There were plenty of smiles on the benches at the Winterfest alumni game on Thursday night but the legends also quickly rediscovered their competitive juices at the special outdoor event.
Fog blanketed the lights at Fifth Third Field where a crowd of 6,095 gathered to recognize the local Toledo greats along with Detroit Red Wings legends.
Former Toledo Storm forward Iain Duncan scored for the Toledo team late in the first period at the Mud Hens baseball stadium.
“This brings back so many great memories of this area,” said Duncan, a former Bowling Green State University standout who went on to play in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets. “We were talking about it after the hall of fame banquet [on Wednesday]. Hockey is an emotional sport. We have a lot tied up in this sport. We're big tough guys but we'd also do anything for anybody. I played against a couple of those guys in the NHL. It was great to see Joey Kocur and Larry Murphy again.”
The Toledo legends, who were coached by Walleye head scout Ed Burkholder and 2021 Toledo hockey hall of fame inductee Lorne Molleken, fell 7-4. The Red Wings, who were coached by Nick Libett and Phil Myre, scored on the first shot of the game.
The exhibition contest, which featured two 25-minute running periods, played out under chilly but dry conditions.
Former Storm forward Mark Deazeley said the whole event was a blast.
“This is something else, especially for the guys that grew up in cold weather in Canada,” Deazeley said. “We learned the game playing pond hockey and being outdoors. So to have this experience was something else. I just wish I had scored a goal in regulation. But hats off to the Red Wings guys. They all move the puck so well. They definitely can play.”
The Toledo alumni team consisted of former Walleye, Storm, and Goaldiggers players. The Detroit team was made up of former Red Wings and other former NHL players.
Former Walleye forward Evan Rankin skated with his 3-year-old son Nash on the ice after the game.
“This was awesome,” Rankin said. “Mickey Redmond I’ve watched my whole life. Darren McCarty is an absolute legend in Detroit. You can't beat playing against those guys. You add in being outside, it's like old-time pond hockey. The guys traveled in from all over. It was fun to see the guys again. It was a perfect night.”
The Wings legends showed plenty of gas left in the tank with some good speed and crisp passing.
Kocur, the former Red Wings tough guy, scored for a 4-1 Detroit lead. Kocur, who led the Red Wings to Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998, said the last time he played in such an event was against the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs.
“It's just so much fun to get out here under the stars or under the clouds in this case,” Kocur said. “To be outside is a lot of fun. That's how we all grew up playing the game. It's perfect weather, too.”
Fellow grind liner Darren McCarty gave the business to current Walleye assistant coach Alden Hirschfeld during one shift. Hirschfeld's former teammate Kyle “Bones” Bonis encouraged his defensemen during one shift, shouting “That's responsible hockey out there!"
When asked why he didn't mix it up with fellow enforcer McCarty, the 6-foot-4 and 237-pound Deazeley just chuckled and said, “We're too old for that stuff now.”
The veterans worked up a lather, huffing, and puffing with their breath forming more fog in the air.
A helmet-less Mickey Redmond, the beloved Red Wings TV color man, showed plenty of wheels and nearly scored on his first shift.
Red Wings forward Eric Nystrom scored on the first shot of the game. Former Goaldigger great Jim McCabe then scored for the Toledo team.
Mike Merrifield then scored on back-to-back shots himself giving Detroit a 3-1 lead.
Steve Guolla, a former NHL forward with the Atlanta Gladiators, then scored for Detroit before former Storm forward Taylor Raszka scored for the Toledo team to make it 5-2.
Former Storm goalie Nick Vitucci, who was inducted into the Toledo Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday, showed some flashes of his former brilliance with a good stop early in the first session.
Fellow former Storm goaltender Doug Teskey, who relieved Vitucci, stacked his pads to stop a Red Wings goal.
Former Walleye goalie Jeff Lerg said the moment was amplified by going up against some of his childhood heroes.
“I bragged to everyone back home about how great this place is,” Lerg said. “The best part was getting back together with the guys. I don't skate because I'm on the ice coaching all the time. I had to dust off the pads to see if I still had all my gear. It was a nice reunion and a great time.”
Greg Wolfe, a forward who played for the Walleye, and all of his fellow teammates credited the organization for putting on “a world-class event.”
“It was incredible to play against guys I grew up watching,” Wolfe said. “They're all still great players, moving around well.”
The alumni game was part of the 18-day Winterfest event, which continues with a Walleye game against Indy on Friday night.
“It was a blast,” Wolfe said. “I was shocked by how many people showed up. With playing here, I know there's a great fan base here. But it was impressive to see how many people supported this. Props to the fans in Toledo. It was top-notch.”
First Published December 31, 2021, 3:14 a.m.
