By Robert Picarello | NHL.com | July 19, 2002
Even though the ice has been melted and the pucks and sticks have been put away until next season in favor of golf clubs and sunny beaches, Darren McCarty still battles on.
The Detroit Red Wings' forward is a champion in more ways than one. The grinder played a huge role in the Wings winning the 2002 Stanley Cup. He is known around the NHL circuit as a rugged player who will do anything on the ice to help his team win, but McCarty is also lauded for his off-ice activities.
McCarty is an active participant in the Detroit community, where he willingly lends his name, time and money to help champion causes.
One of his strongest commitments is to the McCarty Cancer Foundation, which he created to assist in the battle against multiple myeloma, a terminal cancer that took his father's life in 1999. While some athletes simply lend their names and sign checks to help out charities, McCarty jumps in willingly and plays an active role in whatever foundation he's involved in
To date, the McCarty Cancer Foundation, which Darren created on Father's Day, 1996, as a gift to his dad, Craig, has funded more than $3 million in research grants to help in the fight against the deadly disease.
"My dad worried about how we can help other people," McCarty said. "It helped him deal with his disease."
The elder McCarty also helped his son battle another scary disease � alcoholism.
"His cancer came along when I was dealing with alcoholism," Darren explains on his foundation's website (www.cancerfoundation.org). "I had quit drinking and had gone into rehab. We sat down and my dad didn't feel sorry for himself. He said, 'We've got tough things to deal with, so let's lean on each other and get through this together.' You never want [cancer] to happen to anyone, but it did come at a time when we could help each other."
The NHLer has not only helped raise funds and awareness for multiple myeloma, he has also gone the extra mile throughout the years in creating support groups, which help people cope with the disease.
"Our focus is to raise money for research to find a cure for multiple myeloma, and also to help with support groups," McCarty said. "I got the idea and learned from AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] that there are a lot of people in the same situation. If you can lean on each other and use each other as support, it makes things a lot easier to handle."
"Both diseases are something we can't control. But it's something we can try and battle. I think the hardest thing to do when you have a disease, whether it be cancer or alcoholism, is to feel alone. That's when you get defeated."
As long as he is around, McCarty will not let people feel alone.
The Detroit winger also is the team leader of the annual charity softball game, which pits the Red Wings against the Detroit Tigers, hosted by the Ilitch Charities for Children.
McCarty not only serves as the team's captain each year at the event, he also goes out of his way to meet and greet as many fans as possible at the annual affair, making him one of the most popular and sought-after athletes at the game. Through his leadership, Ilitch Charities for Children has raised more than $200,000 during this event.
Tigers' outfielder Bobby Higginson has had the pleasure of working alongside the NHL Good Guy at several charity events and has witnessed first-hand the impact McCarty has on people.
"I have made several trips to area hospitals with Darren and he lights up the lives of the sick kids who are struggling to achieve something we all take for granted � good health," Higginson explained. "In all the years I have known Darren, I have never known him to say no to any worthy need or cause."
The two special Detroit athletes realize how important their giving back means to the community.
"I share Darren's vision that we can make a difference in our community by taking the time to do things for others," Higginson explained. "Quite frankly, Darren was an inspiration to me to do even more in the Detroit community through my foundation and the giving of my time to others. While I thought I was doing enough, Darren's devotion showed me that we all can do more.
"Both of us recognize the importance of today's athletes making a positive impact in our communities. We have a tremendous ability to touch the lives of others, simply because we are fortunate enough to have a public persona through our athletic ability. Darren has used that ability to make a difference in the Detroit area."
McCarty also serves as the Red Wings spokesperson in the team's Motor City Mitten Madness campaign. The annual crusade at Joe Louis Arena is a joint effort between the Wings, Detroit Receiving Hospital, the Southeastern Michigan Fire Chiefs and the Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union which helps raise winter clothes for the needy and also raises awareness of frostbite issues. Through this event, more than 3,000 winter wear items have been collected each year.
"Darren is one of the most committed and active people in the Detroit area in terms of charitable involvement," Red Wings' Alternate Governor Denise Ilitch said. "He does countless things for the good of the community on behalf of the Detroit Red Wings."
McCarty has proven time and time again in Detroit that he's just as good a battler off the ice as he is on the ice.