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This from E.J. Hradek...
Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette carried a bottle of what appeared to be champagne into his postgame press conference. He placed it on the table in front of him. The bottle had a red wristband around it, much like the yellow "Livestrong" wristband made popular by cycling legend Lance Armstrong.
At first, I thought it might be a joke. After Game 6, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said he'd heard a story that the Hurricanes had champagne in their locker room to celebrate a potential series-clinching win in Buffalo. Ruff used the little story, which likely wasn't true, as a motivating tale for his players. So, that's why I thought it might be a little joke among coaching colleagues.
But, as it turned out, the bottle was wine. And, its significance was anything but a joke. I'll let Laviolette pick it up from there.
"There's a little girl in my neighborhood named Julia Rowe," Laviolette explained. "She has been battling leukemia. When I first moved here to Raleigh two and a half years ago, I became very friendly with her family. She made it through all of her chemo and went into remission. About three months ago, she went back to the doctor and she found out she had leukemia again.
"At the start of the playoffs, I got together with the Leukemia Society and we started selling these wristbands to try and raise money and raise awareness. On the wristband, it says 'Relentless.'
"Recently, her dad came over and gave me this bottle of wine. On the bottle, it also has the word 'Relentless.'
"What makes this bottle special is that the little girl, Julia, signed it. So, I brought it tonight and I wanted to give it to the player in tonight's game who best exemplified a relentless attitude.
"Rod Brind'Amour will get this award tonight."
There's really nothing else to be said, except ... If you're interested in purchasing a "Relentless" wristband or simply making a donation to the Leukemia Society, you can contact the Hurricanes.
At first, I thought it might be a joke. After Game 6, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said he'd heard a story that the Hurricanes had champagne in their locker room to celebrate a potential series-clinching win in Buffalo. Ruff used the little story, which likely wasn't true, as a motivating tale for his players. So, that's why I thought it might be a little joke among coaching colleagues.
But, as it turned out, the bottle was wine. And, its significance was anything but a joke. I'll let Laviolette pick it up from there.
"There's a little girl in my neighborhood named Julia Rowe," Laviolette explained. "She has been battling leukemia. When I first moved here to Raleigh two and a half years ago, I became very friendly with her family. She made it through all of her chemo and went into remission. About three months ago, she went back to the doctor and she found out she had leukemia again.
"At the start of the playoffs, I got together with the Leukemia Society and we started selling these wristbands to try and raise money and raise awareness. On the wristband, it says 'Relentless.'
"Recently, her dad came over and gave me this bottle of wine. On the bottle, it also has the word 'Relentless.'
"What makes this bottle special is that the little girl, Julia, signed it. So, I brought it tonight and I wanted to give it to the player in tonight's game who best exemplified a relentless attitude.
"Rod Brind'Amour will get this award tonight."
There's really nothing else to be said, except ... If you're interested in purchasing a "Relentless" wristband or simply making a donation to the Leukemia Society, you can contact the Hurricanes.
I think its great, sometimes having these real life things tied into the sports we love are eye opening. You certainly cannot fault the guy, for bringing the story to the public.
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