Denis Leary | Leary Foundation | Leary Firefighters

In the News: Ex-NHL stars in Leary Game Oct. 3
August 12, 2004
Section: LOCAL NEWS
Page: B5
By Richard Nangle

BOSTON -- It might be your only chance to see National Hockey Leaguers in action this year. Once again the Leary Firefighters Foundation has staged a charity match featuring hockey legends, weighted heavily with Boston Bruins old-timers, and Hollywood stars. This year's game will take place Oct. 3, shortly before the coming NHL season is to begin. But with owners and players ready to sit out the season over a contract dispute, the ice at the FleetCenter may not get much of a workout save for this game.

This year marks the fifth edition of the charity game, which has its roots in the Worcester Cold Storage fire of December 1999 that killed six firefighters. Actor Denis Leary, a Worcester native, lost a childhood friend, Lt. Thomas Spencer, and a cousin, Firefighter Jeremiah Lucey, in the blaze. But last year the event moved to Boston and attracted a larger crowd. Now it appears Boston will be the venue, but Worcester will remain the game's raison d'etre.

The list of NHLers on this year's roster include Bruin greats Johnny Bucyk, Cam Neely, Ken Hodge, Johnny McKenzie and Rick Middleton. New York Islanders legend Pat Lafontaine, Buffalo Sabres star Danny Gare and Edmonton Oilers stalwart Glenn Anderson also will play. The celebrity lineup includes Worcester's own Denis Leary along with Kiefer Sutherland, Michael J. Fox and Tim Robbins. Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will play while comedian Lenny Clarke and ex-Bruins Bobby Orr and Derek Sanderson coach.

The Leary Firefighters Foundation has raised more than $3 million for the fire departments in Worcester and New York City, which was added to the mix after the terrorist attacks of September 2001. The Leary Firefighters Foundation and EMC Corporation Burn Tower and Training Facility in Worcester serves 60 fire departments in Central Massachusetts and has been used to train firefighters from all over the country.

The foundation has distributed money directly to families of the 343 New York City firefighters killed in the World Trade Center.

At City Hall Plaza yesterday, Mr. Leary presented the Boston Fire Department with a new Tactical Command Unit that has already been pressed into service. It was used at the recent Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter. He presented the Worcester Fire Department with architectural drawings for the second phase of the burn tower and training facility. The Tactical Command Unit is built into a retrofitted Ford Excursion SUV and includes modern radio communications equipment, thermal image video monitors and a receiver to provide access to video feeds from state police or news helicopters. It also can navigate Boston's narrow streets.

Boston Fire Department Commissioner Paul Christian said the video feeds are a critical element of the new command unit. He said people watching the burning World Trade Center on television had a better sense of what was going on than the fire commanders on the ground.

“We are forever grateful for the continued support of the Leary Firefighters Foundation,'' said Frank P. Raffa, president of Worcester Fire Fighters Local 1009.

This year the foundation will raise funds for a tactical marine unit for the Boston Fire Department, Mr. Leary said.

A later bash for New York's Bravest featuring a live auction will raise money for the New York City Fire Department.

Yesterday Mr. Leary was joined by the cast of his new television series ``Rescue Me,'' in which he plays a firefighter. The ``Rescue Me'' cast was included in a street hockey game that faced off in City Hall Plaza shortly after the morning press conference. Mr. Orr signed autographs for people who bought tickets to the game.

Sponsors of this year's game include EMC, MasterCard International, Allen and Gerritsen, American Airlines, Boston Bruins, Carey, FleetCenter, Herald Media Group, Nine Zero, Reebok/CCM, Papa Gino's, Sam Adams, Tudor Investments, WAAF-FM and WEEI-AM.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and list for $25, $50, $60 and $100. For more information visit www.learyfirefighters.org.