ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- This was a night to raise money for "a Michigan hockey brother" battling not only for his way of life and life itself, but to raise awareness for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
However, this benefit hockey game for Scott Matzka, who assisted on the winning goal by Josh Langfeld for the Wolverines in the 1998 NCAA championship game, was also very clearly about family.
It was about the Michigan hockey family and the hockey family in the broader sense, with retired Detroit Red Wings turning out for the fundraising exhibition game Saturday night (Jan. 7) at Yost Ice Arena.
Most importantly, it was about Matzka and his family -- wife Catie; daughter Reese, seven; and son Owen, who turned five on Thursday. Owen got to score on Wolverines and NHL goalie legend Marty Turco, beating him through the five hole and hearing the cheers and the public address announcer intone: "Matzka, unassisted."
Yet, there were two moments that stood out...READ MORE