Need Advice From Wings Fans

[VM1138 1,921]

I'm sitting here waiting for the San Jose game tonight, doing some reading for my history classes and thinking about topics for the suitcase full of papers I have to write this semester. I'm cycling through the usual run of the mill topics (wars, biographies, etc.) when I suddenly hit on a small kernel of an idea for a 15 page paper in my Michigan History class. I've never written a sports-history paper before, and I think it would be pretty interesting to do. And naturally being a die hard Wings fan, I'd like to write a paper on the Wings, and tie them somehow to Michigan or Detroit history.

That seems to be the problem. The idea is just starting to germinate and I'm not sure what historical relevance to Michigan the Wings would have moreso than any other sports team. I've run through various ideas about how a trouble city rallies around the Wings, but then I think: Detroit rallies around the Tigers and Pistons, too. In fact, I know someone who did a major graduate level thesis on the Tigers and the '68 riots. Then I think about some sort of economic connection, but also, the other sports teams do as well.

Then I think about writing about the birth of the Wings and the creation of the Detroit sports scene, but then realize that the Tigers had them beat and probably the Lions, too.

So I'm asking for some advice. To us, as Wings fans, a flat out history of the Wings would be interesting, but is there any greater historical significance to our favorite franchise that is important to Detroit or to Michigan, moreso than the Lions, Tigers, or Pistons?

Any advice on some angles to look into would be greatly appreciated, since I'm not entirely sure this topic would work.

[egroen 384]

The first win in 97 was very significant to Michigan -- it was following almost a decade long drought in championships for all the franchises. Not only did the Lions suck (as usual), but the Tigers were close to bottom of the barrel and the Pistons were pretty awful too. Ilitch really took advantage of the timeing - people in Michigan were dieing for a good team to rally behind. "Hockey Town" was born and over a milion people came to that parade. There were flags all over the state -- it was pretty unusual.

I was not alive during the Dynasty years, but I am sure there is a good study there as well. First one that comes to mind is Ted Lindsay forming the first Player's Union in the NHL and GM Jack Adams and owner Bruce Norris in that whole sordid affair. Quite a bit of history there. Adams and Norris actualy fed the papers false stories to turn the team and fans against Lindsay.

Edited January 18, 2009 by egroen

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

I was not alive during the Dynasty years, but I am sure there is a good study there as well. First one that comes to mind is Ted Lindsay forming the first Player's Union in the NHL and GM Jack Adams and owner Bruce Norris in that whole sordid affair. Quite a bit of history there. Adams and Norris actualy fed the papers false stories to turn the team and fans against Lindsay.

This is a tremendous topic. Mr. Lindsay was one of the main figures behind the attempt at a first "union" by the players and because of this is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the NHL. There was a great documentary done by the CBC called "Net Worth", based on a chapter from the book of the same name, written in 1991. I think the only player who escaped the sentence of being traded was Doug Harvey; Mr. Lindsay was traded to Chicago, at the time run by the other Norris brother, and as close to "hell on earth" as a place to play as was possible. Two things come to mind right off:

1) The drawer of money used by "Jack" Adams for the "re-negotiation" of players contracts and

2) The player whose indedecisiveness is blamed for the failure of the movement reaching its goal.

If it will help, I've added a link for a review of the book:

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrar...902/st0902n.pdf

[VM1138 1,921]

This is a tremendous topic. Mr. Lindsay was one of the main figures behind the attempt at a first "union" by the players and because of this is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the NHL. There was a great documentary done by the CBC called "Net Worth", based on a chapter from the book of the same name, written in 1991. I think the only player who escaped the sentence of being traded was Doug Harvey; Mr. Lindsay was traded to Chicago, at the time run by the other Norris brother, and as close to "hell on earth" as a place to play as was possible. Two things come to mind right off:

1) The drawer of money used by "Jack" Adams for the "re-negotiation" of players contracts and

2) The player whose indedecisiveness is blamed for the failure of the movement reaching its goal.

If it will help, I've added a link for a review of the book:

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrar...902/st0902n.pdf

According to one of the players who was interviewed for "Gods of Olympia Stadium", Net Worth apparently wasn't very accurate. Several of the players mentioned denied several of the things ever happened.

That would be a really interesting topic, to be honest, but I'm not sure I could tie it into Michigan significance.

[redwing_sparty 0]

not sure if there is much relevence between the two events, but you could look into how the wings lost steam after 55 and corelate it with the decline of detroit. the 50's were def the golden age for detroit, and things began to go downhill in the 60's. like i said, not sure if there;s much there, but it would be intersting to look into.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

According to one of the players who was interviewed for "Gods of Olympia Stadium", Net Worth apparently wasn't very accurate.

Would his initials happen to be "A D"?

[wingnutincbus 0]

You should consider analyzing the Red Wing success as a business organization, not just a sports franchise. They have management continuation and depth, player (employee development) development) and depth, winning organizational culture, leadership (owner and general management) vision. If you need an antithesis to this to prove your point, use the same parameters and apply to the Detroit Lions or any one of the car companies. Good Luck.

I'm sitting here waiting for the San Jose game tonight, doing some reading for my history classes and thinking about topics for the suitcase full of papers I have to write this semester. I'm cycling through the usual run of the mill topics (wars, biographies, etc.) when I suddenly hit on a small kernel of an idea for a 15 page paper in my Michigan History class. I've never written a sports-history paper before, and I think it would be pretty interesting to do. And naturally being a die hard Wings fan, I'd like to write a paper on the Wings, and tie them somehow to Michigan or Detroit history.

That seems to be the problem. The idea is just starting to germinate and I'm not sure what historical relevance to Michigan the Wings would have moreso than any other sports team. I've run through various ideas about how a trouble city rallies around the Wings, but then I think: Detroit rallies around the Tigers and Pistons, too. In fact, I know someone who did a major graduate level thesis on the Tigers and the '68 riots. Then I think about some sort of economic connection, but also, the other sports teams do as well.

Then I think about writing about the birth of the Wings and the creation of the Detroit sports scene, but then realize that the Tigers had them beat and probably the Lions, too.

So I'm asking for some advice. To us, as Wings fans, a flat out history of the Wings would be interesting, but is there any greater historical significance to our favorite franchise that is important to Detroit or to Michigan, moreso than the Lions, Tigers, or Pistons?

Any advice on some angles to look into would be greatly appreciated, since I'm not entirely sure this topic would work.

[Zetterbeard40 0]

Hey buddy,

I dont know if your a tigers fan as well, but I am also a history student at the University of Windsor and have a pretty good idea for you. Last year we had to do a project/presentation on any topic in history we want, and being a natural sports fan, I chose to do Tiger Stadiums placde in Detroits history. You would be surprised at how much info you can find and how easy the research is. It is especially intriguing now that it has been ripped down and we see the end of an era. Just a thought....post if you need some more info, I should have a bibliography with all of my books i used and stuff.

[Lovin Jiri Fischer 147]

You could do something about how the 2008 Stanley Cup came at a time where Detroit was pretty much at rock bottom, and then maybe compare it to the 1968 World Series when Detroit had all of those riots and then maybe write about how sports teams and championships have affected Detroit in times of turmoil.

Last year I wrote a paper on how the Tigers winning the World Series really uplifted the attitudes of Detroiters after the riots. And of course this paper was written about a month before the Wings won the Stanley Cup, but I would have loved to compare the two.

[Kira 451]

To tell you true, Ted Lindsay was the originator of a couple of traditions of the NHL. One of them is the ceremonial meeting at center ice to shake hands with the other team at the end of the playoffs. And the other is the circling of the arena with the Stanley Cup. Ted was the originator of both of those. The one I love is the circling of the arena. Lindsay's reasoning of this is, as he says, "I knew who paid my salary, and it wasn't the management." So to me, there is a real Detroit basis to these two traditions.