GAME ONE OF THE STANLEY CUP FINALS!

The first period is in the books and the referees are not making any calls.  Not one power play opportunity for either team in 20 solid minutes of action.  One referee actually watched Kirk Maltby get shoved to the ground and held down, yet still no call.  Tomas Holmstrom has taken several wicked licks already and still no call.  Luckily for the Red Wings, Brad Stuart struck first.  Stuart took a shot from the blue line and it got caught behind Pittsburgh goalie Marc Andre-Fluery and it scooted in behind him.  Detroit took a 1-oh lead with 6:22 to go in the period, but it did not last long.  1:23 to go in the 1st, Evgeni Malkin fired in a shot, Chris Osgood made the initial save and the puck trickled right next to him and Ruslan Fedotenko was given a chip shot to tie the game.  That is where it stands right now, 1-1 between the 1st and 2nd periods.  If the referees do not make some calls in the 2nd period, someone is going to get hurt.  We all know that when you’re playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, it is going to be physical, but let’s protect the players please!  Ok, I’ve said my peace, onto the next period.  Enjoy it!  

The second period left a lot to be desired by the referees again.  Pittsburgh had back-to-back power play opportunities thanks to a slashing penalty by Brett Lebda and then a holding penalty by Mikael Samuelsson.  Luckily in the second power play, the Penguins did not even get a shot on goal!  The Red Wings penalty kill worked like magic and left the Penguins penniless.  With 6:16 to go in the 2nd, Detroit finally got its first power play of the night thanks to a hooking call on Craig Adams.  It did not pan out in a goal, but it did not matter.  With less than two minutes to go in the period, Johan Franzen had the puck behind the net and put it off Marc Andre-Fluery, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead after two and Franzen his team leading 11th goal of the playoffs.  That is the second goal given up by Fluery where the puck went behind him.  Now let’s just hope Detroit can hang onto the lead until the final horn sounds.  Be sure to tune in tomorrow for your pre-game and post-game show, live from Joe Louis Arena.  It’s all right here on Local 4!  Let’s Go Red Wings!

Before the game: 

Get ready Hockeytown, your rematch is here, the pesky Penguins from Pittsburgh are back, and it is time to find out which team will be hoisting the Stanley Cup at the end of this best-of-seven series.  My prediction on the series has to be Red Wings in either five or seven games and here’s why.  Pittsburgh is a more experienced team and this time around the players know what to expect from the almighty Red Wings.  Last year, Detroit steamrolled through games one and two and needed to close it out on the road in six.  This year it goes one of two ways.  Detroit wins the first two at home, splits in Pittsburgh and then wins game five.  Why?  Because last year’s triple overtime really left a sour taste in the Red Wings mouths.  However, it could be a split in Detroit, split in Pittsburgh, games five and six go to the home team, then it’s decided in the seventh game right here in Detroit.  I think, either way, the Red Wings win it.  With their depth, perseverance, determination, Marian Hossa now on their roster dying to win the cup, Chris Osgood playing out of his mind, and Coach Mike Babcock has proven he’s a great chess player (I don’t know that for a fact, but he sure plays a good match on the ice), the Red Wings repeat as Stanley Cup Champs.  Go get em’ tonight and let’s plan the parade!

Give Life

 

So many of us go through life and don’t realize the precious equipment we have inside our bodies.  I’ve been an organ donor for over two years, ever since I registered for my driver’s license in Michigan.  I recommend that all of you take the time to become one as well.  Here is why.

 

Within the past two months, I’ve been working on a wonderful story regarding the gift of organ donation.  John Talos (who I will refer to as Johnny), a 19 year old senior basketball player at Parkway Christian High School, recently donated his kidney to his father John.  John is 45 years old and has been suffering with diabetes since the age of 14.  He’s been on dialysis for over two years and his doctor told him that a kidney transplant was necessary to extend his life.  Johnny was being recruited by several local colleges to play basketball at the next level.  However, with organ donation, there was a risk that Johnny would never be able to play a contact sport again.  There was not a doubt in Johnny’s mind that he was ready to take the risk of never playing basketball again to help his father live a healthier life.  A year ago, Johnny turned 18 on April 13th and was then legal to find out if he could be a match for his father.  Johnny’s test results came back and he was finally cleared to become a donor. 

 

Fast forward to his senior year.  Johnny made it through basketball season averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds per game.  He even played in the Michigan State High School Athletic Association Final Four at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.  Johnny’s spring break and his 19th birthday came and went, now the date for the kidney transplant was looming.  April 22nd, Johnny goes into the hospital early in the morning.  He’s on the operating table for hours, but finally by mid-afternoon, Dr. James E. Denny, the transplant specialist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, has a healthy, functioning kidney to place in his father John.  Henry Ford Hospital allowed me and my photographer Cesar Gonzalez, to go into the operating room to see the kidney before it was attached to John.  In less than three hours of taking Johnny’s kidney out of his body, Dr. Denny was putting it directly into his father.  Dr. Denny said it is so much better to do transplants from living donors because the time the organ is out of the body is minimal and typically there are less complications when you have an organ coming from a family member.  

 

By the end of transplant day, both John and Johnny were out of surgery and recovering.  Two days later, Cesar and I went back to Henry Ford Hospital to witness the father and son reunited for the first time.  Tears came to Johnny’s eyes as he grabbed his father’s hand.  A miracle had happened.  John’s new kidney was functioning normally and the two would now be able to spend more time with one another.   A kidney transplant for John meant no more four hour trips to dialysis and more time with his family for vacations.  Johnny told me the first thing he wanted to do with his dad was go fishing.  I believe he will get his wish sometime this summer.

 

Both men are now out of the hospital and on a great road to recovery.  Johnny will likely be back in the gym within a matter of weeks to prepare for life as a college freshman at Macomb Community College.  Johnny received a scholarship to play basketball and should be completely recovered by the time pre-season rolls around in early September.  

 

I wish both of these men my very best and I cannot wait to go watch Johnny play at MCC next Fall.  You will see a follow up to this story on Sports Final Edition before the end of the year.  

 

The moral of this story is to give life.  Even when we least expect it, accidents happen and life is suddenly cut short.  Think about putting that little sticker on your driver’s license today, because it could save someone’s life after you are gone. 

 

To watch this story that aired on Local 4, click on the link below: 

 http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/19309797/index.html