After an awful effort in the Detroit Red Wings’ 7-1 loss to Nashville Thursday night, it’s evident that games like these could be more common place if Jonathan Bernier is dealt at the deadline. Just the sheer thought of watching teams bury the Wings early in the first period is daunting for even the most optimistic fan.
With this being the fourth year of a rebuild, it’s easy to just rage quit and tune out until the winning returns. But to many fan’s credit, they’re hanging in–which reminds me of a passage from a famous American pamphlet.
As a lover of history, I’m reminded of the line in Thomas Paine’s work The American Crisis which implored the American public to not lose faith in the Revolution. The epic line these are the times that try men’s souls acknowledged that the road would be long and winding, and then goes on to assure the reader that: The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.
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That’s the part to remember. For those Red Wings fans old enough, and I will admit I barely
remember the lean 80’s seasons, this history lesson is repeating itself. General Manager Steve Yzerman begged for patience when he came back to Detroit to restore the organization to its former ways of winning.
He knows what it takes, and he knows it takes time. He lived it on the ice as a player, waiting fourteen years to finally hoist the Cup. There were lean years, and some downright cruel ones that resulted in stunning first round exits to quasi-expansion teams (1994) and the hell that was the four game sweep against New Jersey in the ’95 Final. I still struggle to understand how they win 62 games in ’96 and fall short by one series. But that very series against Colorado would be the catalyst for back to back championships.
Yzerman’s presence alone earns the trust of Detroit fans, and soothes the losses as they pile up. Sure, it doesn’t make it easier, but it gives credence to the patience he preaches. Even on Twitter, where negativity runs rampant, Red Wings fans trust the Yzerplan. To borrow again from Paine, Wings supporters are not sunshine Patriots or summer soldiers. These are hardcore fans.
If history does indeed teach us anything, with the Captain running this ship, the triumph will indeed be glorious someday.
Just keep trusting the Yzerplan.