This article comes to us via Abel to Yzerman’s Paul Kukla: long-time NHL’er Bruce MacGregor and his wife, Audrey, spoke with the Edmonton Sun’s Terry Jones regarding the fact that Christmas used to be like any other game day in the NHL:
“The Red Wings always played in Chicago on Christmas Day so the team would board a train on Christmas Eve in Detroit, play there Christmas Day and return by train to Detroit on the 26th. Then we’d pretend to have Christmas,” she said.
“What I remember is when we arrived in Chicago on the 24th, it was like a ghost town and finding some place to eat was a problem. We didn’t have much choice about treating it like any other game day.”
It was actually easier on the players than the families.
“I didn’t handle it so well,” said Audrey. “That was especially true when Brad was just a baby, which would be our second year in Detroit. That part I remember like it was yesterday.
“We were living over in Windsor where we didn’t really know anybody. Most of the other Red Wings were living in Detroit. And back in those early years you had a very difficult time phoning long distance as the lines were always busy. I cried a lot that Christmas Day. I remember having a grilled cheese sandwich for Christmas dinner and watching it rain.”
