Alumni Game
Joey Kocur, John Ogrodnick highlight Detroit Red Wings-Flint Generals alumni game at Perani Arena on Friday, February 20th at 7:30 PM
MLive.com
Detroit Red Wings and NHL alumni will converge on a revived Perani Arena later this month for a hockey game against a group of alums from the Flint Generals.
Joey Kocur, John Ogrodnick, Petr Klima and former U.S. Olympian Al Iafrate highlight a tentative roster of 12 Red Wings alumni and NHL stars tapped to play in the charity game at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 20 at Perani Arena in Flint.
Longtime Generals defenseman Lorne Knauft and teammates Jim Duhart, Stephan Brochu and Dale Greenwood will help comprise the roster of former Flint players.
A portion of the proceeds from the game, the second of its kind pitting a group of former Red Wings against Generals alums, will benefit the United Way of Genesee County and Old Newsboys of Flint.
"With all the hockey history in Flint -- with the Generals and the Spirits -- it will be great to see the guys back on the ice and in the crowd playing one of the greatest NHL franchises' alumni," Knauft said in a release. "Hockey fans in general, both Generals fans and Red Wings fans alike, won't want to miss it."
Detroit Red Wings and NHL alumni will converge on a revived Perani Arena later this month for a hockey game against a group of alums from the Flint Generals.
Joey Kocur, John Ogrodnick, Petr Klima and former U.S. Olympian Al Iafrate highlight a tentative roster of 12 Red Wings alumni and NHL stars tapped to play in the charity game at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 20 at Perani Arena in Flint.
Longtime Generals defenseman Lorne Knauft and teammates Jim Duhart, Stephan Brochu and Dale Greenwood will help comprise the roster of former Flint players.
A portion of the proceeds from the game, the second of its kind pitting a group of former Red Wings against Generals alums, will benefit the United Way of Genesee County and Old Newsboys of Flint.
"With all the hockey history in Flint -- with the Generals and the Spirits -- it will be great to see the guys back on the ice and in the crowd playing one of the greatest NHL franchises' alumni," Knauft said in a release. "Hockey fans in general, both Generals fans and Red Wings fans alike, won't want to miss it."
The game comes at a time when Flint is experiencing a major hockey resurgence. IMS USA Inc. came into the market in early December and purchased the aging Perani Arena with a promise to invest more in hockey. The company announced in mid-January plans to buy the Ontario Hockey League's Plymouth Whalers from Compuware founder Peter Karmanos.
The new OHL franchise was approved by the league earlier this week, and team president Costa Papista and owner Rolf Nilsen, a member of the Red Wings alumni roster, hope to use the game as a way to show off the arena and market season ticket packages.
An identity for the new OHL team could be unveiled at the game, too, as team officials have declared Feb. 20 -- the same day as the alumni game -- the deadline for finalizing a team name, logo and colors.
Tickets for the game are priced at $15 and $10 and can be purchased at the Perani Arena box office and Ticketmaster. A postgame charity dinner ($30) will be open to the public after the game, at Bubba O'Malley's in Burton.
Detroit Red Wings alumni roster: Jimmy Carson, Brent Fedyk, Joey Kocur, Eddie Mio, John Ogrodnick, Petr Klima, Kevin Miller, Al Iafrate, Wayne Presley, Sergei Samsonov, Rolf Nilsen, Jon Finstrom.
Flint Generals alumni roster: Lorne Knauft, Jim Duhart, Stephan Brochu, Larry Bernard, Keith Whitmore, Jason Glover, Dale Greenwood, John Heasty, Ross Wilson.
The new OHL franchise was approved by the league earlier this week, and team president Costa Papista and owner Rolf Nilsen, a member of the Red Wings alumni roster, hope to use the game as a way to show off the arena and market season ticket packages.
An identity for the new OHL team could be unveiled at the game, too, as team officials have declared Feb. 20 -- the same day as the alumni game -- the deadline for finalizing a team name, logo and colors.
Tickets for the game are priced at $15 and $10 and can be purchased at the Perani Arena box office and Ticketmaster. A postgame charity dinner ($30) will be open to the public after the game, at Bubba O'Malley's in Burton.
Detroit Red Wings alumni roster: Jimmy Carson, Brent Fedyk, Joey Kocur, Eddie Mio, John Ogrodnick, Petr Klima, Kevin Miller, Al Iafrate, Wayne Presley, Sergei Samsonov, Rolf Nilsen, Jon Finstrom.
Flint Generals alumni roster: Lorne Knauft, Jim Duhart, Stephan Brochu, Larry Bernard, Keith Whitmore, Jason Glover, Dale Greenwood, John Heasty, Ross Wilson.