The Red Wings didn’t practice on Tuesday afternoon, but DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills reports that Red Wings forward Marco Kasper spent his afternoon giving back to the Metro Detroit community:
For Ms. Gaynor’s first-grade class at Madison Elementary School in Madison Heights, Mich., a Tuesday afternoon turned into a memory the students won’t soon forget.
As a benefit of participating in the 2024-25 Red Wings for Reading program, Marco Kasper surprised the first graders and read “Dino-Hockey” — a book by Michigan-based author Lisa Wheeler — to the class.
“It’s awesome being here,” Marco Kasper told DetroitRedWings.com on Tuesday. “Obviously it’s awesome for the kids, and just to see how happy they are to learn about the Red Wings and hockey in general. Giving back to the community is awesome, and I really like doing it.”
Presented by the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, Red Wings for Reading is a free program designed to support existing reading curriculum in K-5 classrooms across the state of Michigan by encouraging students to strengthen their literacy skills.
Kasper said reading a book like “Dino-Hockey,” which incorporates hockey terms in a fun and creative way, helps introduce kids to the sport.
“A lot of the best players became familiar with hockey when they were young,” Kasper said. “To get young kids familiar with hockey and get them to really like the game is important, then hopefully some of them will get out there on the ice.”
