In December 2017, the Olympic rink at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. was named the Mitchel Kiefer Memorial Rink in honor of Mitchel Kiefer, a hockey player who tragically lost his life in an automobile accident that involved a distracted driver.
Kiefer was a goaltender for Detroit Catholic Central High School, which plays its home games at USA Hockey Arena, and was in his freshman year at Michigan State University when the tragedy occurred. His father, Steve, created the Kiefer Foundation – to fight distracting driving through awareness, technology, and public policy – and worked with USA Hockey on the naming of the rink to honor his son.
“Steve (Mitchel’s father) wanted to do something to memorialize his son and also bring attention to distracted driving,” said Pat Kelleher, Executive Director of USA Hockey, prior to the rink naming ceremony.
“To honor Mitchel while also gaining a platform to share our mission to end distracted driving is an amazing opportunity,” Steve Kiefer had said. “USA Hockey does so many wonderful things and ultimately we all want to positively impact the lives of young people.”
