But for a couple of Bruins at least, Sunday’s game also offers something a little more enjoyable to look forward to, as it will be a homecoming for rookie defenseman Steven Kampfer and veteran goalie Tim Thomas.
Kampfer, who was born in Ann Arbor and grew up in Jackson, Michigan, played for a Little Caesars AAA club as a youngster that shared the Red Wings’ facilities at Joe Louis Arena, and also played numerous games at The Joe in his four years of college hockey at the University of Michigan.
“I grew up 40 minutes away from there, so I always watched them,” Kampfer said. “Bobby Probert was there, [Brendan] Shanahan, [Steve] Yzerman, back in their heyday that was the best thing in Detroit, growing up playing in that rink. We played at The Joe when I was a kid, so it was always awesome walking out after practice and seeing them leave the rink.”
Kampfer’s parents no longer live in Michigan, but plenty of other friends and family members remain there. Many of them will be on hand to see Kampfer play his first professional game in Detroit on Sunday, and his parents are also traveling up to see the game.
“My parents actually live in Florida now, but they flew back for the weekend,” Kampfer said. “I grew up playing out of Joe Louis, so they wanted to go back and see me there. So I’ll have my whole family there and a lot of friends and relatives there as well.”
That could make for an expensive day for the rookie, who was scrambling to get all the tickets he needed for the game.
“I know probably 20 people that already have tickets and I have to get about 20 more,” Kampfer said. “It’ll be a packed house there.”
It will also be a test for all those friends and family members who have professed to switch allegiances to the Bruins now that Kampfer is wearing Black and Gold.
“It’s special, especially with all the people I know that watch the games that have turned, I guess, into Bruins fans,” Kampfer said. “But playing the Wings … we’ll see people’s true colors I guess, if they’re really Bruins fans now or if they’re still Wings fans.”
Thomas has already enjoyed a few returns to his home state with the Bruins, but every trip to Detroit is still special for the Flint native, especially since the Bruins and Red Wings don’t see each often playing in different conferences. But Thomas also knows the grind of the NHL schedule won’t allow him to enjoy the family reunion for long.
“With the way our schedule works out, I’ll basically get to see them for 10 minutes after the game and that’s it,” Thomas said.
Still, that doesn’t lessen the thrill for the Thomas clan when it gets a rare chance to see the All-Star netminder play close to home.
“It’s a big deal to them,” Thomas said. “It’s a really big deal. They look forward to that game for a long time.”
Almost as much as Kampfer has been looking forward to this one.
“You definitely circle games like this,” Kampfer said. “You know, you’re playing your idols from when you were growing up as a kid. It’s definitely fun.”
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