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Jackyl Frontman Jesse James Dupree Witnesses His First Hockey Game In 19 Years With An Ironic Twist

Author Meltdown
Jesse, Roman and myself during warmups at a recent Flint Firebirds game. It was Jesse's first hockey game in 19 years.

In a recent interview with Jesse James Dupree from Jackyl, who grew up outside of Atlanta, Georgia, told the story of the only hockey game he’d ever been to. The game was at Joe Louis Arena on November 21st, 2005. It was the game where Red Wing defenseman Juri Fischer collapsed on the bench, suffering cardiac arrest and had to be revived by doctors who rushed in from the stands. The game would be halted and eventually postponed, the only time in NHL history, and played on January 23rd, 2006.

As Jesse told me, he had his big beer and pretzel ready to see some action when everything stopped. Never having been to a game, Jesse, along with many in the stands, had no idea what was going on. Juri was reportedly unconscious for 6 minutes while doctors worked on him. That would turn out to be the last game he’d ever play. He works for the Wings now.

After seeing the interview, local OHL scout and Jackyl fan, Tim Wilson, messaged me. He wanted to know if Jesse would like to watch a little of the game between the Flint Firebirds and the Sarnia Sting before their show at the Machine Shop on Thanksgiving Eve. I texted Jesse and was totally IN! Of course, he had to bring bate mate and Red Wing fanatic, Roman Glick, who took him to that game in 2005.

Meltdown
Dominic was cool enough to grab some pucks for me and the guys. They were actually frozen when he handed them to us! Right out of the freezer.

I swung by the venue and picked the guys up. We made the 5-minute drive to the arena where we were greeted by Tim and Firebirds director of marketing, Dominic Gutierrez. Dominic took us for a tour of the locker room while the teams were on the ice during warmups. I grabbed a stick off the rack for Jesse to hold. $400 of hockey technology in your hand gives a man a sense of the weapons the players use on the ice.

I noticed warmups were close to finishing and I wanted Jesse to see some of it, so we walked out a watched from behind the net as players rifled pucks toward us. Jesse’s face said it all, he was amazed by the velocity of the shots going in the net as well as smashing off the glass.

We went to our seats as the anthems were sung and the opening puck dropped. This is where the irony of the game Jesse attended almost exactly 19 years earlier comes into view. Juri Fischer’s son, Lukas, is the captain of the Sarnia Sting! How crazy is that?! Unfortunately, Juri wasn’t at the game, but that would’ve been the wildest example of a small-world moment ever. To think of all the hockey players in the world, that the next game Jesse would attend would include the son of the man whose medical emergency caused the stoppage of the only game he’d ever been to is insane! The odds are staggering.

Myself with Jesse, Roman, and Tim Wilson. This photo was taken by a medical staff member at the rink. Thank You!

Because the guys had to get on the stage at 9 PM, we could only watch the first period. That was enough to see teddy bears tossed onto the ice after the first Firebirds goal on Toss A Teddy Bear night. I didn’t tell Jesse about that because I wanted him to be surprised. He was! It was good to share that experience with two friends I’ve known for decades. I’m always willing to take in my favorite game with anyone.

Meltdown
The teddy bears flew during the first period as the Firebirds scored to make it 1-0.

Another big Thank You to Tim and Dominic! Maybe Jess will go to more games in the future.

MINTY
The obligatory “hallway shot” at the Machine Shop. Such a great tradition!

Local Music Venue Spotlight: The Machine Shop

Want to check out a really cool live music venue? Get to Flint, Michigan and visit the Machine Shop!  It’s a club that the fans and musicians equally enjoy. One thing about the Shop, is that many bands who now play theaters or arenas, have played there. It’s so cool to see these bands grow and expand their audience. I can also tell you that those bands do not forget the venue, or how well they were treated there by management, staff and the fans alike. A testament to that is the fact that Vinnie Paul from Pantera was buried in a Machine Shop shirt. Kevin Zink’s owned the venue for 21 years, and has booked over 2,300 shows there, many nights with multiple bands. Everyone from Kid Rock, to Shinedown, to Sevendust and Eric Church have played the Machine Shop stage. Kevin told me that the Cleveland based band, Mushroomhead, has played there the most times.
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A panoramic view of the Machine Shop taken by Minty.

If you’ve never been there, Kevin describes the club like this  – “I would describe it as kick ass, and then wonder about them since they have never been here! Hahaha!  Seriously though, it is like 80s rock club, meets hot rod shop, meets tattoo shop, but with top notch sound and lights!” People have traveled from near and far to catch a band or bands there. “You name the country and there is a good chance someone has traveled from there to Flint, Mi..  We have seen people from Japan, Denmark, Brazil and many more.  We have lots of people come from the far ends of the US to see their favorite band in the last of the real rock clubs.” You’d think in the world of Rock N’ Roll there would be some crazy stuff on the bands riders, or backstage. Kevin says that doesn’t happen too often. “I don’t find crazy shit, just a lot of messes!  Condoms are about the craziest on a rider, which really isn’t that crazy at all.  The days of crazy seem to have gone away a bit.  It is all pretty professional.”  

The Machine Shop - The Machine Shop Concert Lounge is located at 3539 S. Dort Hwy. in Flint, Michigan and has been booking the best live music entertainment in rock, metal, and outlaw country since 2002.

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Speaking from personal experience, The Machine Shop is staffed by very friendly, helpful people, who are also huge music fans. You can tell that the people who work there take great pride in making each show a memorable one for the fans. With one look at their website, you can see that they host a wide variety of music, not just rock. Check out some pictures taken at the Machine Shop by there in-house photographer, Minty. I hope to see you at an upcoming show at the Shop. Oh, and don’t forget to snag one or six of their world famous t-shirts! -Meltdown-

Meltdown started on the mighty WRIF on the evening of Halloween, 1995. Technically, his first on-air shift was the morning of November 1st. Moving to the Motor City from Buffalo, N.Y., he has built a career and family. Over his almost three-decade stint at RIFF, he's had the privilege to work with some of the biggest personalities in Detroit radio history. He boasts of being just the second-afternoon drive jock in the station's illustrious 53-year history. Along with his love for rock music and attending concerts, he's also an avid Harley-Davidson enthusiast and hockey player. He plays year-round and manages to squeeze in a few charity games throughout the year. Meltdown writes about the Detroit Red Wings, rock music, and Detroit concert venues.

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