[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 82 (Wednesday, June 19, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H3675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO DETROIT RED WINGS--STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

  (Mr. PRICE of North Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to own up to a 
promise I made to my friend, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior), 
and, equally important, to honor the World Champion Detroit Red Wings.
  Later today, I will also deliver the other part of my friendly wager 
with the gentleman from Michigan, a big spread of traditional North 
Carolina barbeque from Bullock's in Durham. And for those of you who 
may not know, let me clarify for the record: barbeque is a noun, not a 
verb.
  Muhammad Ali once said ``Champions are made from something they have 
deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision.''
  Detroit and the entire State of Michigan are a part of that dream 
today. In the place they call ``Hockeytown,'' the Detroit Red Wings are 
a team for the ages. Last week, they did more than just win a 10th 
Stanley Cup. In the end, it was an incredible journey by true legends 
of the game that will be remembered for a long time to come.
  Undaunted by pressure, stoic in the face of defeat, resilient in the 
fight for glory, the Detroit Red Wings proved once and for all that 
hockey is a game of confidence and a game of skill. They embody the 
gritty do-it-yourself spirit that Detroit is known for, and the town 
embraces them for it.
  This series will always hold a special place in my heart. While it 
ended with the defeat of our Carolina Hurricanes, it will always be 
remembered as the time when, for a brief moment, hockey amazingly 
overshadowed basketball in the State of North Carolina.
  So congratulations to the Detroit Red Wings, to the city of Detroit, 
and to the citizens of Michigan.
  Now, Mr. Speaker, this speech obviously was written by the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Bonior). And as a man of my word, I am gladly 
reading the tribute that he has written, as promised in our wager. But 
as a defender of Mayberry--that is how the Detroit media refer to us--I 
would like to add something unscripted here about North Carolina, 
``Hockeytown of the South,'' as we prefer to be called.

                              {time}  1045

  Mr. Speaker, the Hurricanes made us proud with their fine performance 
and their hometown spirit. Excellent in both athletic performance and 
sportsmanship, they are equally gracious in defeat, setting a good 
example for their congressman.
  I also feel compelled to issue a storm warning. If the gentleman does 
not know what a ``Category 5'' is, he had better find out before next 
season!
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. I yield to the gentleman from Michigan.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina 
(Mr. Price) for his graciousness and his challenge, but I really look 
forward to that very tangy, delicious North Carolina barbecue that at 
this very minute is making its way over the Capitol.
  Mr. Speaker, we had 1.2 million people participate in the Red Wings 
victory parade on Monday. Winning the Stanley Cup has brought our city 
and State together. As the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) 
said, hockey is more than just a sport in Detroit, it is a passion. 
That is why we call it ``Hockeytown.'' In Hockeytown, we serve 
breakfast by handing out forks to each kid and then dropping an Eggo in 
the middle of the table.
  In Hockeytown, when the traffic signal turns red, we start cheering 
because we think Steve Yzerman just scored again.
  Every once in a while I would say to my Republican friends, I will 
throw a body check or two around here, I want Members to know it is not 
personal, I will wind up in the Cloak Room for 2 minutes, but it is 
where I come from. I come from Hockeytown; that is what it is about.
  Mr. Speaker, the North Carolina Hurricanes fought hard. They are 
worthy opponents. They are good sports, and they have good hearts. The 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) is a good sport with a great 
heart. Babe Ruth once said, ``You may have the greatest bunch of 
individual stars in the world, but if they do not play together, the 
club will not be worth a dime.'' Well, the Hurricanes have stars, and 
they played together; the Red Wings have stars, and they certainly 
played together, and that is what makes them both great. We in 
Hockeytown look forward to many more spirited games with our friends 
from North Carolina.

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