TRAVERSE CITY -- Fans came from Bay City, from Boyne City and points in between Saturday to watch their beloved defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings open training camp at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City.
"This is our 10th year of coming to training camp," said Jim McCarty, of Bay City, who made the drive north with his wife Sue. "I've always been a Wings fan, but now Sue's been bitten by the bug. It's always great here."
Wearing a white Wings jersey that bears the autograph of Steve Yzerman, McCarty was picking up a few Wings items for family members at the Centre ICE gift shop. The room was abuzz with fans perusing T-shirts, pucks, caps, blankets and all sorts of items bearing the Winged Wheel logo.
"My son had his apartment broken into while he was out of town," said McCarty. "They took his DVD player, stereo system and other stuff. But his biggest loss was his (Henrik) Zetterberg jersey that had been signed by Steve Yzerman."
McCarty was joined by hundreds of other devoted fans who turned out before 9 a.m. for the opening session of camp.
Boyne City resident Mark Zumbaugh and his wife Greta were among the training camp regulars in attendance.
"We've been coming every year," said Mark, who was clad in a Wings jersey that has more than a dozen autographs on it. "My biggest thrill over the years was when I got to meet Steve Yzerman and shake his hand. And also meeting (Chris) Chelios and (Brendan) Shanahan."
Like a loyal fan should be, Zumbaugh's optimistic that the Wings can repeat as champions.
"Their younger players are so good," he said. "They have good young talent coming along. I think they'll be a playoff team for a decade to come."
Friends of the Zumbaughs, Gary and Christine Boughner, came from Oscoda to attend their first training camp.
"It's our first, but it won't be our last," laughed Gary. "It's really nice here."
Christine was impressed by the casual atmosphere and how close they could get to the players.
"We were here and got to watch Ozzie come walking in with his cup of coffee," she said. "It's great."
Leona Lemmon drove north from Mount Morris, near Flint, to attend this year's camp and she was one of the earliest at Saturday's practice, arriving at 7:15 a.m. for the 9 a.m. workout.
"This is my ninth year," said Lemmon, who was sporting an Yzerman jersey festooned with a couple dozen Wings pins of all sizes and shapes. "I have four brothers and we all came for the first five years, but then for one reason or another they quit coming. I outlasted them all."
While she's a big fan of Jiri Hudler and Kris Draper, one of her favorite camp memories involves Robert Lang, a high-scoring forward who played for the Wings for three seasons before leaving after the 2006-07 season.
"I have a disabled son and I brought him up to the camp," recalled Lemmon. "Robert Lang signed a hat for him and gave him a very personal message on it. That really touched my heart."
Interlochen Elementary School student Megan Griffin was attending her first camp with her dad Bill Griffin.
"We haven't been here since the lockout (in 2004-05)," said Bill. "That lockout really turned me off. But we're back now because of the game. I've always been a Wings fan."
Ironically, one of Griffin's favorite training camp memories didn't involve him directly, but was an incident he witnessed.
"There was this young girl from Canada who was a huge Steve Yzerman fan," he explained. "She really wanted to get his autograph, so she waited and waited patiently outside while all the other players came out of the locker room. Finally, the last players were coming out and there was Steve. She was holding a small sign that said she came from Canada. He signed autographs, saw her sign and went back inside."
Seconds later, Yzerman came out with his stick and gave it to the patient young fan.
"That was some 10 years ago and I'm pretty sure that young lady still has that Yzerman hockey stick somewhere on her wall," said Griffin.
For more from today's paper, and complete coverage of the Red Wings training camp, see record-eagle.com/redwings
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