November 21, 2002

For years I’ve dreaded the end of the NASCAR racing season. Winter was sports limbo for me. I lost interest in the NFL years ago and I have never liked basketball. Not this year though, I have discovered professional hockey. I began following the Detroit Red Wings during the playoffs last spring. The hockey bug bit me as I watched the Wings fight to win the coveted Stanley Cup.

There is much about hockey that should appeal to race fans. Like racing, hockey is fast and furious, the action is almost nonstop. It can also be dangerous, bodies get banged up like fenders at Bristol. And I must admit there is a certain amount of mano-y-mano machismo that intrigues me as well.

As I learn more about the National Hockey League I’m finding many similarities to my beloved NASCAR. Both have a rich and hallowed history. Hockey fans speak of the original six NHL teams with the same reverence and awe that NASCAR fans speak of pioneers such as Red Byron and Lee Petty. Fans of hockey and racing have a deep appreciation for the courage and sacrifices of their founding fathers.

Like racing, ice hockey is a family affair. Brothers compete against brothers and fathers compete against sons. One of racing’s most treasured moments was Bobby and Davey Allison’s one-two finish in the 1988 Daytona 500. Or who will forget the pure joy of Ned Jarrett "coaching" son Dale to his first 500 victory from the broadcast booth? NASCAR has seen many fathers and sons race together. In hockey this is a rarity, however hockey fans recall Gordie Howe along with sons Mark and Marty playing on the same championship team.

While they did not play at the same time, NHL star Bobby Hull and his son Brett each has over 600 career goals. Bobby had 610 goals; Brett is still adding to his total playing for the Red Wings. The Hulls are the first father-son combination in NHL history to each record 600 goals.

In racing we have brothers galore, Bobby and Terry Labonte have both won the Winston Cup championship. Darrell and Michael Waltrip are the only brothers to each win the Daytona 500. Donnie and Bobby Allison racked up 94 wins between them. There are many sets of siblings in the NHL as well. However, no family has had as many sons playing as the Sutter family. Six of Grace and Louis Sutter’s seven sons played in the NHL. The careers of Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich and Ron Sutter spanned 25 years. Darryl, Brian, and Duane have each made their mark as head coaches in the NHL. So here’s to all the fathers, sons and brothers who have contributed so much to both sports.

Recognizing their responsibility to others hockey players and racers spend much of their limited free time working for those less fortunate. Charities supported by these athletes have raised millions of dollars. The work these guys do and the time they donate are vital to the success of many non-profit organizations.

Stars from both sports have established foundations to raise and distribute funds to many worthy causes. The Jeff Gordon Foundation was started in 1999 and supports charities dedicated to helping children. Gordon’s organization supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis among others. Detroit Red Wings’ forward Darren McCarty created the McCarty Cancer Foundation to assist in the battle against multiple myeloma, a terminal cancer that took his father's life in 1999. Created on Fathers’ Day 1996 the McCarty Foundation has to date funded more than $3 million in research grants. Racing and hockey are each blessed with participants who take their social responsibility seriously.

There is a level of sport that requires absolute commitment from the participants. To compete in this upper echelon requires dedication, courage and focus. To succeed here requires passion as well. Think of the drivers who have returned to victory lane after battling back from near fatal accidents? With determination and passion Ernie Irvan and Ricky Craven have overcome injuries to triumph again.

The same passion for his sport enabled Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins to conquer Hodgkin’s disease and return to play. After missing the entire 1994-95 season Lemieux returned to the ice the following year and played like he had never left. The Magnificent One was awarded the Hart Trophy for MVP and led the league in scoring that season. To return to top form after a serious injury or illness requires more from an athlete than is asked to maintain at the pinnacle of competition. These competitors must have an abiding, overwhelming passion for their sports, on the racetrack and on the ice passion abounds.

Of the many parallels between NASCAR and the NHL none is as strong as that between Jeff Gordon and Wayne Gretzky. With the inimitable passion of the truly great Gretzsky and Gordon epitomize excellence in their sports.

Jeff Gordon’s stepfather put him in a Quarter Midget racecar when he was 5 years old. John Bickford recognized Jeff’s God-given talent and encouraged his interest in racing. Bickford said, "We'd take that car out every night after I got home from work and run it lap after lap. Jeff couldn't seem to get enough of it." By the time he was 8 years old Jeff had won his first Quarter Midget championship. At age 9 he was competing against and beating much older drivers. Due to California’s age restrictions the budding champion stalled out and would not advance for several years. So his family moved cross-country to Florida where he was legal to race with his parents’ permission. When young Jeff out paced the more mature competition in Florida the family moved again, this time to Indiana. Before he was old enough to get a driver’s license Jeff Gordon had won three sprint car track championships. At 16 Gordon joined the United States Auto Club (USAC) becoming the youngest person ever licensed by that group. He won the USAC Silver Crown national championship prior to his twenty-first birthday.

In 1992 the USAC champ moved to the NASCAR Busch Series, driving for Bill Davis. That year at Atlanta Motor Speedway Winston Cup team owner, Rick Hendrick watched as a young driver fought an extremely loose racecar. The driver managed to control the contrary racecar and win the race. Hendrick immediately told his general manager to sign the young Jeff Gordon to a Winston Cup contract. The following year Gordon won Rookie of the Year honors driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Without the sacrifices and support of his family Jeff Gordon may have struggled anonymously for years and we would have never known the excitement of watching him compete.

Like NASCAR’s Gordon, Wayne Gretzky’s talent was apparent at an early age. Walter Gretzky, Wayne’s father built an ice rink in the family’s Brantford, Ontario backyard. "It was for self-preservation," Walter admitted. "I got sick of taking him to the park and sitting there for hours freezing to death." On the backyard rink Wayne skated for hours, diligently practicing his moves under the guidance of his dad. From the tender age of 6 Wayne began playing in organized leagues. His first year he scored only one goal but he was playing against ten year olds. As his skills increased Gretzky began setting scoring records. His last year in the peewee league he scored 378 goals. Between the ages of 14 and 16 he played for several different teams in the Ontario Hockey Association. That same year he represented Canada for the first time at the World Junior Championship. When he was 16 The Great One, as he would come to be called, led the tournament in scoring and was named top center.

Gretzsky wanted to play in the NHL at this time, however the draft age was 20 years old. Until he was old enough Gretzky played for the Edmonton Oilers of World Hockey Association. When the Oilers moved to the National Hockey League, few believed that Gretzky could match his WHA success. Proving the naysayers wrong, in his first full season Gretzky scored 51 goals, led the league in assists with 86 and was awarded the Hart Trophy. Wayne competed in the NHL played until the end of the 1998-99 season. His many records are unparalleled and some may never be broken. The support and encouragement of Walter Gretzsky enabled son Wayne to develop his natural talent and earn the title of The Great One.

Yes, I’m almost looking forward to NASCAR’s hiatus this year. I want to learn more about my second favorite sport. The National Hockey League and NASCAR are very similar in heart and soul. So race fans if you get bored during the off-season, check out a hockey game. There is much more I could tell you but the Wings are playing Calgary tonight and the lucky jersey needs washing.

Go Wings.

^D^

KUDOS: A big atta boy goes out to Jim Hunter, NASCAR Vice President for Corporate Communications. Hunter is to be congratulated for his comment about Tony Stewart’s recent non-altercation with yet another photographer. Hunter said, "It was just an incident that happened. All of you know that…had that been any other driver it would not have been an issue...I think it was an issue because it was Tony Stewart." Tell it like it is Jim.

Finally, I cannot close without saying thank you to Danny Myers. Good luck and God bless you, Chocolate.

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