This week we will celebrate Veterans Day on Thursday November 11. Honoring veterans is something our family does year round. We are so thankful for all who serve, have served and for those that have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms and our way of life. We have many family members who were/are members of the military, going back to our father Ernie Stahl who served in the Pacific in WWII, and brother Brian Stahl who served in Vietnam. There are also countless cousins, in-laws and GroupeSTAHL team members that have served or are serving. Over the past years, we have put together events honoring veterans and this year, our Power Play for Heroes event took place on November 6. Stahls’ team member Paul Sabatini, who is instrumental in organizing the event, gives a quick recap here. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a huge success and most of all, thank you to our veterans.
Power Play for Heroes Recap by Paul Sabatini
The fifth annual Stahls’ Power Play for Heroes was a huge success. It was a beautiful sunny November day and hockey was in the air and so was chill. Perfect for tailgating and it was great to see Stahls’ team members there. The atmosphere in the rink was full of excitement and a lot of smiles, with many of our Stahls’ employees happy to see one another and enjoy the day with friends and family. Fans were able to grab some delicious food from BBQ Daddy, have a beverage, mingle, and enjoy the game. The Stahls’ Automotive Collection was represented by the Stars and Stripes vehicle parked inside at the arena entrance, which was driven to the game that morning by Trevor Stahl, thank you Trevor! Memorabilia was available in the lobby from DC Sports (Stahls’ customer since 1994) and inside the rink from the Detroit Red Wings Alumni. Additionally, the Ted Lindsay award was in the house which provided some great photo opportunities.
The game was well attended, and we had the feeling of home ice advantage. The action on the ice was fast paced, with the final score being a 6-6 tie, with a highly controversial goal scored by Hockey Hall of Fame member, Dino Ciccarelli of the Detroit Red Wings Alumni with time running out on the clock. Four-time Stanley Cup Champion Darren McCarty decided to switch teams during the intermission and suited up for Team Stahls’, he also stayed after the game to sign autographs and share stories with the fans, which were so excited to meet him. The uniform theme of Captain America (Team Stahls’) and Iron Man (Detroit Red Wings Alumni) was well received and looked great on the ice and throughout the arena, with many positive comments from the Detroit Red Wings Alumni team. Many of the DRWA players have spoken to us about how much they look forward to the Stahls’ game and what it means for our veterans.
Power Play for Heroes, is for our veterans. We had four veterans that were honored before the game and presented them with Team Stahls’ jerseys, as well as many veterans in attendance and those who are currently serving in the military. It was an honor to meet them and here some of their stories and how they were so grateful for what we are doing for them.
With events like this, it takes a lot of planning and volunteers. I would like to say thank you to Kelli Harvey for assisting me and for being our point person on game day and all our volunteers, as without them, the event cannot be a success. It was a total team effort, and everyone won on Saturday!
