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 Tro-
phy 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 West-
ern Conference title;
Whereas the Red Wings faced the Eastern Conference Cham-
pion 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 Champion-
ships, 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;
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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 unde-
niably 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 sup-
port 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 qual-
ity, 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 cham-
pionships;
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
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and commitment to the team since his 1983 draft into
the National Hockey League;
Whereas the Red Wings’ entire field of skilled players con-
tributed 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 organi-
zation 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—
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(A) the Detroit Red Wings for winning the
2002 Stanley Cup Championship and for their out-
standing 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 Representa-
tives 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.