Pointing her small American flag toward the television, 89-year-old Peggy Sheehan made an announcement during Sunday afternoon's Olympic gold medal hockey game between the United States and Canada.
"There he is, my grandson," she said. "Brian Rafalski. Number 28."
Ms. Sheehan and about 10 friends watched from Alexian Village as her defenseman grandson and the rest of the American team grabbed the silver medal after a 3-2 loss to Canada.
"I just keep my eye on that little black ball," she laughed. "That's what I'm interested in -- where the little ball is going."
Brian Rafalski
* 36 years old
* Married with 3 children -- ages 12, 9 and 5
* Played in Swedish and Finnish leagues before NHL
* 3 Stanley Cup Championships -- 2 with the New Jersey Devils, 1 with the Detroit Red Wings
Following the game, Ms. Sheehan still needed to be briefed on the puck, but one look at her face conveyed the pride she had in her grandson.
"He's a winner in more than one way," she said. "He's this simple, young American man who's made it this far on his own. He's a great model and example for the youth of our country."
According to Ms. Sheehan, Mr. Rafalski started skating when he was a 7. He is a 10-year veteran of the National Hockey League and a three-time Stanley Cup winner. Sunday's game was his second shot at a gold medal.
"Even though they didn't win, I'm satisfied," she said. "He's done so good."
Ms. Sheehan said she hardly sees her grandson, but she has monitored his progress through the years. She radiates a grandmother's awe at the millions of fans who know all about Mr. Rafalski's goals scored, penalty minutes and playoff statistics.
"It's unbelievable about that little guy -- everybody's watching him," she said. "This is the top, you know?"
Mr. Rafalski is indeed at the top of his profession, but his grandmother doesn't worry about him in the ways some might assume as she watches him play a sport in which body checks are the norm.
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Staff photo by Jake Daniels/Chattanooga Times Free Press Peggy Sheehan, right, grandmother of a member of the U.S. Olympic hockey team, watches the gold medal match between Canada and the United States with Mary Rinehart, left, on Sunday afternoon at Alexian Village in Signal Mountain.
"I trust that he's well-padded," she said. "The way they bounce off, I assume there's a thick padding between them and the wall because the way they bounce back they act like nothing hurts."
Mr. Rafalski plays for the Detroit Red Wings when he isn't slapping the puck for Olympic hardware. He considers the Red Wings his hometown team after growing up in Detroit, Ms. Sheehan said.
Ms. Sheehan made sure to fulfill her duties as a grandmother and compliment Mr. Rafalski for more than hockey.
"This is a tough game, but he's a gentle person and a good boy," Ms. Sheehan said. "I know he'll stay that way."
Chris Carroll covers politics for the Times Free Press. A Chattanooga native, he graduated from Red Bank High School in 2005 and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from East Tennessee State University in 2009. Chris has investigated violent crime, hospitals, Red Bank politics and East Ridge politics since joining the newspaper in January 2010. For a jailhouse interview story with accused murderer Antonio Henry, he won a third place Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors ...
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