where were you when...

[amberlynn25 9]

I am writing a paper on the fans reaction to the 97 Stanley Cup win. If you want to help me with this you can. You guys are my sources! I have to write a 6-10 page paper on this.

If you want to help me all I need is:

Your name, reactions to the games, favourite memories of the game (like Mac's goal, or Stevie getting the Cup for the first time)

I have a lot of info on the games. I just need peoples reactions for my primary source. They are considered interviews. There may be more questions to be answered.

anything you remember helps. as long as i can get it into a good paper its awesome. lol. Im in the process of writing to Shanny and Mac to see if they can give me some memories (my professor said players reactions are even better) Im writing to the wings too, what ever I can get.

tell me things like your reaction to how the fans were at the Joe, how the p;layers were, how you were, where you were, anything special or superstitious you did, just anytyhing that you did in those four games. reactions from all four games. ANYTIHNG! have fun!

[Hockeytown Red Wings 245]

I specifically remember Game 4 obviously. We had the whole family at our house and I don't remember our family being so happy as a whole as when Stevie lifted that cup over his head. You watch these guys for so long and fall short every year, and then to finally do it...it really felt like you were a part of it. Happy tears all around.

[theman19 47]

My name is jesse,

I was a freshman in highschool in 97. I Had watched in dismay two years ealier in 95 when they got swept by jersey and my friend at the time was a huge flyers fan. He told me that Big E and the flyers would destroy the red wings in 5 games, he still hasn't lived that one down. Everytime we play a hockey video game together the first thing i say to him is 97. My reaction when they won was shock and awe, seeing steve skate around with the cup was like watching your idol in his moment of glory. I remember dancing around the house and going to school telling anyone that would listen the redwings had won. (Not that anyone cared, i went to high school in HIgh Point NC)

Edited January 25, 2007 by theman19

[amberlynn25 9]

these are good, but i need more (obviasouly) things from the other games too, I know those games werent as good as the 4th, but i have to make this paper 10 pages at least. so the more the better. Goals, quotes...anything

[betterREDthandead 58]

I was just finishing up my freshman year of high school too. Had a Boy Scouts camping trip that weekend of Game 4 that couldn't be moved, so I did not get to watch the game. This is how I can always remember the game was on a Saturday. The folks at the campground tried to set up a TV, but it couldn't be done, so my fellow campers and I grabbed a radio and gathered around a picnic bench. Pretty much everyone else at the campground either had a portable radio or a car radio going too. When the first goal was scored we grabbed brooms, held the radio up above our heads like some kind of trophy and marched around the campground and started cheering with everyone else. Same thing when the game was over.

[Barrie 900]

these are good, but i need more (obviasouly) things from the other games too, I know those games werent as good as the 4th, but i have to make this paper 10 pages at least. so the more the better. Goals, quotes...anything

To help full the 10 pages, why don't you get reactions from all 3 Stanley Cups?

1997 Final, I remember where I was for the 4th game the best out of all 4 games for obvious reasons. I was invited over to a friends house that night, there was about 15 of us going. The reason to get together wasn't to watch the game, it was just to hang out and have a good time. Since most of my friends at the time were Leafs fans, I was really the only one interested in the game.

A few hours before people started going over I called the house and told them I would only go over if I could watch the game. They didn't mind, so I decided to go over. If they minded, I was going to stay home, I wasn't going to miss Game 4 for anything! While I was there I remember a few of the girls there didn't want the tv on the game. I pretty much told them "suck it!!" and, "The tv is staying on the Hockey game!!".

Myself and one other guy were watching it. He's a Leafs fan, but was still cheering for the Wings. Were going crazy on the Lidstrom and McCarty goals, especially the McCarty goal. We were told to keep it down a couple times, but we didn't listen. I was telling people, "It's been 42 years, I'm going to get excited!!".

When we won and Stevie held the Cup, I couldn't believe it, especially after 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996 disapointments.

Game 1 I was at another friend's house. He's a Habs fan. Before the series, all we heard was how great the Flyers were, and also about all the Russians on the Wings and there inability to win a Championship. Watching Game 1 I remember having this feeling that "wow, we may finally win the cup". We were playing so well and everything just seemed to click.

Games 2 + 3 I don't really remember where I was, which probably meant I was watching them at home with my parents .

That 1997 playoff run was awesome!!

Edit: I was 20 at the time, just finished my first year of College.

Edited January 25, 2007 by Barrie

[BeeRYCE 2]

It was my aunt's 40th birthday party. We were outside with a bunch of chairs set up and a small TV in the middle with all of us just watching. I was only 9 years old, but I knew more about hockey than anybody, and I was the only Red Wing fan there except my dad. Basically McCarty scored, and I went nuts, looked like a fool, but hey, who cares?

In essence, it was great.

[Sergei Fedorov91 24]

I was in 6th grade admittaly I didn't know much about them except for the fact that in elementary school our spanish teacher was a wings nuts and our principal would always say 'go dead wings!' around her. I watched the clinching game with my dad , it was pretty cool. I saw my dad freak for the first time watching sports after Darren scored that goal. That win spawned a short hockey career and my lifelong love for the game. Oh and I'm Brian lol.

Edited January 25, 2007 by Sergei Fedorov91

[USAFWingedWheel 4]

Most of the series i was at work, launching and recovering my jet....but i was lucky enough to watch game 3 and 4 in my dorm room....my roommate and I stole the couch from the dayroom so we could watch the game in comfort,but after some Jim Beam even the floor was comfortable...I remember stevie getting the cup as i was calling my buddy to rub it in since he was a huge philly fan...remember it like it was yesterday...I even smoked a cuban cigar that i bought in Saudi just for that occasion....oh...what a great year...

[amberlynn25 9]

I thought about doing all three Cups, but the first one is the one that has had the most reaction because of the 42 year drought. I said that to my professor and he said to do it on the first one since its one of the most memorable ones.

[Winged Scooter 0]

I was at a Party, my best freind anticipating what a HUGE DEAL it could be, invited over 30 people to his house since Game 4 was on a Saturday night, and it was 80 some-odd degrees out. He took his TV and set it up in front of his garage in the back yard, and cranked the stereo up so we could hear better. It was quite an atmosphere, we had a pool on who was gonna score 1st, lot's and lot's of drinks and food. Youn could just feel the electricyty in the air. It was very, VERY emtional when we finally won, I don't think I've ever seen that many people hug each other when it wasn't a wedding or New Year's Eve. Very cool, my freind had the exact same type of party again in 2002 when the Wings won.....

My name's Scott

Edited January 26, 2007 by Winged Scooter

[Oh Captain_My Captain 19 0]

I remember many of the joys of winning game 4. Stevie raising the Cup being the highlight. I'm 39 now and having been a lifetime fan of the Wings I never, ever thought I'd get to see Steve raise the Cup and when he finally did that gap toothed smile actaully made me shed tears of joy. I have to say I was more happy for him than anyone else since I had seen him since his rookie year and all the years of "almost" but not quite. His valient efforts againt the powerhouse Oiler teams of the 80's in the conference finals, the sweep against the Devils in 95. Was nice to see the jewel finally placed in his crown.

Sadly the most memorable event of the 97 Cup for me was the limo accident. My wife and I had watched every game of that season and were huge fans of the Russian Five. Every time they stepped on the ice magic happened. As the Cup run started I wanted to do something fun so I went to JC Penny's (which had a HUGE area of their store dedicated to Wings stuff) and I bought my wife a Larionov jersey (her fav player) as a surprise and myself a Konstantinov jersey as he was my favorite. When the Wings made the Finals I shopped around all over town to get the Stanley Cup patches for our jerseys and when I found them I had them stitched to them a.s.a.p. When the Cup was finally ours we both took the day off work and headed downtown for the victory parade in our jerseys. Everyone asked where we got our patches and called us the Russian Two as we walked around the festive crowd. I remeber getting right up next to the cars as they drove by and getting a picture of Larionov for my wife and Vladdy for me. Vladdy smiled and waved as I snapped his picture. We left that day thinking as fans of the Wings there couldn't be a better day.

When the news came that there had been a tragic accident and Vladdy was involved my heart sank. I watched the local news all day hoping Vladdy would be ok and be able to play again. Early on it sounded like he wasn't horribly hurt. I remember them mentioning about his hand and that was my main concern; that his hand was messed up and then as the day went on it became apparent that there was a much more serious problem. They carried the news conference from the hosiptal live and I can still see the pain and tears well up in Yzerman's eyes and he talked. It was then I knew the career of my favorite player was over and worse his life might be over too. The next day on my way out I drove by the area on Woodward where the accident occured since I lived pretty close and saw the tree laying on its side all mangled and the makeshift memorial that fans had set up under it. It was one of the saddest sights I'd ever seen.

Thankfully as we know Vladdy survived and even though he will never play again I still can remember the way he got under Lindros' skin during the Finals. The HUGE hit at center ice he leveled against Howerchuk (I think, help me out if any one remembers the Flyer he hit) and just his grit. The defense of the WIngs hasn't been the same since. I still wear my Vladdy jersey (even wore it to a road game in Chicago in 97) so if you see a #16 jersey with a 97 finals patch at a game it's probably me.

Sorry for the length of this. I hope it helps and if you need anything PM me and I'll be happy to answer it.

[jpfalcon09 0]

Game 1: After the disappointment in 1995, my dad had a feeling the Wings were going to win this one. He took off work that night and we called my brother to come over to watch the game at our house, basically a ritual we do for every big Wings game. After the game ended, my dad told us this would be a sweep, and of course we thought he was nuts.

Game 2: We all went to Fricker's in Toledo to hang out with about 60 Wings fans to watch the game. The atmosphere was electric, even for a city 60 miles away from Detroit, the passion of the Detroit fans that night has yet to be matched in my book. We were doing "Let's go Red Wings" chants all game, and whenever the Wings scored we would slap total stranger high fives. Simply an awesome experience.

Game 3: Basically a repeat of Game1, but after the game my dad devised an awesome plan for Game 4.

Game 4: I got home from school at 2:30 and my dad shocked me with the news: We were going to Detroit that night to watch the game and party with the Wings fans at Mac's on Third. The place was full to the brim, they actually had to stop people from coming in and put a TV outside so people waiting to get in could watch the game. The beer ran out midway through the game so the owner kept making repeated runs to the nearby carryout to pick up cases of beer, and it was needed since that place was probably close to 90 degrees inside.

When the game ended, champagne was popped and sprayed everywhere and we all hugged about 40 people that were total strangers. My dad started crying because he never thought he would see the Wings win (as he did in 2004 when the Red Sox won), it was a really touching moment as a family. We then poured onto the streets, partying with people, shouting at passing cars as they honked, and just had an awesome time.

Since then, we made a pact to get to Detroit whenever the Wings were playing in the Cup clinching game. In '98 we went to Marge's Bar and in '02 we got to Hockeytown Cafe. But as far as me, '97 was the best time by far.

[amberlynn25 9]

these are great. keep them coming...dont forget to put your real name wiht them. I have to quote you guys in my paper.

[Zetter is Better 0]

My Name is Brandon,

I was 8 or 9 when Detroit won the cup in `97. I live in Nepean, Ont. and I went to the Nepean Sportsplex to see Stevie with the cup. I got to meet him and see the cup. Stevie enterded the rink in his convertable and it was really cool. That is something I will remember. GO WINGS

[Turkey 0]

I was an undergraduate at Michigan State when this happened. I was a fairly new hockey fan (only got into hockey in college because my family didn't watch it). I remember watching Konstantinov lift the cup and just shake it over his head. I remember thinking that he was really and truly a warrior. I saw that passion and ecstasy and I think I finally understood what it meant to be an athlete and a champion. I was hooked on the sport from that moment forward. To this day, hockey is the only sport I really care about and to this day I watch hoping to see those bright moments when these athletes rise above themselves and above the game and really accomplish something great.

[kylee 727]

i twas game four.

and it was june 7th, my birthday.

my mom had some friends of hers over.

and i loved the red wings.

im 17 now,

so i was a younger kid then. and i thought it was so cool that the red wings won the Cup on my birthday, what a gift!

it was so great seeing that as a youngster,

stevie yzerman lifting the Cup for the first time.

great stuff

[Yzermania19 1]

I wasn't at Game 4 but I watched it at home with my family, and I bawled like a baby! First, when the Wings won and then when Stevie took the Cup and the team held back so he could skate around the Joe alone. That has to be one of my sweetest Wings memories ever.

Even though I didn't get to see any of those Cup final games in person, my friend Lori and I went downtown the day before Game 4. The Wings were up 3 games to none and you just knew - you knew - that, barring a complete and total meltdown, the Wings were going to win the Stanley Cup. On our way into the city, we saw so many of those car flags; it seemed every car had a flag or some sort of Wings logo on it somewhere. There was such a joyous feeling - everyone was happy. People were honking and waving, shouting out "Go Wings!" when you were stopped at a street light.

Once we got downtown the euphoria was palpable - it didn't feel like downtown Detroit usually felt. I don't think I ever saw that many people in Wings gear outside of the Joe on game day. Everyone was wearing a jersey or t-shirt. The Spirit of Detroit statue even got into the act that year! Lori and I of course brought our cameras and we took pictures all over downtown, including in front of that statue and at the top of the steps at the Joe. When we were by the statue, we were even interviewed by a Philadelphia TV station!

Detroit often gets kicked around because of its high crime rate (which is actually mostly in the neighborhoods, not downtown) and its industrial, blue-collar rep, but we sure do come together for our sports teams. It was a wonderful afternoon to walk around the city and just bask in the Red Wing glow that enveloped everyone. It didn't matter if you were black or white, rich or poor, we were all Red Wing fans and that's all that mattered.

[CrossCheck24 2]

My name is Pat, and I was 11 when they won in 97, but the one thing i remember about that year that was pretty cool, was in the first round of the playoffs against St. Louis I was with my soccer team in Toledo. (I was living in Cleveland at the time) No one followed hockey except me and one other kid, and he happened to be a Blues fan. We went to Damons during one of the games, and since he was more popular on the team everyone on my team decided to root for the Blues with him. The first goal that was scored was by the Blues, and everyone at the table (about 9 of my teammates) were cheering and celebrating the goal. A few minutes later the Wings scored, I and the entire rest of the restaurant were cheering.

I was 11 and had been the only red wings fan in Cleveland for some time, so that always stands out in my mind.

I was in cleveland for the final game, and have and remember my dad actually taking pictures of the TV to capture Stevie hoisting the cup.

[Guest Crymson]

Thankfully as we know Vladdy survived and even though he will never play again I still can remember the way he got under Lindros' skin during the Finals. The HUGE hit at center ice he leveled against Howerchuk (I think, help me out if any one remembers the Flyer he hit) and just his grit. The defense of the WIngs hasn't been the same since. I still wear my Vladdy jersey (even wore it to a road game in Chicago in 97) so if you see a #16 jersey with a 97 finals patch at a game it's probably me.

Sorry for the length of this. I hope it helps and if you need anything PM me and I'll be happy to answer it.

[BeeRYCE 2]

It was my aunt's 40th birthday party. We were outside with a bunch of chairs set up and a small TV in the middle with all of us just watching. I was only 9 years old, but I knew more about hockey than anybody, and I was the only Red Wing fan there except my dad. Basically McCarty scored, and I went nuts, looked like a fool, but hey, who cares?

In essence, it was great.

Name's Bryce.

[mcgarnicle19 7]

I can't believe that day was nearly 10 years ago. I remember it well though. My family was having a big neighbourhood bbq and I was trying to watch the game, but people kept bugging me and distracting me from the game, so i went up to my room and watched it on my crappy little TV, so i could watch in peace. When McCarty scored (my all time favorite goal) I started jumping on my bed, yelling and cursing in triumph. I believe i yelled out something to the degree of "Holy s***! McCarty just scored the greatest ******* goal i've ever seen!!! Needless to say, everyone could hear, including many of my mom's friends from her church, prompting her to run up stairs to yell at me, where i proceed to explain to her that "McCarty had scored the greatest ******* goal ever" and that's why i was yelling. She wasn't impressed, but i didn't care at that point. I remember near the end of the game when there were just a few seconds left, the CBC announcer Bob Cole saying, "Steve Yzerman is on the ice, where he should be, at center ice, where is should be" and then moments later, "The Detroit Red Wings are Stanley Cup champions" and Stevie jumping into Vernon's arms. What a great moment. I remember Stevie looking so nervous while waiting to get the Cup from Bettman, picking up some garbage off the ice and just pacing, before finally being passed the trophy. What a moment, I think i could hear the roar from JLA all the way back to British Columbia when Bettman said, "It's my pleasure to present the Stanley Cup to Steve Yzerman." I'm sure i coudl go on forever, but i'll just include one more funny note from the game. While the players were skating with the Cup, I remember Stevie going to the bench where the Illitch's were and Mike giving Yzerman a big kiss and my Dad saying, "Did the owner just slip Steve the tongue?" HAHA. What a great day. I think i need to watch the DVD of the game now!!

[Oh Captain_My Captain 19 0]

Thanks Crymson

I was right after all, it was Howerchuk. I was just going to pull out the tape I made of the game to see who it was.

Amberlynn...I forgot to post my name with my story. It's Scott. Do us all a huge favor, please share your paper with us when it's all done. I'd love to read it.

[VladdyIBelieve 0]

I had just turned 25 when the Wings won in 97. I had a bunch of buddies over and we partied all night. I was sober for the game and got crazy drunk afterwards.

[amberlynn25 9]

Ive started the paper (its due in april) and so far its 4 pages. I have to put some background into it to help the paper. But as of now im up to round three and I now have to watch all the games to get more of the paper going. plus i need to send out my letters to see if Shanny Mac and Seregi will respond.