Stoudamire was a Detroit native and a driving force for a joint effort between the Red Wings, NHL and NHL Players' Association called "Learn, Play, Score," which sought to bring hockey to 30,000-plus children in Detroit. The initiative was founded in February, but Stoudamire passed away at age 43 on March 24 due to complications caused by the coronavirus.
"He was a light here in the city of Detroit. Unfortunately the city is a little dimmer today with his loss," Red Wings director of community relations and Red Wings Foundation
said in March
. "The great thing about Marlowe is that he provided a lot of hope and opportunity to people here in the city of Detroit. We know that even though he's passed on, he's in each and every one of the projects he touched here in the city of Detroit."
The Red Wings made up a jersey with Stoudamire's name and the No. 67, a nod at his work as project director for the award-winning Detroit 67 Project that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the racial unrest in the city in 1967 at the Detroit Historical Society, and each player signed the back.
They gifted the jersey to Stoudamire's widow, Valencia, and his family, who were in attendance at the Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets game.
