Darren McCarty – More Than A Hockey Hero: Meltdown
Today, I want to take a few minutes to give props to my friend, Darren McCarty. We all know about his heroics as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. We saw his historic fight on March 26, 1997. We cheered as he hoisted the Stanley Cup four times. We’ve seen him battle and come back each time. But what some may not see is the very charitable side of D-Mac.
I received a text from his manager, Brian, on Saturday night, while I was in New York. He asked me if I could help out with a fundraiser for a friend of his named Jeremy Grace. “Of course,” I told him. It happened this past Sunday night at the South Lyon Hotel.
This brings me to the point of this post. Darren had an appearance in Troy that night, but made a special trip out to South Lyon to sign pictures to raise money for Jeremy beforehand. And by the way, this is not the first, or twentieth time I’ve seen “D” do stuff like this for a person in need. In the 25+ years I’ve known him, I’ve never witnessed him blow off a fan looking for a photo or signature at any event. You’d be hard-pressed to find a former player that’s taken more pictures with fans than him. He’s gracious with his time and his popularity.
Many years ago, a friend of mine was severely hurt at a Kid Rock concert. After hearing about this, he donated a large sum to his recovery. The next time I saw Rock, I went to thank him. He stopped me mid-sentence and said, “We help people and don’t talk about it” That’s the kind of guy he is, as is Darren. It must be something in the Michigan water. People around here are so generous.
Some guys won’t pat themselves on the back, so I’ll do it for them. D-Mac is a good man who has helped several people throughout the community over the years- sometimes financially, sometimes to lift spirits, sometimes just to be there for them, and sometimes just to tell them to “Hit the net, Melty”…but that’s for another post.
Jeremy, wishing you the very best! It was GREAT to meet you on Sunday and see all the support from your friends and family. It was a big hill to climb for me to get there, but I’m so glad I did. You got this, bro!! Please, keep me posted and we’ll have a cocktail when you beat this!
-Meltdown-
List of Red Wings Stanley Cup Championships!
