Q&A with Red Wings forward Darren McCarty

Four-time Stanley Cup champion Darren McCarty will be in the Rio Grande Valley to participate in a host of hockey events for charity, including a weeklong camp, an autograph session at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Jay's Sk8 Shop at the RGV Ice Center with friend and former Killer Bees captain Jason Cirone. There is also a dinner at 8 p.m. Thursday at Las Palmas Hotel.

On Wednesday, McCarty will play in a charity all-star game at the RGV Ice Center along with Cirone, Bees forward Travis Banga and reigning CHL MVP Jeff Bes, among others. The proceeds will go to Driscoll's Youth Hospital, the McCarty Cancer Foundation and RGV Youth Hockey.

For more information, contact Jay Kure at kure@att.net or (956) 683-8111.

McCarty has also endeared himself to hockey fans not just for his gritty play and championship experience, but his ability to overcome personal issues that temporarily derailed his career. McCarty, 36, has filed for bankruptcy and entered rehab for the fourth time last year but recovered and returned to professional hockey.

After sitting out half of the 2007-2008 season, McCarty signed with the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League in late December. He eventually moved on to the Red Wings' AHL-affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins and then the Red Wings in February, where he won his fourth Stanley Cup.

The Monitor got in touch with McCarty to discuss the events, Cirone, his career and the Wings' chances for another Stanley Cup.

Q: What does it mean for you to participate in all of these events?

A: It's exciting. Jason's been a great friend and we played against each other before we got to be teammates and we became really close friends really quick. This is a way that not only I can repay him for everything he's done to help me get back to Detroit and this year but it's also great to spread hockey down south. It's great to see there's a lot of interest and that the kids love to play hockey. It will be good to come down to show some kids a few tricks of the trade.

We love playing these charity hockey games so this is when some of us get to be goal-scorers instead of grinders. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it.

Q: What do you think about when you hear "Darren McCarty: four-time Stanley Cup champion?"

A: I guess sometimes you've just got to pinch yourself. I'm fortunate obviously with where I began last year and how things ended up. There aren't too many guys in history that can say they've won one, let alone four. I'm grateful for that and I've been a part of some great teams. I don't think it will really sink in until I'm through playing.

Q: After everything that you went through, is this the Cup that means the most?

A: They're all like kids. You love them all the same but they all have different storylines. This one, I think, maybe I have the most appreciation for, but that's because of where I'm at in my life and the journey I was on to get here. I think just everybody that helped and impacted along the way, I sort of share that with them.

Q: So this was a win for your support system and everybody who helped you get back to the Red Wings?

A: Yeah, definitely. From my family to (Red Wings forward) Kris Draper to Jason Cirone and the guys I played with at Flint and Grand Rapids and back in Detroit. It's not just for the guys I played with but the people behind the scenes: the trainers, the coaches, the media guys, and the fans. I think the fans were a big motivation, especially going to Flint and Grand Rapids... Who would have thought it would have ended this way, but it's definitely a dream come true.

Q: What did all you went through teach you about your love of hockey?

A: It took for me to be out of the game and away from the game to really realize how much I loved the game. When I started in Flint, it was just love of the game to go to practice and be around those guys and it was just so much fun to play. I carried that over to Grand Rapids and I went into Detroit. Obviously, when you move up, the competition gets better and with the games we had, things got a little tighter. But I was able to carry that passion that I had, and realized I had lost it for some time and really had forgotten how much I loved the game of hockey and how much it meant to me. I was grateful that I was able to recapture that.

Q: Is there going to be a fifth Stanley Cup to your name in the near future?

A: You know what, we're going to try. The one thing about winning cups is when you win the first one, it's something you dreamed about for your entire life. It's something you don't know what it's all about, but it's you eat, sleep and breathe. Once you get there, you realize how awesome it is and you want to continue having that feeling. We have four and we're grateful for that but we're looking for five now.

Q: Marian Hossa isn't a bad start toward that, is he?

A: It tells you a lot about him as a guy and a player that he wants to win. He could have taken the money but he wants to play with great guys and he's going to be a huge part of this team and he makes us that much better.

Brian Sandalow covers the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436.