Larkin was 6 or something when Hank Zetterberg joined the Wings and now he's playing on his wing. He grew up watching Zetterberg play hockey for his favorite team and last night he took a pass from the guy and buried it for his first NHL goal, playing for his favorite team, in a building he used to come to with his dad, who was in the stands with his mom, watching their son play hockey for the Detroit Red Wings, in the town where they raised him and all of that is absolutely insane.

His favorite player is Doug Brown, who coached him at some level, who happens to be one of our favorites because he was gritty and a little mean and scored big goals plus the Russians dug him, which meant Bowman did too.

He's 19 and he's a Red Wing. When I was 19 I skipped work at Hemmeter's Market in Saginaw to go up to Houghton Lake with my buddies where I lost a shoe and my friends spent much of the evening shooting BB pellets at Stephen King's "It", which they'd placed in a tree after taking it out of my backpack while I was passed out.

Can you even imagine this? A hockey playing kid in Michigan, which means he idolized the Wings. Still around at #15 and drafted by those very Wings. Probably called by Ken Holland, who he probably knows as Tick Tock because every Wing fan everywhere reads this blog, scouted by Uncle Mike even though Uncle Mike knew then that he'd never coach him. On to training camp where he gave it a go even though the chances of him actually playing in Detroit this year were slim...but wait, that's under the old uncle and, hey, this new uncle may kinda like the idea of bringing up a kid before he turns 26.

You're 19 (oh, and yeah, we get the irony) and you find out you've made the opening night roster. What the actual...Seriously. Maybe for a kid who knew early on that all he wanted to do was be the best hockey player in the world, maybe that's not so shocking. But to us, who remember--vaguely--our time spent at that age? It's insane.

You're a hockey dad in Southeast Michigan and you watch your kid play. You drive him everywhere. You see he's talented early. You hear it from the coaches that he has a shot. In the back of your mind you start to wonder "what if", and he just keeps going. He keeps getting better. He plays for Michigan. He's drafted, by the Wings for god's sake. He leaves after one year, pops in on GR for some playoff action for a kid coach, off to some international stuff, on to TC and next thing you know you're getting a call from your son and your son is telling you he's going to skate on Hank Zetterberg's line, on opening night, at Joe Louis Arena. C'mon.

You're a mom and the greatest thing you've ever done was to be a mom and raise some kids who don't get in trouble, are respectful, are healthy and call you a few times per week. You're sitting in the stands at Joe Louis arena at about 7:20pm on October 9th, 2015 and you might find yourself thinking back to July of '96 and how damn hot it was that summer and you're remembering giving birth to a kid, and take a look below there's that same kid skating skating out of the tunnel with a crowd going absolutely bonkers and why is your son skating out there right at that moment? Because he's a Detroit by god Red Wing and that had to have been beyond description.

And then he's flying. He's banging around and he looks tall compared to the Maple Leafs. Oh, yeah, the Maple Leafs. You're dad and you grew up loving that team because it was the law. But your son is wearing Red and White and you'll never be a Leaf fan again. So, he's flying. He's on the half boards and he's battling, then he's turning and he's snapping a pass to Justin Abdelkader who is turning and shooting and in that puck went and your son has just registered a point in the National Hockey League.

You're talking to Trevor Thompson, who you've watched for years. You're talking to him about your son, your boy, who is playing for the Red Wings. Maybe you're thinking of the Yzerman posters or the pucks he had signed and slipped through the little camera hole on ice level. You're talking about your son in a tv interview on Fox Sports Detroit.

The people your parents brought with them haven't even all gotten back from the beautiful restroom facilities at the Joe when the second period starts. So, they'll just have to watch it on Awood's Youtube feed. You start the second on the wing and you're chatting it up with a Leaf, then the puck drops, down the ice it goes, back the other way and then Zetterberg's got it and everyone's moving. You're flying and then Hank Zetterberg chips a little backhand pass to you and then you're driving because that's what your dad, and Doug Brown and Red Berensen and Jeff Blashill and every other coach you've ever known told you to do. Use your speed and get to the net and then the next thing you do is fire that thing top shelf, short side on October 9, 2015 in the second period against the Toronto Maple Leafs with a Winged Wheel on your chest.

You're 19 years old and you just scored a goal as a Detroit Red Wing, with your parents in the stands. You're standing next to your wife cheering for your son who just scored his first NHL goal. Your husband is hugging you and you're remembering a kid in a frigging Red Wing onesie and you're his mom and just yesterday you'd told him no more playstation until he got his math grade up.

No matter what happens the rest of his career, last night for the Larkins...what a night. Crazy.