FSU Hockey Alum & Detroit Red Wings Coach Jeff Blashill To Be Cherry Royale Parade Grand Marshal

Big Rapids, Mich. - New Detroit Red Wings head coach and Ferris State University men's ice hockey alum Jeff Blashill will serve at the grand marshal of the DTE Energy Foundation Cherry Royale Parade on Saturday (July 11) in Traverse City.

The parade begins at 11:15 a.m. (ET) and winds through downtown Traverse City on the final day of the National Cherry Festival. The event will feature marching bands, Prince and Princess floats, clowns and other special attractions. 

"It is an honor to have Jeff Blashill as the grand marshal of this year's parade. As the 27th head coach of our beloved Red Wings, he embodies a strong Michigan tradition, and it is only fitting that he leads this national tradition in its 89th year," said a press release statement from Faye Nelson, a vice president at DTE Energy, the parade's primary sponsor. "The DTE Energy Foundation is proud to support the Cherry Royale Parade, which brings together families, friends and communities to celebrate in the cherry capital of the world."

The Red Wings named Blashill, 41, head coach last month. He succeeds Mike Babcock, who left Detroit after 10 seasons to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Wings recently held a prospects camp in Traverse City in early July and will also hold training camp in the Northern Michigan location in September.

Blashill was born in Detroit and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. After playing college hockey at Ferris State, he became a coach for the Bulldogs in 1999. His coaching career included stops at Western Michigan University, a year on Babcock's staff with the Detroit Red Wings and the past three years as the head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins, where he won the team's only Calder Cup, the American Hockey League equivalent to the Stanley Cup, in 2013. Blashill was also on the Team USA Hockey Staff for three years.

Blashill was a goaltender at FSU from 1994-98 and began his coaching career as an assistant under current Bulldog head coach Bob Daniels after graduating from Ferris State with a degree in finance. The former goaltender spent four seasons between the pipes for Ferris State, earning the Bulldogs' Rookie of the Year award in 1994-95 and a spot on the CCHA's All-Academic Team for 1996-97. He also garnered the Ferris State University President's Award for three straight years for having the highest grade point average on the Bulldogs.

The Grand Traverse Region, known for its world-record tart cherry harvest, bursts with visitors each year during the National Cherry Festival, named one of USA Today's top ten annual festivals. Each day festival goers savor the flavor of cherries along with parades, family and kids events and entertainment. In all, there are more than 150 events along the shores of Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay. During this year's festival, more than 500,000 people were expected to attend the eight-day celebration of the tart cherry.

For schedule information and event details visit www.cherryfestival.org