Page 10 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 10, 1985
Injured stickers stick together
4
By DAVE ARETHA
Two weeks ago, junior midfielder
Joan Taylor was the stick-handling
wizard of the Michigan field hockey
team. More recently, she stood
uneasily inside the Michigan
Fieldhouse, her left hand in a cast.
She fidgeted along the sidelines, wat-
ching her team prepare for an
evening practice.
Three weeks ago, junior midfielder
Jane Nixon was the fastest and shif-
tiest of all the Wolverines. More recen-
tly, she stood next to Taylor, leaning
on crutches, her left leg in a cast.
TAYLOR (BROKEN hand, Sep-
tember 29; out three to four weeks
grabbed her stick. She had only one
hand, but big deal. She would warm
up goalie Joanne Green anyway.
Nixon (torn knee ligaments, Sep-
tember 21; out for the season) drop-
ped her crutches and hopped onto the
field. One leg? Bah! She grabbed her
stick and flicked shot after shot at
goalie Maryann Bell.
"That's it, Maryann," Nixon said.
"Way to control it. Good job."
SOON, THOUGH, the goalies were
ready for a real workout and headed
to the goalcages. Taylor and Nixon
retreated to the sidelines. For the rest
of practice they would have to sit
patiently and watch.
Did you hear that, Joan? You have
to sit patiently and watch.
Taylor would never make it. She
was too itchy. Too fidgety. After ten
minutes, she grinned and pouted.
"I WANNA PLAY," she said.
"She's an inspiration out there,"
said coach Karen Collins of a healthy
Taylor. "She picks up just about
one Big Ten game with Taylor - a 0-0,
tie against Michigan State. They lost
their next conference game to Iowa -
14-0.
"FRESHMEN AND sophomores
look up to Joan because she's a total
player," said Bell. "She has great
stick-handling skills. She dodges, she
creates things, she makes things hap-
pen. She's an extremely strong
player."
But even the best players can't play
'The day I got hurt, people called, people came
over. They brought chocolate chip cookies.'
- Joan Taylor
bright side. "It's not like I have to sit
here allthe time."
SHE LOOKED toward Nixon, who
was now with a trainer getting treat-
ment for her leg.
"I don't know how Jane does it,"
she said. "I have something to work
for this season. She's working for win-
ter practice.
"I'm sure she gets down - I know
she does. But she doesn't let it show in
front of the team."
"I ALWAYS feel like I owe her
one," said Bell of Nixon. "I just can't
do enough for her because she's done
so much for me.
"When another team scores a goal,
she's always the first one to come
back and say, 'Maryann, it's all right.
It's all right.' She's always there to
support me, and she, does the same
thing for practically the whole team.
. "I remember the first practice after
she was injured. We were doing laps
around the field and I kept thinking,
'Geez, when is everybody else going to
get here?' It was really quiet and in
my mind there were only four or five
people there. But after finishing my
laps, I looked around and realized that
everyone was there - but Jane. It just
blew me away."~
NIXON TOOK a seat on the ground
next to her fidgety friend. She wasn't
quite as antsy as Taylor. She could
deal with practices. It was the games
that were painful, especially since the
Wolverines, 0-7-2, continue to lose.
"It's hard to watch," Nixon said.
"It's really hard.
"You're standing on the side and
you're really motivated and the only
thing you can do is yell. You know, if
you're in a game and you're losing
then you can run like hell and get
people going." Her voice trailed off.
"But when you're not out there, it's...I
don't know.
"YOU WORK so hard for a goal and
then all of a sudden it's totally taken
away from you."
But at least she and Taylor have
support from their teammates.
everything we ask her to do and takes
it a little bit farther. She goes beyond
what's really expected."
The Wolverines have played only
with a cast.
Taylor sighed. "In a few days,
though, I'll be working out with my
other hand," she said, searching for a
4
Daily Photo by JAE KIM
Injured field hockey players Joan Taylor and Jane Nixon pal around at a
WE GET IT FREE, 1ailg!
recent practice.Y
"That helps a lot," said Taylor.
"The day I got hurt, people called,
people came over." She smiled.
"They brought chocolate chip
cookies."
"PEOPLE HAVE been so cool
about it," said Nixon. "Patty (Mon-
dul) and Debbie (Devine) dressed up
and came to the hospital. They
brought all my favorite toys, like my
Snoopy and Larry Lobster. They put
my hat and sunglasses on Snoopy and
little Freddie - my stuffed monkey"
Taylor smiled again.
"I love Freddie," said Nixon.
"Freddie was wearing my
sunglasses."
"IT'S NICE to know that so many
people care about you," she con-
tinued. "If you're Joe Schmoe and you
get hurt, you don't get too much sup-
port. So it's nice to have a bunch of
people."
Taylor looked to the field and4
noticed practice was over. She had
restrained her fidgeting. She and
Nixon walked onto the field to be with
Maryann, Patty, Debbie and the rest.
If they had to be 'injured, it
somehow seems appropriate that
Taylor and Nixon sit out together.
"Joan complements Jane real
well," said Bell. "Joan is a leader on
the field and Jane is a leader off the
field. Together they're a perfect mat-
ch.h .
(
THE SPORTING VIEWS
Red replaces Dead...
. ..Wings fly high
I
U of M En trepreneurs Club
I
By DUANE ROOSE
GET YOUR octopi while there's
still time! The Detroit Red
Wings are prepared to do something
for the first time in eight years. What
the Wings will do is not all that un-
common in cities like Chicago,
Washington, and Montreal.
But the upcoming 1985-86 season
will send Detroit's long suffering
hockey fans into a wild frenzy. Why?
Because the Detroit Red Wings are
going to finish in second place in the
National Hockey League's Norris
Division.
Now, you Black Hawks and Capitals
fans are probably saying, "Big Deal!
What's so great about second place?"
Well, for the Detroit Red Wings,
second place is one long step up the
ladder to the NHL's elite. After two
consecutive third place finishes in the
Norris Division, the Wings have im-
proved themselves enough to move up
another rung.
You wouldn't get that impression,
though, by reading what the "exper-
ts" have to say. Hockey Stars
magazine picks the Wings for third
place. Meanwhile, Hockey Illustrated
and Superstar Hockey pencil Detroit
in for fourth place. Both also attribute
this "accomplishment" solely to the
ineptitude of their fifth place selec-
tion, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Now that they've told you I'm
wrong, let me tell you why they're
wrong. Let's take a look at the Norris
Division from top to bottom.
At the top reside the Chicago Black
Hawks. Led by Denis Savard, one of
the top players in the league, Chicago
throws Al Secord, Steve Larmer and
Ed Olczyk at you on offense. On
defense, Doug Wilson, the best defen-
seman in the conference, anchors a
crew of capable blueliners. The Black
Hawks are a throwback to old time
hockey; talented skaters combined
with tough cornermen. Over the cour-
se of 80 games, the Black Hawks will
establish themselves as the best team
in the division.
Second place is where the improved
Red Wings fit in. Following last
spring's playoff trouncing by Chicago,
Detroit relieved Nick Polano as coach
and replaced him with Harry Neale.
That was only the tip of the iceberg,
though, as owner Mike Ilitch
proceeded to corner the free agent
market. The signings of Warren
Young, Harold Snepts, Mike McEwen,
Tim Friday, Ray Staszak, Adam
Oates, Dale Krentz and Chris
Chihocki demonstrated both Ilitch's
disdain for last year's performance
and his desire for a winning hockey
team.
Not only did the Wings obtain a 40-
goal scorer, two NHL defensemen and
a talented crop of rookies, but they
also landed one of the best players in
Europe, Czechoslovakian star Petr
Klima. Klima's defection to the free
world will free the Wings from the
grasp of third place. Once Klima gets
used to his new country, culture and
teammates, his dynamic skating and
puckhandling skills will bolster the
Red Wing attack.
With Klima and Young joining the
likes of Steve Yzerman, Ron Duguay,
Danny Gare and first team all-star
John Ogrodnick, Detroit appears to
have enough offensive firepower. The
defense, however, a glaring weakness
last year, is the key to the 1985-
season.
Free agents Snepts and McEwen
will have to help veterans Reed Larson
and John Barrett fill in the holes on
defense. Continued improvement will
also be needed from Randy Ladoceur
and Larry Trader.
While. less than spectacular,
Detroit's goaltending is sufficient for
success in the Norris Division. If Greg
Stefan concentrates on stopping pucks
instead of slashing opponents, h4
could emerge as a solid NHL goalten-
der.
Detroit's newfound strengths will
enable them to finish ahead of the
Norris Division's third place team,
Minnesota. The North Stars, who could
be renamed Team Dissension, were
decimated by injuries lastyear. If
new coach Lorne Henning can unite
his troops and if Minnesota stays
healthy, the North Stars should show
some improvement this year.
Last season's overachievers, the St.
Louis Blues, will end up in fourth
place this season. They can no longer
be called the St. Liut Blues since
goaltender Mike Liut was traded last
year. Their amazing coach, Jacques
Demers, gets the most out of his
players, but in this year's improved
division, he'll need more than that.
Rounding out the Norris Division is
Toronto. The Maple Leafs' anemic of-
fense and swiss cheese defense makel
them a virtual shoe-in for last place.
The once-proud Leafs are now the
laughing-stock of the league, and
there aren't many signs of im-
provement. For that matter, the
Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto
Blue Jays have only one thing in
common; that is, neither can play
hockey. It looks like another long win-
ter for Harold Ballard's Boys in Blue.
So, Red Wing fans, it appears
Detroit is ready to rise from the lowe
echelon of the NHL. It's been a long
time coming, and Detroit's devoted
hockey followers certainly deserve a
winner. Just relax, turn on Bruce and
Sid, and don't forget to buy your oc-
topi.
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