Red Wings Alumni to Play Hockey for O'Rourke Charity

Red and blue may not be Christmas colors, but the two will face off in the spirit of the season to raise funds for the family of fallen West Bloomfield Police Department Officer Patrick O'Rourke.

The Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association and the Joe Kocur Foundation for Detroit Red Wings Alumni BChildren will benefit game for officer O'Rourke's  family. Proceeds of the charity hockey game which will be donated to the O'Rourke Family Trust.

O'Rourke was shot on Sept. 9 while responding with other officers to what police believed could have been a suicidal man. The incident sparked a barricaded gunman standoff that ended when police found the suspect, Ricky Coley, 50, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

O'Rourke was the department's first officer killed in the line of duty and was posthumously promoted to Sergeant by the Township Board of Trustees.

Kocur, 47, a resident of Highland, said that the news hit close to home. "The Alumni Association does a lot of work to benefit the public service industry and I have a good friends there. (O'Rourke) is basically the friend of a friend and when that happens, you just want to make calls and find out how you can help."

According to organizers, a roster of former Red Wings are expected to play: Dino Ciccarelli, Kris Draper, Jiri Fischer, Kocur, Igor Larionov, Darren McCarty, Kirk Maltby, Larry Murphy and Chris Osgood among them.

Singer Karen Newman is scheduled to start off the evening with "The Star Spangled Banner."

Kocur serves as the President of the Alumni Association, which was founded in 1959. He said that membership is so excited to take part, he actually had to turn some away from participating in the game.

"When we do get on the ice and line up for the faceoff, sometimes your mind goes back to game four (of the 1997 NHL Stanley Cup Finals) against Philadelphia. Especially being in the in the locker room, remembering things you were talking about 15 years ago," he said.

"But this time, we're more excited for anything to help out this great cause."

If you go

The puck will be dropped at 7:15 p.m. Dec. 21 at Compuware Arena, 14900 Beck Rd., Plymouth. General admission is $20. During the event, guests may enter a raffle to win player jerseys worn during the game. All proceeds will go to the Patrick O’Rourke Family Trust.

Tickets are still available at joekocurhockey.eventbrite.com or at the West Bloomfield, White Lake, Milford, Sterling Heights, Southfield, Plymouth or Grosse Pointe police departments.

Find out more about the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association at detroitredwings.com/alumni. Learn more about the Patrick O’Rourke Family Trust at westbloomfieldhero.com.

For More:

• Authorities Identify Veteran West Bloomfied Officer Killed on Duty as Patrick O'Rourke
• UPDATED: Suspect in West Bloomfield Officer's Shooting Found Dead
• Bloomfield Township Police Step Up Help in Wake of Officer Patrick O'Rourke's Death
• Trust Fund Established: How to Help Family of Patrick O'Rourke