Monarchs honor fallen police officers

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Every year around my birthday in February, we visit family in New Hampshire. We usually attend a Manchester Monarch’s hockey game and enjoy each other’s company in a party suite. It’s one of the few times I go to a hockey game and just watch the game and not think about what I’m going to write or who I’m going to interview. Upon arrival at the Verizon Center in Manchester, however, we learned it was American Pride Night. The Monarchs recognized 25 police departments that have lost a total of 43 New Hampshire police officers in the line of duty. They did this by placing department badges of the fallen officers on limted edition, police inspired jerseys. “Each and every day, men and women risk their lives to keep the citizens of New Hampshire safe,” Monarchs Senior Vice President Cheryl Abbott

said in a Monarch’s media release. “These 25 departments had 43 of their comrades give their lives to protect us and it is an honor for our players to bear the departments and counties they protected day-in and day-out.” During the first intermission of the game with the Providence Bruins, police, fire and military were honored with a special pipe and drum tribute at center ice. As a retired Air Force and Viet Nam veteran, this touched me deeply and I felt it deserved some additional media attention. As the band concluded their presentation with the playing of Amazing Grace, a video, depicting those officers who were lost in the line of duty, was played on the giant center ice scoreboard. The band recieved a 5-minute standing ovation as they left the ice. Many, including me, wiped away tears as the band departed. The Monarchs Care Foundation, the charitable arm of the Monarchs, gave away nine of the special jerseys through a raffle and auctioned off another 16. Proceeds benefitted the New Hampsire Explorers Program. The Explorers, aged 14-21, participate in a variety of activities throughout the year, including law enforcement training, competition and community service activities, such as traffic and security. Contact the writer at: mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com PHN thanks the Manchester Monarchs for providing supporting information and quote for this article.