It was a December night in downtown Detroit that the Big Rapids Cardinals won’t forget for a long time.
The Cardinals were among the high school teams that played at Comerica Park a week before Christmas as part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival, an event that included an NHL game on New Year’s Day between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium.
The Cardinals were scheduled to play their top rival, Cadillac, at Comerica in the 2012 Festival, but that game was canceled because of the NHL players lockout and was rescheduled for Dec. 2013.
Big Rapids coach Tim Blashill said he had heard about the possibility of playing at Comerica from his brother, Jeff Blashill, who was with the Detroit Red Wings as an assistant coach at the time. After Big Rapids inquired about being a participant in the Classic, the school got the call.
Big Rapids vs. Cadillac was among eight high school games played at Comerica. Big Rapids, Cadillac, Traverse City Central, and Traverse City West were the only Northern Michigan schools that played at Comerica. The other 12 teams were from metro Detroit.
Big Rapids and Cadillac faced off at 7 p.m. Weather conditions were somewhat pleasant for the game, with a temperature around 18 degrees. “It wasn’t snowing but it was cold,” Blashill said. “We watched the Traverse City Central-West game. We were cold in the stands. After our game started, it got colder.”
Ice conditions were basically okay, Blashill indicated. “We had a few chips here and there. It got a little too cold. We were kind of a dry run. They [Comerica officials] were working with the ice.”
The team made the 3-hour, 15-minute trip from Big Rapids to Detroit on game day, starting early enough that the Cardinals could watch the two Traverse City teams play prior to their game.
Cadillac won the game 3-1 on two second-period goals. In November, Cadillac had beaten Big Rapids 7-1, so Blashill was heartened with the effort, despite the loss. Jeremiah McReynolds scored for the Cardinals in the opening period. Goalkeepers were Joe Templin and Joey Hinds.
The team returned to Big Rapids that night. It was a long trip but worth the experience.
“Each team had to pay $2,500,” Blashill said, noting the Big Rapids hockey boosters covered the costs.
“It was unbelievable, it was real cool experience all the way around,” Blashill said. “We wanted to win, play hard, and do those things. But at the same time, we wanted to take in the experience of playing in a once-in-a-lifetime game.”
Big Rapids took a parent bus to the game with approximately 60 people. Blashill recalls seeing fans other than those from Big Rapids and Cadillac in the stands.
Considering the game was canceled in 2012, it was a dream for the Cardinals when it became reality. “We told the kids take it all in and enjoy it,” Blashill said. “It was pretty cool and special once it happened.”