OK OK I am strange
Today's post will not be about Steve Mariucci, Matt Millen, the hopeless Lions, a washed up Jeff Garcia, or a frustrated fan base. No, today, I will talk about deja vu, or in this case the synergy of discussing a random event from 1988 and then opening today's paper to find an article referencing the same story.
I get mocked (in a respectful way, I think) by my buddies for my detailed sports knowledge (see previous posts such as the Sports quiz, Pick 3, and Sports math). It has become somewhat of a running joke that when I have the occasion to watch a game with the boys, I will make statements about a guy's college background or penalties or records that are being approached before the statistician has a chance to inform Al Michaels to speak up. And I know that is nothing particularly special, and that many people out there share this gift.
What I have, though, is Jaydar. The ability to hone in on a topic of obscure useless information and make conversation that becomes relevant, if not critical. Yesterday, while hanging out with the guys, I was asked if Jimmy Howard was born after Steve Yzerman became captain of the Red Wings. I responded that I did not know how old Howard is, but that Stevie Y became captain after Jacques Demers was hired in the summer of 1986. I mentioned that Demers had 2 very good years of inspired coaching, but that his downfall was not disciplining a group of players who went out drinking on the eve of Game 5 of the conference finals in Edmonton. I added that they went to an adult establishment known as Goose Loonies. I remember the story being that some of them played that night, hung over and perhaps still a little intoxicated. It was the beginning of the end for Demers and that configuration of the team. Ok, nice story.
Today, I open the Detroit News and Free Press sports page, and find a story on Jacques Demers, and his new book. He writes about his career in coaching and attributes his downfall as the Wings head coach to that night in Edmonton when a group of players went out drinking to the Goose Loonies on the night before the biggest game of the year, Game 5 of the conference final against Edmonton. Of course, the article provides more details, and they are very similar to my description to the group. Weird
posted by SportPsych Detroit @ 8:40 PM
10 Comments:
I opened up todays paper, saw teh article and called Steve to show him. I wans't sure if for some reason this topic was being discussed in the media and thats why you brought up, or it was just a random coincidence. I gues sit was a weird coincednce....very weird
I'm almost positive tha Yzerman became captain just before the 1987-1988 season. I remember someone sending me the article about it when I was in Israel for the year. See? You're not the only who ties significant sports and life events together.
This whole thing is nuts. The fact that you stressed Goose Loonies and the article had that in the title was just strange.
Goose Loonies is part of Red Wings lore. That our host blogger and the article both mentioned them prominently doesn't strike ms as so strange.
Zwicker is right. Anyone who watched the wings then would remember Goose Loonies.
I did not know that it was a strip bar, though, until Zicker told me last night.
I tried to get on this last night, but the blogger server was down.
The fact that I remembered the details of that night isn't as fascinating as the fact that we had this discussion, and the very next day the paper is talking about it.
I agree that most avid Wings fans would remember that fateful night. The name Goose Loonies lives on (Air, what do you mean you didn't know it was a strip club? What other kind of place would hockey players bother to visit!)
One more thing: Zwicker, I am fairly certain that Demers named Yzerman captain on the eve of the 1986-87 season. You may be right that he named him captain after his first year as coach (in time for the 87-88 season)...I will have to call Bill Richardson and do some fact checking.
It never occured to me. Maybe I was too naive a yeshiva boy...
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Sorry folks, but I'm from Edmonton and I worked at the Goose back in the day (I was off that particular night, however).
Goose Loonies was NOT a strip bar. It was a large, 2 floor nightclub that played dance music. It had 5 bars, 3 dance floors, and we had a few nights with over 1100 in the place at the same time. Think the nightclub in Prince's Purple Rain movie.
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