Dave Coulier and Andrea Barber back Detroit Red Wings on Hockey Fights Cancer Night vs. Philadelphia Flyers

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

DETROIT — Actor Dave Coulier and “Full House” co-star Andrea Barber helped lead Detroit Red Wings’ Hockey Fights Cancer Night activities at Little Caesars Arena as the NHL club took on the Philadelphia Flyers. Coulier, a cancer survivor, was at the arena partly because he grew up a Red Wings fan in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, and partly because the league’s annual initiative was being staged in Detroit.

Coulier and Barber wore special Red Wings Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys for the game. The Hockey Fights Cancer programme is a joint NHL and NHL Players’ Association initiative, and the NHL said it is in its 28th season. According to the league, the initiative has generated more than $53 million in total fundraising, and since partnering with the V Foundation in 2023 it has raised more than $12.3 million for cancer research and awarded 42 research grants.

The night carried added personal significance for the Red Wings organization. The NHL reported that Jenny Baumann, the wife of physical therapist and assistant athletic trainer Russ Baumann, died of cancer on Saturday at the age of 55. Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan addressed the loss during Hockey Fights Cancer Night activities, and the NHL said he “choked up” while speaking about it.

In recognition of Baumann, the Red Wings hung a Hockey Fights Cancer jersey over the Winged Wheel logo at the entrance to the dressing room, with Hockey Fights Cancer cards lining the surrounding wall to identify people within the hockey community who were being supported. Players, coaches and staff also wore Red Wings Hockey Fights Cancer hoodies marked with the initials “JB” on the upper right shoulder, the NHL said.

While the game-time spotlight included cancer-awareness displays, McLellan framed the message as broader than any single sport storyline. The NHL quoted him saying, “We’re worried about winning and losing… We’re worried about signing players. We’re worried about trades and all that type of stuff.” He added that the “human stuff” behind the night’s theme matters because it can affect “all of us,” regardless of whether someone is a player, coach, fan or member of the media.

Hockey Fights Cancer Night also drew attention to individual stories connected to players. The NHL noted that 21-year-old forward Emmitt Finnie had been drawing a cancer ribbon on top of the knob of his stick in honour of his mother, Shannon, who overcame breast cancer and is now battling liver cancer. The league said Finnie commented during the event that “she’s doing well,” and he described the night as meaningful for those affected across many circumstances, including the impact on Russ and his family as well as the wider community.

Off the ice, the Red Wings incorporated additional fundraising and awareness elements throughout the evening. The NHL reported that an artist decorated a custom Red Wings Hockey Fights Cancer helmet that will be auctioned off at the end of the season. Fans also wrote the names of people for whom they were fighting on stickers, placing them in the concourse on DRW block letters and on cards that were held up during a special moment in the first period.

The NHL said representatives from the American Cancer Society attended the game as guests of Fifth Third. The league reported that a cancer survivor rang the bell and dropped the ceremonial first puck with her family, while a woman in remission stood next to the anthem singer. The NHL also said a 10-year-old hockey player in remission took the ice with the Red Wings starters.

Coulier and Barber were featured during the opening stretch as well. The NHL reported that they were shown on the scoreboard screen during the first period while sitting in their Red Wings Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys, as the “Full House” theme song played. The league said Coulier waved and that his lips could be read saying, “Let’s go, Red Wings!”

Before and during the event, the NHL quoted Coulier on the importance of medical screening. He said, “Early screenings saved my life twice now with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and carcinoma,” and he urged people to keep up with checkups, including a prostate exam, colonoscopy and mammograms. Coulier added that remission can still stay “on your shoulder” and emphasized that maintaining health and “keep moving through life with a smile on your face” is part of living after cancer.

Barber travelled from Los Angeles to attend the game in support of Coulier, according to the NHL. The league reported that she had been to only one hockey game previously and expected the night to make her “after tonight,” adding that she would then become a hockey fan.

The Red Wings also linked the game to broader fundraising. The NHL reported that the club is auctioning off items at DetroitRedWings.com/auction, and that all proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.

Hockey Fights Cancer Night represents the NHL’s ongoing push to pair league visibility with practical support for cancer awareness and research. For Detroit, the initiative’s messaging blended the programme’s fundraising structure with organization-wide tributes connected to the Baumann family and other members of the hockey community, as the Red Wings carried Hockey Fights Cancer branding throughout the arena before, during and after the first period.