Apr 6, 2022
“Empathy is the highest form of knowledge because it comes without judgement.” Ken Daniels Denise talks to Emmy award-winning sportscaster Ken Daniels, who in 1997 achieved his lifetime goal of becoming the TV Play-by-Play voice of a National Hockey League team, his dream since the age of ten. Ken is currently the lead hockey announcer for the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL on Bally Sports Detroit. He’s most proud that he gets to do every day what he’s wanted to do since he was a child—a rare accomplishment.
Find out what motivates Ken and how he’s learned to stay humble and nimble, having cultivated the confidence to thrive in unfamiliar situations. Yet he’s no stranger to pain, suffering the heartbreaking loss of his son Jamie to substance abuse at age 23.
Ken describes Jamie’s early addiction to Adderall as a gateway to harder drugs. Channeling his grief, Ken co-founded the Jamie Daniels Foundation to end the stigma and shame surrounding addiction, a disease that affects the entire family. Ken wants to normalize the conversation on mental health and wellness, the same way we talk about diseases “below the shoulders.”
There is great comfort in sharing grief with those who have experienced the same loss, as both Ken and Denise know. For Ken, telling Jamie’s story keeps his son alive, while helping other families to keep their loved ones alive.
To get or give SUPPORT to battle addiction visit www.jamiedanielsfoundation.org.
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Canadian born Ken Daniels is an award-winning sportscaster who has covered all manner of sporting events from tennis to golf, from baseball to Formula One Grand Prix racing and two Olympic Games for CBS. His Olympic experience landed him a spot in the movie On Thin Ice: The Tai Babilonia Story. His autobiography, If These Walls Could Talk—Detroit Red Wings, is available where books are sold. Ken is co-founder of the Jamie Daniels Foundation, dedicated to the prevention, recovery and stigma reduction of drug addiction. Ken is currently the play-by-play announcer for the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL on Bally Sports Detroit, entering his 25th season as the voice of the Red Wings. He lives in Birmingham, Michigan.
Denise Ilitch, an owner of Ilitch Family Companies and President of Ilitch Enterprises, has been a part of Detroit’s business and philanthropic community for over 40 years. As a mother, lawyer, entrepreneur, devoted community servant and tireless advocate for women and children, she learned early, from her father, that everyone is worthy of contributing to the world. Her passion for affordable, accessible, quality education stems from her own experience as a first-generation student, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, where she currently serves on the Board of Regents.
FOLLOW DENISE @thedeniseilitchshow
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