H. Res. 452

In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

July 16, 2002.

Whereas on June 13, 2002, the Detroit Red Wings won the

2002 Stanley Cup Hockey Championship;

Whereas the Red Wings were awarded the President’s Trophy for finishing 1st overall in the 2001–2002 regular

season in the National Hockey League;

Whereas the Red Wings finished on top after 2 months of

competitive and grueling play that characterizes the

Stanley Cup playoffs;

Whereas the Red Wings defeated last year’s Stanley Cup

Champions, the Colorado Avalanche, to clinch the Western Conference title;

Whereas the Red Wings faced the Eastern Conference Champion Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup finals and

came away victorious clinching the series 4–1;

Whereas Detroit Head Coach Scotty Bowman has been with

the team since 1993, and his dedication and leadership

have guided the Red Wings to 3 Stanley Cup Championships, with back to back wins in 1997 and 1998;

Whereas Bowman is retiring from the National Hockey

League with an impressive history, setting many coaching

records including a record 9 Stanley Cup Championships

during his career;
2

•HRES 452 EH

Whereas Bowman and his coaching staff of Dave Lewis and

Barry Smith have provided strong leadership and solid

coaching, resulting in a hockey team that has been undeniably dominant in regular and postseason play;

Whereas Mike Ilitch has been President and team owner of

the Red Wings since 1982, and has shown steadfast support for the team and the city of Detroit;

Whereas Ken Holland, General Manager of the Red Wings,

has shown dedication to the Red Wings franchise and has

been successful in putting together a team of high quality, winning players;

Whereas many other individuals have contributed to the Red

Wings’ success, including John Wharton, trainer for the

Red Wings, Al Sabotka, Building Operations Manager

for Joe Louis Arena, and Bud Lynch, legendary arena

announcer for the Red Wings;

Whereas the Red Wings, one of the original 6 teams in the

National Hockey League have reached their 76th year in

that league, and have previously earned 9 Stanley Cup

Championships and numerous other hockey league championships;

Whereas every member of the Red Wings team will have their

name engraved on the Stanley Cup, the only trophy in

professional sports to acknowledge the contribution of

each team member in such a manner;

Whereas the city of Detroit is appropriately called

Hockeytown, highlighting the city’s loyal fans and their

love for the sport;

Whereas the Red Wings have been led on the ice by Captain

Steve Yzerman since 1986, who has shown leadership
3

•HRES 452 EH

and commitment to the team since his 1983 draft into

the National Hockey League;

Whereas the Red Wings’ entire field of skilled players contributed to the team’s success, including Steve Yzerman,

Brett Hull, Igor Larionov, Brendan Shanahan, Luc

Robitaille, Sergei Federov, Darren McCarty, Chris

Chelios, Niklas Lidstrom, Dominik Hasek, Kris Draper,

Jiri Fischer, Jesse Wallin, Uwe Krupp, Mathieu

Dandenault, Pavel Datsyuk, Ladislav Kohn, Kirk Maltby,

Boyd Devereaux, Fredrik Olausson, Steve Duchesne,

Jason Williams, Maxim Kuznetsov, Manny Legace, Jason

Elliott, Sean Avery, Jiri Slegr, and Tomas Holmstrom;

Whereas Vladimir Konstantinov continues to be a symbol of

inspiration and greatness to the entire Red Wings organization and fans everywhere;

Whereas Dominik Hasek had a record 6 post-season shutouts

during the playoffs and led his team to the championship

series, clinching his 1st Stanley Cup Championship in his

professional career;

Whereas Niklas Lidstrom was named Most Valuable Player

of the Stanley Cup playoffs and won the Conn Smythe

Trophy, the first European and only the 7th defenseman

in the league to win this title; and

Whereas Brett Hull showed skill and finesse on the ice and

scored his 100th playoff goal, joining other hockey greats

like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Jari Kurri as the

4th player to hit the triple digit mark in postseason

goals: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) congratulates—
4

•HRES 452 EH

(A) the Detroit Red Wings for winning the

2002 Stanley Cup Championship and for their outstanding performance during the entire 2001–2002

National Hockey League season; and

(B) all of the 16 National Hockey League

teams that played in the postseason;

(2) recognizes the achievements of the Red Wings

players, coaches, and support staff who worked hard and

were instrumental in bringing the Stanley Cup back to

the city of Detroit;

(3) commends the Carolina Hurricanes for a valiant

performance during the playoff finals and for showing

their strength and skill as a team; and

(4) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to—

(A) the Red Wings players;

(B) Head Coach Scotty Bowman; and

(C) President and team owner Mike Ilitch.

Attest:

Clerk.