UPSHL Midwest’s Motor City Rebrands, Signs New Rink Affiliation and is Joined by Red Wings Alumni to Fill Development Positions
Team Moves to Troy Sports Center, Welcomes Bertuzzi to
Player Development Post
March 19, 2018 – TROY, Mich – After the team’s first trip to the USPHL Premier Hockey Nationals in Boston, the Motor City Hawks have come home to announce a new rink, a new brand and some huge additions to its coaching and consulting staff for the 2018-19 season.
The Hawks have shed the Chicago Black Hawks logo and name to become the Motor City Hockey Club (MCHC), better affiliating with the Detroit area and the team’s heritage. The team also announced it will move from Fraser Hockeyland to the Troy Sports Center beginning with 2018-19 tryouts on April 21 and 22. MCHC sees the move to Troy as a means of showcasing a state of the art facility that has a long history of hosting national-level tournaments and a more centralized Detroit area location to draw local talent to the team.
Solidifying head coach Jason McCrimmon’s relationship with the city and Detroit Red Wings alumni, the team has added former Red Wing, Todd Bertuzzi as Director of Player Development and will join the team on the ice during practice sessions this season. Bertuzzi finished his NHL career with the Red Wings in the 2013-14 season and has remained in the Detroit area after a career which saw him play on the Canadian Olympic team and a first team All Star nod while with the Vancouver Canucks. “Todd and I have developed a great relationship over the past few years and he jumped at the chance to help MCHC with our player development,” said McCrimmon. “He has a real passion for helping kids get to the next level of hockey.”
The team also announced that Mickey Redmond, a former Red Wing 50-goal scorer and award winning broadcaster and Trevor Thompson, a reporter and anchor with Fox Sports Detroit will serve as team consultants this season, helping Motor City establish added visibility in the community as well as with opportunities for MCHC players to move on to either higher leagues or colleges. The Motor City Hawks and the former Monarchs have been leaders in both the MWJHL and USPHL in sending players to college hockey programs.
“These moves we’re announcing have been in the works for months and we’re so excited to enter next season with a new brand, new rink and some great Red Wing alumni additions,” said MCHC General Manager Mark Gilman. “Reaching the USPHL Finals in our first year in the Premier Division was a great accomplishment for us, but we also felt we hadn’t reached our full potential in league performance and player movement to colleges.”
A featured part of the MCHC team hitting the ground early and running into the 2018-19 season, the team also announced that feature sponsors, JJ Curran Crane Company and Affinity Electronics, Inc. have already renewed their commitment to the team.
The Motor City Hockey team will be hosting tryouts at the Troy Sports Center on Saturday, April 21 (2:15 to 4:15 pm) and Sunday, April 22 (12:10 to 2:10 pm) for the 2018-19 season. Cost for participation is $125 for the weekend.