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SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Dino Ciccarelli is in a good mood.
And why wouldn’t he be?
He’s excited to talk to fans at Boston’s Pizza restaurant about the Stanley Cup Finals between the Penguins and Wings.
“I am still a fan,” said Ciccarelli, who played 19 seasons in the NHL, including a stint with the Red Wings from 1992-96.
Ciccarelli, too, is still a hockey player. At least in his fire and desire.
Although he never won a Stanley Cup — he played in two Finals — he still has a passion for the good and bad in the game.
Take the bad, for instance.
Ciccarelli flashes the old fire and brimstone when the disallowed goal in Game 4 of the Wings-Stars Western Conference finals is bought up.
“I can’t believe the explanation of that goal,” Ciccarelli said of the call that went against Tomas Holmstrom for putting his buttocks in the crease in front of Stars goaltender Marty Turco.
“He had his butt hanging over in the crease? I don’t know. What is wrong with screening a goalie? My opinion is goalies get away with too much anyway. They have the most equipment. They are able to get out and handle the puck like a defenseman. I thought what happened to Homer was a shame.”
In case you don’t know, Ciccarelli is an old-school version of Holmstrom. Ciccarelli, who is small but tenacious, stood his ground in front of the net and was routinely assaulted by goaltenders.
Ciccarelli understands everybody is excited about seeing the stars in this series, but he said grit should remain an important part of the game.
“Both teams are going to put the puck on the net and people are going to be crowding the net,” he said. “That is an important part of the game for both teams. I just hope they don’t start making phantom calls.”

detnews.com


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