MARQUETTE — The eagerly anticipated charity hockey game involving the Detroit Red Wings Alumni to be played in Marquette is coming Saturday night.

That’s according to a number of Facebook postings and United Way of Marquette County Executive Director Andrew Rickauer.

He said doors open at the Berry Events Center at 5 p.m., special events begin at 6 p.m. and the featured game will be ready for opening puck drop at 7 p.m.

Rickauer said among the special events will be a sled hockey exhibition, and between periods during the featured game, under-8 and under-10 youth hockey teams will play exhibitions.

Throughout the event, 50-50 and bucket raffles, chuck-a-puck and sales of team merchandise will be available.

The game could rival the Kraft Hockeyville celebration of 2016 as the area’s premier hockey event of this century. Hockeyville was played right around this time of the year with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes playing a preseason game at nearby Lakeview Arena.

This weekend’s exhibition pits former players from one of the NHL’s most storied teams against Yooper United, a collection of local hockey talent.

The event is a fundraiser for the United Way of Marquette County’s Community Investment Fund with tickets costing $20 per person. Tickets may still be purchased online at https://nmu.universitytickets.com or by calling 906-227-1032, or in person at the BEC even on Saturday as long as tickets are still available.

While Rickauer couldn’t confirm the Red Wings alumni lineup — except that it looks all but certain that NHL Hall of Famer Mickey Redmond will play — and he did point to the group’s website for some possible names.

The Red Wings’ group is listed as the largest and most active of any NHL team. The group’s website, www.nhl.com/redwings/team/alumni-association, lists seven alumni members as NHL Hall of Famers — Redmond along with Alex Delvecchio, Larry Murphy, Chris Chelios, Dino Ciccarelli, Igor Larionov and Mike Illitch.

Then there’s another 30 listed as former Red Wings players, 26 more as players from other NHL teams, 11 as “professional players” and 15 as “staff members.”

That makes a total of 89, a few more than would fit on any hockey arena’s team bench.

Of the former Red Wings, the most intriguing name is Dallas Drake, who is also a former Northern Michigan University great. He could be a possibility to play on either team if he’s here Saturday.

Other ex-Red Wings on the alumni group’s member list that stood out to this writer are Darren McCarty, Chris Osgood, Kris Draper, Jimmy Carson, Darren Eliot, Dennis Hextall, Petr Klima, Joe Kocur, Kirk Maltby, Ed Mio and John Ogrodnick.

The list of other NHL players includes Al Iafrate, Kip Miller, Brian Rolston and Bryan Smolinski, with the last three having connections with the University of Michigan and Michigan State collegiate programs.

For the Yooper United local team, Rickauer mentioned a few players, including ex-Boston Bruin Justin Florek, Ryan Riipi, Kevin Thompson and Wolff and Neeco Belanger. It’s expected the lineup will be filled out by former NMU, high school and junior hockey players.

Mining Journal sports editor Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252, or via email at sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.