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Reviled Lemieux makes his return to Hockeytown
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Boo this man !
Tonight at 7:30 pm, the Detroit Red Wings will take on the San Jose Sharks at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. This evening's game will be important for a multitude of reasons. Detroit embarrassed San Jose during the Sharks last trip to Joe Louis, cruising to a 6-0 victory. San Jose returned the favor last month in San Jose, and now the two best teams in the Western Conference are preparing to go at it yet again. The game tonight, however, takes on added meaning since it marks the return of Claude Lemieux to Joe Louis Arena. Yes, that Claude Lemieux . The 43 year old Sharks forward has impressed many in his return to the NHL after a five year retirement. The fact that a man could take 5 years off from professional hockey and return to the world's best league in his mid 40's is simply amazing. Lemieux is known as a playoff hero in Montreal, New Jersey, and Colorado, and has 379 career goals. He won the 1995 Conn Smythe Trophy for the playoff MVP and was part of four Stanley Cup winning teams. For all of Lemieux's post-season heroics and knack for scoring clutch goals, he is probably most remembered for two incidents involving the Detroit Red Wings. In fact, it can be said that Claude Lemieux is the man most responsible for igniting the Colorado Avalanche-Detroit Red Wings rivalry that dominant hockey in the late 1990's. It was Lemieux's vicious hit from behind on Kris Draper that served as the first shot in the war between Colorado and Detroit. While Colorado would go on to win the 1996 Cup with Lemieux after the Draper incident, Detroit would vanquish Colorado in the conference finals in 1997 and 2002 on their way to Stanley Cup Championships. The second Red Wings related incident that Lemieux is well known for is the "Turtling" incident that occurred during the infamous 1997 brawl between the Red Wings and the Avalanche.
Regardless of the fact that Lemieux has not played for Colorado for nearly a decade, his actions are still the subject of ill repute and slanderous words whenever they are mentioned in the presence of any true Red Wings fan. Personally, I just can't accept the fact that I directly equate Detroit's 1996 Western Conference Finals loss to his dastardly act. When you add the fact that one year earlier, in 1995, that Lemieux was exceptional against Detroit during New Jersey's sweep of the Wings in the Finals, it makes obvious sense why Claude Lemieux might be the most despised opposing player to ever set foot in Joe Louis Arena. He might even top all of the villainous opponents that inhabited old Olympia Stadium during the old days. I for one cannot wait to hear the chorus of boos that are sure to erupt from the rafters of the Joe whenever Lemieux eventually steps on the ice.
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