This was a big week for the Detroit Red Wings. The team signed defenseman Mike Green and veteran center Brad Richards.
Michigan Radio sports commentator John U. Bacon says that while the Red Wings have a top line of players, people often don't realize that in hockey third- and fourth-string players can be just as important. And the Wings need more than a few key players.
But securing top talent says a lot about how the Wings are perceived by NHL fans and players.
Bacon says it shows how strong the organization is when it can recruit top players even when Detroit doesn't have the best reputation in the country.
Women's World Cup
FIFA has been surrounded by controversy and many who watch the Women's World Cup are questioning the safety of the players. A head-on-head collision between America's Morgan Brian and Germany's Alexandra Popp was soon followed by the players being put back in the game.
Many spectators were worried about their chance of concussion, and Bacon says a game at this level and with such a high chance of collision should require a neurologist to be on sidelines.
Concerns have also been raised about the choice to play the tournament on turf rather than the natural grass fields the men play on.
"FIFA is so deeply corrupt, it's magically corrupt, it's so amazingly corrupt ... This is such an easy fix to make and it costs you essentially nothing," Bacon says, noting the differences between playing the two materials is noticeable.
But the corruption won't stop Americans from cheering on the U.S. women's team this weekend as they face Japan in the final.
The matchup is a repeat of 2011, when Japan defeated the U.S., and Bacon says, "I think the U.S. will be motivated like never before."
Bacon says the American women's team has been dominant in the sport for 20 years, but they haven't won the World Cup in 16 years.
"They will be one of the most determined teams you will ever see. I will be shocked if they don't win this one," Bacon says.
