Goose Games to raise addiction awareness set for May 4

Apr. 28—TRAVERSE CITY — Timmy Gies enjoyed hockey, cooking and Star Wars, among other things.

Alcoholism took those things from him and took Timmy from his family at age 33, leaving behind a wife and 5-year-old son.

His sister, Jenny Thompson, aims to help folks in similar situations before it's too late, starting what she hopes becomes an annual hockey game at Centre Ice Arena in Timmy's honor to raise funds and awareness for those battling various types of addiction.

The May 4 game — fittingly on the unofficial Star Wars holiday due to the similarity to the "May the force be with you" quote from the movies — takes place at 4 p.m. at Centre Ice Arena, with two teams sporting Star Wars-themed jerseys with Stormtroopers and Ewoks and plenty of other happenings outside the rink walls.

Dubbed the "Goose Game," its name derives from Gies' name. It's pronounced "Geese," and his last hockey jersey featured a "Goose" nameplate.

"The whole goal is to raise awareness and erase the stigma around addictions," said Jenny Thompson, a 2009 TC Central grad who played on the TC North Stars girls team. "It's all addictions, and it's hit the hockey community hard."

Timmy Gies passed away Sept. 13 at age 33 after battling alcoholism for the better part of a decade. Gies passed away from organ failure, a symptom of chronic alcohol abuse.

"She had to do this for her brother," Timmy's mother, Maureen Gies, said. "We weren't in any position to do something like this. For us, it is still pretty raw. She's inspired us to want to do it now."

Timmy's father, Tim Gies, frequently announced youth hockey games. When Thompson asked him to announce his son's memorial game, he at first declined.

That stance changed with some time.

"Why would I announce all these other game and not do my son's memorial game?" he said.

The teams are comprised of players from co-ed rec leagues and firefighters, including Thompson and her husband Garrett, who played for the Traverse City North Stars, at Ferris State and then professionally for seven years.

A similar game organized by Tyler Thirlby in 2018 was in memoriam of former Traverse City West and Traverse City Hounds hockey Alex Grizzel, who died of a heroin overdose in October 2017. That game raised more than $20,000 for Addiction Treatment Services in Traverse City with silent auctions, sponsorships and donations as around 1,500 attended.

"It'll bring some families together," Thompson said. "My parents haven't met some of those people. It's a great way to connect."

The game features a silent auction of items that include autographed Detroit Red Wings memorabilia, a Kalkaska Battlers gift basket, a Centre Ice skate party and much more. Chuck-a-puck, T-shirt sales and donations at the door will also help raise funds, with the game's proceeds split between Archway Sober Living (50 percent), the Michael's Place youth program (25 percent) and Addiction Treatment Services (25 percent). There's also a free one-hour open skate afterward.

The game has been in the works for around five months, and Thompson hopes to make the game an annual event.

"Right after my brother passed away, it popped into my head," Thompson said. "It's a great way to honor him and help the hockey community."

On May 21, Maureen and Jenny went to a Detroit Red Wings game on what would have been Timmy's 34th birthday. After Detroit's 6-3 win over the New York Rangers, they sneaked down to the ice level at the Zamboni entrance, covertly spreading some of Timmy's ashes on the ice.

"We got him down to a game," Maureen said.

Now they're getting him his own game at Centre Ice.

"We wouldn't expect any less from them," Tim Gies said of Centre Ice officials, especially Todd Spaulding. "The hockey community has been part of our lives for 25 years."

Their children all played hockey, Tim refereed and played in recreational leagues in addition to being the announcer for numerous youth games over the years.

"It's humbling, for sure," Maureen Gies said. "The support we get from Centre Ice is huge. They just grabbed onto it and said, 'This is something we have to do for the community.'"

Erik Bugen, a founder of Archway Sober Living along with Jay Burton, has two homes in Traverse City that can house 25 men recovering from addiction. Patients must have completed a detox and then residential treatment with a business like ATS to be 30 days clean before moving on to Archway, which opened its doors 10 months ago.

"They're broken — spiritually, emotionally, physically — when they go into rehab," said Bugen, who battled his own addictions in the past. "It takes such a stress off their back to have a roof over their head and to know they have somebody that has their backs."

Bugen said several current Archway residents knew Timmy Gies and spoke about him.

"They talked about his love for cooking," Bugen said. "He'd go down there and make meals for the men."

Bugen said he's planning on putting up a plaque memorializing Timmy Gies near the home entrance.

The Gies family said they want to focus on families and how to seek help. Things like navigating the substance abuse healthcare system can be overwhelming, they said. Insurance often doesn't help and can actually be a hindrance, as in their case. They bought insurance for Timmy, and then found out it wouldn't cover what they needed, and he'd have been better off without it.

"Even though we aren't the one putting the bottle to our mouth, the alcohol they drink affects everyone," Tim Gies said. "When they get in these situations, it's like the devil takes over."

In their case, they said their son's addiction built up over time and they didn't notice until it was too late to save him.

Then there's the stigma surrounding addictions of all sorts, from drugs to alcohol.

"We've seen loads of families whose lives are being destroyed," Maureen said, "and they don't know where to go."

Tim, a retired firefighter, said he remembered the day after his father's death 15 years ago. He was walking along, and a neighbor mowing the lawn got off the mower, came over and hugged him.

He said people often don't understand how much something as simple as a hug can be to someone coping with a loss or dealing with issues.

"There is hope," Tim Gies said. "There are organizations that can help you. Seek them out and don't stop fighting."

The couple doesn't shy away from Timmy's battles. The cause of death was stated in his obituary and addressed at his funeral.

"Right from the following day, so many people who went through this reached out to us," Maureen said. "It's important for us. What we went through the past 10 years, it's important to spread awareness for families. It's a family disease."

They said putting everything on the table has helped deal with any feelings of guilt that might creep in.

"We're not ashamed of our son at all," Maureen said. "It's an illness."

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