Royal Oak

Firefighters face Red Wings in charity softball game

ROYAL OAK — Fire meets ice on Sept. 9 as Royal Oak firefighters suit up to take on the Detroit Red Wings in the Fire on Ice charity softball game at Memorial Park.

Members from both the Fire Department and the Red Wings will don their softball gloves at 2 p.m. on Memorial Field, located at 13 Mile and Woodard Avenue, to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Detroit Red Wings Foundation. The charity game, which costs $10 per person to attend, is open to the public and all proceeds will benefit the two charities.

The game will feature Red Wings stars such as Chris Chelios, Dan Cleary, Kris Draper, Tomas Holmstrom and Nicklas Lidstrom.

According to Fire Chief Wil White, the Fire on Ice fundraiser was a popular charity event in Royal Oak years ago. However, scheduling conflicts kept the two organizations from hosting the event in recent years.

“It’s nice to be having the event again this year. It’s a pretty exciting day, especially for the younger guys who haven’t had a chance to play before or meet the Red Wings,” White said.

Ann Marie Krappmann, Detroit Red Wings community relations manager, says the softball game is one of the organization’s most successful fundraisers, bringing thousands to Memorial Field each year it’s held.

“People are always really excited to get a chance to see the players up close and possibly meet with them,” Krappmann said. “For the players it’s always fun to get out there and try something new and get a chance to play another sport.”

In addition to the softball game, the fundraiser will also involve a raffle and a contest where fans can enter to win softball jerseys from Red Wings players. Donations collected from the charity event will be split between the two charities. The teams are hoping fans will come out again this year and support the Fire Department, Red Wings and their charities.

“In previous years fans helped us raise $30,000 for our charities,” White said. “Obviously we are hoping for that kind of success again this year, but we just really want to get out there and have a great time.”

Though the softball game starts at 2 p.m., gates open at 1 p.m. Tickets for the Fire on Ice softball game can be purchased at all three Royal Oak fire stations, located at 215 E. Sixth St., 3128 Rochester Road and 31000 Woodward Ave. Tickets can also be purchased through the Joe Louis Arena box office at (313) 396-7575 or Hockeytown Authentics in Troy.