Throughout their careers, Chris Nuccio, Blake McLellan, Steve Tallman, and Jeff Hammond have taken on the best their high school peers can throw at them.
However, the four Brandon High School hockey players, along with several other Ortonville residents, will test their skills April 2 against some of the Detroit Red Wings? all-time greats.
On that date, the Red Wing Alumni, which travel the metro Detroit area to play in several benefit hockey games, will take on the Ortonville Rotary Wheels. The game is slated for 6 p.m. at Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills.
Dr. Jay Stark, a former Detroit Red Wings minor leaguer who now owns Brandon Chiropractic, 70 S. Ortonville Road, Ortonville, will play on the Rotary Wheels team along with several other Rotary members, according to Wayne Facca, a member of Ortonville Rotary who helped to organize the game.
The money raised at the event will be divided between Red Wing Charities and Rotary International.
‘We’re always looking for some fundraisers,? Facca said. ‘We do the (Goodfellows) paper in the fall and we don’t do anything else until the weather gets nice. We thought we’d bring some alumni out. The players at both ends are looking forward to it.?
Tallman, a sophomore forward on the Blackhawks, said Lynn Schank, a math teacher at BHS, approached Brandon hockey coach Brian Moore about the game. From there, Moore asked if any of the current Blackhawks would like to take part in the benefit game, and Tallman, Nuccio, McLellan, and Hammond volunteered.
A flyer for the event lists several members of the Red Wing Alumni, ranging from veterans such as Gerry Abel, Dennis Hextall, Lee Norwood, and John Ogrodnick to more recent Red Wings such as Shawn Burr, Dino Ciccarelli, and Igor Larionov.
However, Facca said the Rotary Wheels do not know as yet whom they will be facing for the benefit game, and likely will have to wait until game day itself to find out.
Facca also said a dinner with both the Rotary Wheels and Red Wing Alumni will take place following the game.
Details: Facca, 248-620-6128.