Ellenton hockey game benefits families of slain Tampa officers

ELLENTON — Brian Deckard had a trophy in one hand and hockey sticks in the other.

And he had a smile on his face.

The First Annual America’s Finest vs. America’s Bravest hockey game had just wrapped Saturday at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. And while Deckard was giddy about the result — a firefighter and emergency medical technician with Sarasota County, Deckard and America’s Bravest rolled to an 11-2 win — he was happier about the turnout.

About the fans who packed the rink’s bleachers. About the line of people that circled the Plexiglas during the game’s emotional opening ceremony.

“It was awesome,” said Deckard, an Ellenton resident who helped coordinate the team of firefighters.

Organized by Matt Eaton, the complex’s operations director, the event — which also featured a touch football tournament and dunk tank — benefited the families of Tampa police officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab, killed in the line of duty during a June traffic stop.

Donation buckets were scattered all over the arena, and organizers were asking for $5.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Eaton said.

The main event was the hockey game, which got under way after Curtis’ wife, Kelly, and one of the couple’s children, Tyler, dropped the ceremonial puck. Players on both sides tapped the ice with their sticks as Kelly and Tyler made their way toward center ice, while pictures of Curtis and Kocab were projected on a screen overlooking the rink.

The game drew firefighters and police officers from all over the Tampa Bay area, including Manatee and Sarasota counties.

In fact, Deckard said more than 30 firefighters wanted to play in the game before the roster was pared down to 13 skaters and two goalies.

“Every year, we have firefighter Olympics, and hockey is one of the events. So we pretty much have our team,” he said. “So all I had to do was make a phone call.”

But it was about more than that — guys like Deckard, who never met Kocab or Curtis, wanted to help the cause any way they could, regardless of where they worked.

“It’s the fraternity of public servants — that’s what we’re here for,” he said. “Of course, we’re going to help. If something were to happen to one of our guys, they’d be the first ones to help us.”

Eaton addressed the crowd before and after the game, telling the crowd to not only honor the memories of Kocab and Curtis, but to observe the bravery of the firefighters, officers and military.

“It’s about recognizing what the police, firefighters and military do every single day of their lives,” he said. “And it’s their families, too.”