Ice Hockey at Clark Park the suburban invasion begins

[Johnlodge]

DETROIT – After this weekend, Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom won’t be the only member of his family to play in a highly-publicized outdoor hockey game.

Lidstrom’s son Kevin, a sophomore defenseman on the junior varsity team at Novi Detroit Catholic Central High School, will play in the Outdoor Classic on Sunday, a four-game series at Clark Park in southwest Detroit. He will play in the first game of the day that pits Catholic Central against instate rival from Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.

The JV game will be followed by two alumni games, then the marquee varsity match-up at 2 p.m. EST.

Lidstrom said his son is excited to participate in the event, and that Kevin can draw on the experience of watching his dad in the 2009 Winter Classic at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

“He went to Chicago when we played there last year,� Lidstrom said, “so he knows the atmosphere and feeling. They had practice over at the rink at Clark Park the other day, and I took him over to it. He’s looking forward to it.�

The proud father said that his son is still learning how to play defense, after deciding to follow in his footsteps, instead of in Chris Osgood’s.

“People say he’s similar to me,� Lidstrom said. “Kevin was a goalie for four years, so he’s still catching up with his footwork, but I think he’s getting better and better. He’s having a blast, and really enjoying it.�

Lidstrom will be unable to attend the outdoor contest, since the Red Wings host the Chicago Blackhawks at 12:30 p.m. the same day. Lidstrom said he would have liked to watch his son play, and to see the set-up at Clark Park.

“It would have been fun, just to see the game,� he said.

http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=513749

[gnome]

I sure do hope the weather doesn't scuttle the contest. I stopped by Clark Park last night about 9 o'clock, a game was just finishing and everyone looked like they were having fun. I'll add that all the players were adults and had most of their teeth.

Obvious amateurs.

[TheValson]

Just think of the high school baseball games that could have happened at a revamped Tiger Stadium. Hell, I would have joined an old man beer drinking softball league just to play in the stadium.

[chitaku]

anyone know about pick up at Clark Park? I play at City sometimes but my schedule conflicts with the noon skate and I'd love to get back out.

[Downriviera]

Chitaku

I organize an annual pickup game at Clark, this year its Sunday, Jan 31 at 2pm. As of now we are full at 20 skaters and 2 goalies, but if anyone no shows and you want to show up as a standby, I could get you in. We play for 1 1/2 hrs, ten bucks per player goes to the Clark Park Hockey Assn. Beers and food after at Mexican Town.

[pgn421]

Anyone know which team won? Any pics?

[ggcanfield]

CC won 5-2, game was exciting, tied 2-2 after 2nd period. Crowd of 1500-2000 people according to various reports....definitely a full house. More details here:

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...h-of-fresh-air

[exmotowner]

"When the skeered whities start moving back in significant numbers."

Hey Supersport, maybe they will bring some of their skeered white money with them and spend it. The above is a racist statment in my book. If we would have said the same thing about blacks moving in you would be calling Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

[Supersport]

"When the skeered whities start moving back in significant numbers."

Hey Supersport, maybe they will bring some of their skeered white money with them and spend it. The above is a racist statment in my book. If we would have said the same thing about blacks moving in you would be calling Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

Got'em both on speed dial!

[exmotowner]

I'm sure you do supersport. Just imagine if someone started a thread "black people invading the park in warren". We would be crucified over it and you know it. There is such a double standard.

[marinecorpsski]

Funny. I didn't have my nose broke, but I did get a gash in my brow from an unorganized game of hockey back in 83 at the Clark Park rink.

[marinecorpsski]

My son plays baseball at Clark Park. There's a wonderful coach there, Morris, who has become legendary in the neighborhood. He really knows how to get these kids loving the game -- and he doesn't put up with any crap, either. Every kid, no matter the talent level, gets an equal chance to play, but they had better play the game hard and the right way, or he'll let them know about it.

I've never had any problems in Clark Park, and anyone calling it "Crack Park" or making snide references to gangs doesn't know what the hell they're talking about. It's a fine place to take your kids on a nice summer day.

I don't know if I'll be going out there in the winter, though! Homie don't play that sub-zero stuff!!!

Coach Morris Blackwell. He was my baseball coach at Clark Park as a kid in the Early 80's while growing up on Porter/Vinewood and McKinstry/75. He was an Athletics teacher and Baseball coach at Chadsey when I graduated in 91. I left to join the Marine Corps. Went back to the neighborhood in the summer of 2006 and there he was, out there with the kids. I could hardly believe it. I had to pull over, get the family out and reintroduce myself and my family to him, and thank him for all he has done for the kids and community.
I remember the decline of the park and remember using the term "Crack Park". The park has came long way since I was a daily occupant of it. The rec center was regularly open in the early 80's, and had activities for us kids. It was rarely opened in the mid 80's, half the basketball hoops were missing in the summers, the ice was really crappy in the rink and they didn't have the glass, it was chain link fencing over the boards.
If you are reading this, you should be proud of the community and neughborhoods surrounding Clark Park. The area has really pulled through and hasn't faced the worst of the "Blight or Flight" as the rest of the city has. I do not know if it still happens, but when I was back in the area in 2000-01 it was great to see that the community got together for a few days during the summer to beautify the community and help the elderly and less fortunate inprove thier residences to keep the neighborhoods looking good.

[pgn421]

Didnt i hear that Jack White donated money for Clark Park? Its good to see that it is going to good use. Good for the City. We need more of this.!

[dookie joe]

pgn, yes, Jack White donated money for the new ball diamond, bleachers, dugout and scoreboard. It's a great little facility.

Marine, it's incredible how many of Morris' former players stop by and say hi to him. We went to a Tiger game with him last summer and one of the vendors, also a former player, noticed him and came by. The guy was so excited to see Mo, he nearly had tears in his eyes. You can't go anywhere with Morris without running into his former players.

I absolutely love the way he coaches the kids. As I said, everyone gets equal playing time, as long as they hustle and play the game right. Too often school coaches act like they're in the freaking World Series.

An example: In my son's Mel Ott League at his school, they have a mercy rule, whereby the inning ends once a team scores 10 runs. I personally don't like it; first of all, I don't really care for mercy rules. Sports is about teaching kids life skills, and sometimes in life you simply get your butt kicked and you have to deal with it.

But this rule is particularly stupid because it also applies to a team that's behind in the game. In other words, if your team goes into the last inning trailing by more than 10 runs, there's no way they can win, because as soon as they score 10 runs the rule kicks in and the game is over. It's a really dumb rule.

Anyway, that's what happened to my boy's team in last season's championship game. My son's team trailed by something like 13-14 runs going into the final inning and there was no way they could win. But they decided to go ahead and bat anyway, just to finish the season off.

Well, when our best hitter came to the plate, the opposing coach intentionally walked him! What the hell -- there was no way they could have lost no matter what that hitter did, but the coach intentionally walked him anyway, because he didn't want his pitcher to give up a hit [[!)

We called that team "Cobra Kai" because the coach acted exactly like that jerk instructor in "Karate Kid."

My nephew, on the other hand, was a victim of his own coach in a public high school. The team had a rule that the kids had to wear a tie on game days. Well, my nephew forgot his tie one day and he got benched, which he accepted. Those are the rules -- if you don't wear a tie, you don't play.

But then the star of the team forgot his tie one day -- and the coach let him play anyway. When my nephew asked him about the seeming hypocrisy, the coach actually told him, "Well [[that kid) is too good to put on the bench."

What kind of crap is that? What's that teach the kids?

That's why Morris is so refreshing. He totally "gets it."

The world of kids' sports is rife with a bunch of Jim Leyland wannabes who forget that youth athletics are more about teaching hard work, dedication and fair play than winning at all costs.

[Bill O'thrill]

The City championships for youth baseball were held at Clark park,almost every summer during the 1980s and 1990s. Every diamond would be in use,and the kids who were playing didn't just want to win a championship, they LOVED the game. Coaches like Mo and Rabbit...and some others brought that out. I hope that some day the hockey program @ Clark park will spark a love for the game from the kids there,it doesn't have to be about the winning or losing,but it should be about the friends that the kids make..and about the experience of being a part of a one of a kind program.