that keeps diehard sports fans coming back for more.