July 4th, nineteen ninety-seven. Detroit had won the Cup 27 days earlier. Vladimir Konstantinov was in a hospital, 21 days after the limousine accident. The city was holding two feelings at once — and had no idea how to let either one go.

On June 27, 2004, with the 97th overall pick — late in the third round — the Detroit Red Wings selected a 24-year-old Swedish winger named Johan Franzén. Most of the league had passed on him twice. Coach Mike Babcock nicknamed him "The Mule" because he carried the load — and by the 2008 playoffs, Franzén was one of Detroit's most devastating postseason scorers, on the way to a Stanley Cup.