A different sort of Blues rebuilding
If the Wings current success had happened but a year ago, Manny Legace would have been right in the thick of it - and for that matter, probably still would be now. As it stands, he's out in St. Louis taking advantage of an early summer - helping out with a program called Rebuilding Together and spending some time cutting and laying tile in the bathroom of 73 year old Ruthie Gibson.
Of the experience, Manny said,
“I’m just trying to do my part. I’m not trying to be anything special. (Ownership) has supported me all year and (I’m) just trying to give back a little. It’s not much, but I’m trying.”The best alternative to being at the center of the race for the Stanley Cup? Maybe not, but Legace said the afternoon brought it's own rewards in the form of Gibson's gratitude.
“She had a big, ear-to-ear smile the whole day. Every time I’d walk by her, she had a big grin on her face. That’s credit in itself. You don’t need publicity, you don’t need the TV cameras there. You just need to see her smiling, and that was worth the few hours that we put in during the day.”Miss him yet? I hope so. What a sweetheart. I'm proud to still be wearing his jersey at every Wings game I go to.
2 comments:
Last year I wasn't sure what shocked me more: Detroit not resigning him or the fact that he waited a LONG time before getting an offer from the Blues. Did Detroit and other teams really blame him for Detroit's first round exit? I kept waiting for the Kings to pick him up but nooooo, we had to sign Cloutier.
From everything I've heard, the fact that he couldn't single-handedly support the Wings through the Oilers onslaught had the fans, the organization, whoever, screaming for somethin to be fixed, and the easiest way to appease them was a change in goaltender - nevermind his brilliant record (37-8 I believe, though that's off the top of my head).
I guess other teams must have looked on that too, though I'm with you - I seriously couldn't believe how long he waited around without hearing from anyone. Personally now that I've come to terms with him leaving, I think the Blues are a great team for him, because he'll really have the chance to play a major role in the rebuilding they need. That kind of leadership isn't something he would have gotten to have in Detroit, I don't think, and the Blues will really benefit from him.
Too bad you didn't pick him up though, you'd have a new fan ;)
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