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Liz Lucas
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However the Stanley Cup playoffs conclude, the series has already been filled with great moments, especially for Detroit fans. Last Thursday was probably the most memorable night of all; no one is going to forget the Red Wings' 6-0 victory in Game Four anytime soon.
But what I remember best about that game wasn't the goals or the fights, it was Joe Louis Arena packed with fans. I haven't seen that much red and white in one place since I went to high-school football games.
A few minutes before the game started, the cameras zoomed in on one fan, a little kid wearing a goofy red styrofoam hat. It had wings on either side, and the band across his forehead said, "Wing Nut." As ridiculous as it was, the kid still looked pretty happy to be there.
It's been 42 years since the Wings won the Stanley Cup. For the past few years, it's been a May ritual watching them make it to the playoffs and then self-destruct in every crucial game, and it might well happen again this year. True, we enjoyed a nice surge of optimism after the Anaheim shutout, and after Thursday's game against Colorado. But even though the Wings managed a 2-1 victory Monday night, the finals will still be a nerve-racking series.
And even so, at Monday's game in Detroit, the fans were still there.
This series is demonstrating the incredible factor of team loyalty. People will stick with their teams despite endless defeats, always providing a home-court advantage. They sympathize with rebuilding years and players' losses of confidence. But there's a limit to this patience. When people grow too disillusioned with a team, when they no longer want to identify with it, they'll just stop paying attention.
It's a lesson that the University's coaches might want to observe.
For the past few months, stories have been appearing about the basketball team's possible violations of NCAA regulations. Booster Ed Martin has allegedly offered money and gifts to basketball players, and a recruit may have had illegal contact with Martin. The University has hired an independent firm to investigate these charges, but the report will not be completed until midsummer.
Basketball coach Steve Fisher, and the athletic program as a whole, should be considered innocent until proven guilty. The investigating firm will eventually provide some answers, and until then it's unfair to make assumptions about what happened.
But the consequences of a negative report are already clear. NCAA penalties could severely damage the athletic program. Recruits would probably think twice about coming to Michigan.
Most of all, no matter how this affair ends, people will see the athletic program in a different light. The facts will be forgotten; casual observers will only remember the taint of questionable behavior.
The Wings' history shows us that fan support is vital to a team; it's always heartening to know that people will support you even when you falter.
The University's other athletic programs should take note of this fact, in light of the basketball team's troubles. If the University doesn't watch out, the Wing Nut kid - or his Wolverine Nut equivalent - is going to get up and leave the arena.
- Liz Lucas can be reached over e-mail at erelucas@umich.edu.