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May 12--When it comes to rooting for his favorite hockey team, Tom Jaconette of Carrollton says his heart and head aren't always in the same place.
A North Texan for 12 years, the lifelong hockey fan admits cheering for the Dallas Stars -- except when they play his beloved Detroit Red Wings.
"I'll go to the pub to watch the [Western Conference] series wearing a Stars cap and a Red Wings sweatshirt," Mr. Jaconette said. "That's because my head is for the Stars, but my heart is for the Red Wings."
His willingness to even consider another team on occasion makes him something of a rarity among the many thousands of Michiganders who've immigrated to Dallas -- including almost 3,000 from Mr. Jaconette's alma mater, the University of Michigan.
Most would never acknowledge cheering for anyone but the Red Wings, no matter how long they're here.
"I watch the Stars. I like hockey. I like the game," said Red Wings fan Tim Glass, a transplant to Dallas about a year ago.
"But do I feel any affection for the Stars? Except for the fact that they knocked Anaheim and San Jose out of the playoffs, I'd say affection is probably too strong a word."
To some, Detroit fans are known as the "Red Army." Others favor the slightly disparaging "U-Haul Army," for the Detroit diaspora that carried Michiganders east, west and south when troubled times hit the region's auto manufacturers.
Maybe that scattering is the reason Red Wings fans remain so true to the home team. Only a few groups -- like the rabid fans of the New York Yankees and Green Bay Packers -- can match this unwavering dedication. Packers fans travel in such numbers that they can make a game at Texas Stadium feel like a trip to the frozen tundra.
"Being a Detroit Red Wings fan means you are just passionate about that team, no matter what," Mr. Jaconette said. "You find a way to watch a game, no matter what, whether you're in an airport or a sports bar in Dallas or Philly or New York.
"If they don't have the game on TV, you ask them to change the channel."
And don't take that Stars cap to mean that Mr. Jaconette has divided loyalties in the current Stars-Red Wings series, which moves south from Detroit to American Airlines Center tonight.
