Coulier helps Red Wings raise awareness, funds on Hockey Fights Cancer Night

DETROIT -- Dave Coulier stood outside the Detroit Red Wings dressing room Thursday, hanging out with fellow “Full House” star Andrea Barber.

The 67-year-old actor had come to Little Caesars Arena for two reasons: One, he grew up a huge Red Wings fan in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Two, Detroit was hosting Hockey Fights Cancer Night.

Coulier is a cancer survivor. He and Barber wore special Red Wings Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys to a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, raising awareness and money for the cause.

“Early screenings saved my life twice now with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and carcinoma,” Coulier said. “It makes a big difference. It’s not sexy, but get that prostate exam, get that colonoscopy, get those mammograms. I’m encouraging people to do so.”

Hockey Fights Cancer, a joint initiative of the NHL and NHL Players’ Association, is in its 28th season and has generated more than $53 million in total fundraising. Since partnering with the V Foundation in 2023, it has raised more than $12.3 million for cancer research and awarded 42 research grants.

This night was particularly meaningful for the Red Wings. Jenny Baumann, the wife of physical therapist and assistant athletic trainer Russ Baumann, passed away due to cancer Saturday. She was 55.

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan choked up as he talked about it.

“That’s personal,” he said.

The Red Wings hung a Baumann Hockey Fights Cancer jersey over the Winged Wheel logo at the entrance to their dressing room. Hockey Fights Cancer cards filled the wall surrounding it, with players, coaches, staff and colleagues sharing for whom they were fighting.

Players, coaches and staff wore Red Wings Hockey Fights Cancer hoodies with the initials “JB” on the upper right shoulder.

“We’re worried about winning and losing,” McLellan said. “We’re worried about signing players. We’re worried about trades and all that type of stuff.

“This human stuff is what’s real, and it affects all of us. You don’t have to be player or a coach. You can be a fan or a media person. You all have your own stories, and it means a lot.”

Multiple Red Wings players are fighting for someone close to them, such as 21-year-old forward Emmitt Finnie, whose mother, Shannon, overcame breast cancer and is now battling liver cancer. Finnie has been drawing a cancer ribbon on top of the knob of his stick in her honor since junior.

He said she’s doing well.

“It’s pretty special,” Finnie said of Hockey Fights Cancer Night. “Obviously, lots of people have been affected by cancer in many ways. For Russ, obviously it’s terrible for him and his family and the organization. So, this night’s for all those people.”​

The Red Wings tried to help throughout the night.

An artist decorated a custom Red Wings Hockey Fights Cancer helmet that will be auctioned off at the end of the season.

Fans wrote the names of people for whom they fought on stickers, placing them on DRW block letters in the concourse, and on cards, holding them up during a special moment in the first period.

Guests from the American Cancer Society attended the game courtesy of Fifth Third. A cancer survivor rang the bell and dropped the ceremonial first puck with her family. A woman in remission stood next to the anthem singer, and a 10-year-old hockey player in remission took the ice with the Red Wings starters.

Coulier and Barber were shown on the scoreboard screen during the first period, sitting in the seats in their Red Wings Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys while the “Full House” theme song played. They smiled and waved to the crowd. You could read Coulier’s lips as he said, “Let’s go, Red Wings!”

“My health is great,” Coulier said. “You know, it’s funny, because people say ‘remission,’ and really, it’s always kind of on your shoulder. Cancer’s always kind of in the rearview mirror. So, you say you’re a survivor, and I’ve learned that you just have to take care of yourself and keep moving through life with a smile on your face.”

Barber flew to Detroit from Los Angeles to support Coulier. She said she had been to only one hockey game before and was looking forward to Coulier showing her the ropes. She didn’t consider herself a hockey fan -- yet.

“I will be after tonight,” she said.

The Red Wings are auctioning off items at DetroitRedWings.com/auction. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.