Dearborn Firemen Get Heated on the Ice

When things get heated at the Dearborn Fire Department, it only makes sense to cool off on ice.

“It just kind of gives everyone a place to hang out outside of work,” said Adam Ferrel, 26, one of the Dearborn Fire hockey team organizers. “It helps us get good exercise and build our friendships up and it takes your mind off of work.”

The team takes to the ice yet again this Wednesday and Thursday for the Detroit Firefighters Charity Hockey Tournament. But it wasn't so long ago that there was no team at all.

A few years ago, the DFD had a hockey team that played consistently–but it fell apart. Last year, Ferrel and Mike Mattern, 26, who both work in the fire department, started up the team again.

“Adam and I decided that we love playing hockey and it could (be) a good way to raise money for the burn drive and other charities,” Mattern said. “So we put our heads together and kind of started the team, asking guys at the department who we knew played hockey if they wanted to join the team."

The Dearborn Fire Department Burn Drive is an organization that was established more than 40 years ago. It is dedicated to children who have suffered any type of burn injury.

According to Mattern, all the fire hockey tournaments are fundraisers. About 12-15 guys from the Dearborn Firefighters Union and other departments are active on the roster. Some have been playing hockey for a while and others picked up the game just a few years ago.

“It’s nice to interact with all the guys off duty and relieve some stress,” said 32-year-old defenseman Joe Murray, who is a board member on the Dearborn Firefighters Union. “It’s really important–especially working in the career that we do–that we all work together and have good relationships with each other.”

The team’s mascot is a bulldog, and it recently finished a 23-game season against eight other teams in the Detroit Fire hockey league. Other departments in the league include Redford, Garden City, Melvindale and Westland.

Ferrel says that the team is progressively getting better after taking an early exit in the league’s playoffs last year. But he admits that the team is a bit less experienced than a lot of other teams, especially the Dearborn Police Department.

“They’re a lot better than us–I’m not going to lie,” Ferrel said. “We played them in our charity game last year and they beat us 9-1. But they’ve got a lot more experienced hockey players and people who’ve played at a lot higher level prior to getting on the police department.

“There’s not too much competition between us but we would love to beat them," he said. "There’s a little bit of pride involved."

The DFD participates in various charity hockey tournaments for other departments as well. In November, the Bulldogs plan to set up their own tournament in honor of the late Mike Bettley, a firefighter from Redford who lost his life in a skiing accident about a month ago. Bettley played with the DFD a few times, and a portion of the proceeds will go toward a scholarship in his name.

The DFD will be playing in the Detroit Firefighters Hockey Tournament this Wednesday and Thursday at the Troy Sports Center. Games will be at 9:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday, with Thursday times still to be announced. The game will benefit the Detroit Fire Charities and burn centers in Detroit.

Another Mike Bettley Memorial Game will be held Saturday, April 30, at 5 p.m. at  the Novi Arena, with members of the DFD Hockey Team participating.

Check out the DFD Hockey Team's Facebook page for updates.