By @MichaelCaples –
DETROIT – As is tradition, members of the Red Wings are stopping at locations across Michigan today as they head toward Traverse City for training camp.
The duos of Drew Miller and Darren Helm and Luke Glendening and Riley Sheahan are visiting schools and municipalities as they kick off the 2016-17 season with the eighth annual ‘MI Wings Community Tour’ presented by ITC.
Perhaps the most notable visit was the first of the bunch, however, as Miller and Helm visited with Detroit police officers and firefighters at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters in the heart of Hockeytown.
The two Red Wings forwards arrived with coffee and donuts for the public safety officers, and they held a question-and-answer session before posing for photos and selfies. Sharing some happiness during a time of civil unrest was an important thing to do, according to Miller.
“Every year we usually do a tour up [to Traverse City],” the East Lansing native said. “Me and Darren volunteered for this year and we found out we were coming to the police station. Obviously what they’re going through right now, it’s tough times, so just to be able to come here, brighten up their day a little bit, take their mind off what they’re going through, it’s good timing for that and we obviously respect and appreciate everything they do for our city, keep us safe and give us the opportunity to play hockey in a great city.
“It’s hard to compare hockey to what they do, but they show up every day and they put their lives on the line and do it to keep others safe. You’ve got to give a lot of respect to people like that, and they come in here today and we’re only here for an hour, but just to mingle and be around it, you really get a sense of how much they’re a team and care about each other and that’s a big comparison to a hockey team.”
Helm, who signed a long-term deal to stay in Detroit for the foreseeable future, echoed the sentiments of his teammate in Miller.
“It’s important to give back,” the 29-year-old forward said. “I wish we could do a little bit more for the police and the firefighters. They give so much and sacrifice a lot and they’re doing a lot for us. Like Drew said, we have tons of respect and we appreciate everything they do, so really happy that we got an opportunity to do this today and hopefully they were glad to see us and happy about the donuts and the coffee. It was a good day.
“It was great. They do so much. We just take an hour to hopefully put a smile on their face and have a picture for them they keep for a while. They’re such an important part to the safety of everybody. We respect it and appreciate it so much, and glad to be a part of coming down and just saying hi at least.”
The visit was a highlight for the police officers and firefighters in attendance, especially those that are hockey players. Acting Inspector Justin Hegedus of the Detroit Fire Department, who skates in an adult league at Oak Park, said it was a special day.
“It’s special,” said the firefighter of 15 years. “I feel like a child. I’m a huge Red Wing fan, I’ve been a Red Wing fan my whole life, been playing hockey my whole life. It’s kind of hard to put the two together because I just feel like a fan when they’re here, but obviously it’s special to have these guys come out like the officer said, it’s been a rough week for public safety. It’s just really special to have these guys out here. As a fan it’s really special, but as a member of public safety, it means a lot. Too often I don’t think these guys get the credit they deserve.
“There’s been a lot of bad things happening on both sides of the law recently. Most of these guys just come in to put in hard day’s work every day and I don’t think that gets recognized enough, so to have the local sports heroes come and participate in something like this, it means a lot.”