Mike Levin: “I rise to speak on S. Res. 251, which has been introduced by myself and Senator Abraham, which I am confident will be…”

“I rise to speak on S. Res. 251, which has been introduced by myself and Senator Abraham, which I am confident will be passed later on today. This resolution congratulates the Detroit Red Wings for their second successive Stanley Cup victory. Tuesday night, the Red Wings defeated the Washington Capitals 4 to 1. This is the second time in 2 years that the Red Wings have swept the Stanley Cup finals--four straight. In perhaps the most moving and memorable moment of the evening, after the victory, the Stanley Cup was placed in the lap of Vladimir Konstantinov, who was injured after last year's Stanley Cup victory in an automobile accident. I have come to know Vlady and his wife Irina during this past year, when they have recovered, at least partly, from that terrible tragedy of a year ago. What is extraordinarily moving is the way the Red Wings--indeed, all the Red Wings' fans--have become a closer family as a result of that accident, the way they have surrounded Vlady with love and support. The whole town--indeed, our whole State and to some extent the entire country--has come to the support of Vladimir Konstantinov. When he was pushed in his wheelchair around the ice at the MCI Center on Tuesday night, with the Stanley Cup in his lap, surely we reached a new height in terms of what family means and what family is all about. The Red Wings have surely the greatest hockey fans on Earth.”