By Jim Newell

Review Editor

When the combined Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and Golling Buick GMC hockey team faced off against the Detroit Red Wings Alumni squad on Oct. 14 for a charity hockey game, fans could see the smiles on the faces of the “older” kids.

And while the Red Wings Alumni may have won the game 16-9, the real game winners – the ones who will be all smiles this holiday season – are the kids who will benefit from the game and the proceeds it raised to support the OCSO Shop with a Hero program.

“This is the first time we’ve done a charity event like this for the Shop with a Hero. It’s our 11th annual Shop with a Hero and we partner with Meijer every year,” said Lt. Dan Toth, commander of the OCSO Orion Township substation.

The OCSO Shop with a Hero is the second week of December and the sheriff’s department will accept donations now through then. Sheriff’s deputies will pair up with an area youth to take them shopping for Christmas presents.

“We’ll reach out to our schools and our churches and they’ll get us a list of kids who really need a helping hand around the holidays,” Toth said. “Each child gets a $150 gift card and the family gets a basket full of food to take home, too. So, it’s just a really great night right before the Christmas holiday.”

Legendary Red Wing announcer and former player Mickey Redmond suited up for the game at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills. Redmond, a color analyst for the Red Wings for more than 35 years, said the charity hockey game hosted by Golling Buick GMC of Lake Orion is the kind of event that the Red Wings Alumni like to support.

“We at the Red Wing Alumni probably play in 25-30 games, schedule permitting. These guys, the Oakland County guys, are close to a lot of our hearts, so it’s always special when you get together with these guys. We do whatever we can for the causes that are out there and there’s a lot of great ones,” Redmond said.

“The one thing that we all like to do at the Alumni is put smiles on people’s faces, especially young boys and girls,” Redmond said. “We’re very, very fortunate to be in a position to make a difference and we try to give back as much as we can.

“When it comes to young people, as far as we’re concerned, we can’t do enough. And god bless these guys for stepping out and going shopping with them and giving them a smile and hope.”

Joseph Ashley is assigned with the OCSO Fugitive Apprehension Team and played goalie during the game. Ashley, a Lake Orion High School graduate, said he felt a game like this was important to support area kids and develop a positive relationship between the sheriff’s department and the community.

“For me it’s important because police are looked down upon a lot and for us this event is a positive event. It’s good for the fans, they come out, they see the Red Wings play, they see us do some things for the community.

“It’s a fundraiser for children who may not have a Christmas coming up. We raise money and we get to take them out shopping. It’s great when you see those kids come out and they get the things they didn’t expect to get, so that’s a big bonus,” Ashley said.

Of course, being hockey players, there was a little trash talk and good-natured chiding back and forth. At one point on a shift change, Red Wing John Ogrodnick, presumably too tired to skate all the way back to the Red Wings Alumni bench, jumped into the OCSO/Golling bench for a chat and some ribbing.

When asked after the first period for his prediction on the outcome of the game, Redmond laughs, offering a shrewd reply.

“We’re putting on our best face, we’re trying not to get arrested in the process here, or on the way home ending up somewhere behind bars. We’re going to give our best effort here in the second period and see if we can’t one-up them before it’s all done,” he said.

Ashley, who has been playing hockey for about 35 years and watched the Red Wings with his father, said the game was one of those surreal dreams hockey players have as kids.

“The first couple of goals I gave up I was in fantasy mode. I’m watching them and going, oh my gosh, these are the Red Wing guys I watched growing up, they’re skating against me,” Ashley said. “I don’t think my head was in the right place. The game was a little quicker than I expected at times.”

“Everyone really seems to be having a great time, the officers, and we have a lot of kids out here having fun,” Toth said. “We really want to thank Bill Golling and our Golling Buick GMC dealership in Lake Orion for hosting this and partnering with us on this. They’ve done a great job. Bill Golling and his entire family, they really stepped up.”

Toth said the OCSO has several events to help raise funds for the Shop with a Hero program and make connections with the community. Hopefully, he said, they can have another charity hockey game next year.

“I think we’re on to something here and we’re going to do it again next year. We’ve had a lot of people stop and encourage us, namely Mickey Redmond stopped and said ‘Hey, we’d like to do this again next year.’ So, if Mickey Redmond’s asking, I think we can make that happen,” Toth said.

Redmond said he loves getting back out on the ice and skates twice a week when his schedule permits. “It’s absolutely incredible to be able to get out here and get the wind in your face and feel like you’re turning the clock back a little bit – even though it’s a little bit slower.”