Detroit: The curse of Lindsay

[zodiac <zodiac@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

BTW...

Speaking of the auto industry...

I see the Detroit Red Wings managed to dramatically dodge the Gretzky bullet
and win their series against the St Louis Blues in double overtime. (We are
talking NHL hockey here, you legion of Marxist sports fans.)

All the Detroit fans are waving their little banners. And all the sports
writers are scratching their heads, wondering what in the world could have
caused the Red Wings to have had such a hard time with St Louis, a team
that finished over 50 points lower than it in the regular season. These
same sports writers stand perplexed before Detroit's pathetic playoff the
last few years -- having witnessed high-powered turbo-Wings teams
continually crash and burn every playoff season.

Put away your tables, depth charts and statistical algorithms. The answer,
of course, is simple: "The Curse of Ted Lindsay."

Some background, if I might.

In the 1950s, there was a major move to unionize NHL players. There was
lots of support for this, and plenty of indifference or general confusion
among the workers (players). As is usual in hostile environments, certain
leaders will step forward to take the heat. Among the major motivating
forces for a union was one Ted Lindsay -- the captain of the Red Wings,
and one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Lindsay played left
wing with Sid Abel (centre) and Gordie Howe (right wing) -- the latter
being _the_ greatest player ever.

The owners in the (then) six team league ruled like tyrants. (Read the
histories, it was brutal and heartless, so many young men were just used
and abused.) And these owners most definitely wanted nothing like a union.
So they targeted players who were sympathetic. And they focused on
leaders. There was probably no more vocal nor belligerent leader of the
unionization movement than Lindsay.

But Lindsay, being a captain and star, couldn't be axed so immediately. It
afforded him a larger window of agitation.

Nonetheless, Red Wings owner Jack Adams finally had enough of Lindsay's
organizational defiance, and he traded the Detroit captain to the worst
team in the league -- Chicago. Lindsay was made the "example" to terrify
the far lesser lights, who did not have his talents as security. The union
drive failed.

And the Red Wings have never won a cup since.

So, you see, it is "The Curse of Ted Lindsay" that frustrates the poor
Detroit octopus chuckers...

Ken.





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