Maybe I am a little biased. I live in the DC area and have rooted for the Caps for a long time. Richard Zednik started his career here with us, and he and Jan Bulis were funny, charming, and adorably foreign. Quickly Zed became a fan favourite. DC-101, the local hockey-loving radio station, even ran a "Zedheads" promotion.
For the return of (then) suspended Zed, they gave bottle-blonde hairdos and black number 44 jerseys to hundreds of fans in honor of their peroxide-blonde hero. They filled up an entire section of the MCI Center with "Zedheads," who cheered the Caps and jeered the unsuspecting Red Wings fans--loud, obnoxious people who usually make up half the crowd when these two teams play. Zednik responded with his first career hat trick and the Caps dominated the Wings, 6-2. (11/2/00)Everyone here loved Zed - I even have his jersey. It was a blow when he was dealt to the Habs, but we got good returns (Zubrus!).
We all have a story about a former player who has gone through a few teams since his time on your favourite. You always hold a special memory of them, and never really forget you loved them, and after enough time as a fan of this league, there is at least one guy on every team that is one of your favourites.
But it doesn't really matter if Zed is or was one of our favourites - I think all of us were absolutely horrified by what happened to him, and thankful beyond words that he appears to be on his way to a full recovery.
If you would like to leave a message for Zed, the Panthers have set up an area of their website where you can do just that. Scroll to the bottom of this page, and leave some love.
3 comments:
It truly is amazing that the man is still alive. Here's hoping for a full recovery.
That's the photo I saw on the news that totally put me over the edge. While it's such a dumb thing to say because it's so OBVIOUS, I'm glad Zed is still with us and his family.
Jon and heather b. I totally agree with both. And here's hoping he has as quick a turnaround as Malarchuk did... I hope this isn't the end of his career.
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