Shamrocks netminder's life was cut short in traffic accident in 2016; now, his family is working to end distracted driving
PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP — Mitchel Kiefer’s name is painted in four-foot-tall letters behind the player benches at U.S.A. Hockey Arena, in full view of the spectators.
His goalie equipment is stored in a showcase in the concourse, signed by his former teammates from Novi Detroit Catholic Central. A video screen displays a collection of family photos, interrupted by factoids such as “50 million people are injured or disabled a year.” The boards surrounding the ice surface display phrases such as, “Help end distracted driving” and “Put your phone on ice.”
All of that, surrounding the “Mitchel Kiefer Memorial Rink” — creates a message impossible to ignore. And that’s precisely the point.
“It shouldn’t take a long time for anyone, including an incoming freshman, to pick up on,” Catholic Central hockey coach Brandon Kaleniecki said. “I mean, you walk into the rink and his name’s right there, right? You’ve got the display, and the name on the wall in the back, so when you come through those doors it’s kind of right there.
“For the vast majority of the team, it doesn’t need to be taught, but it’s something that you need to be reminded of.”
Kiefer, a 2016 Catholic Central graduate, was a goaltender on the Shamrocks' state championship squad.
“Mitchel was very serious, very committed, and very outgoing,” his former high school coach said. “He brought that level of charisma. When he left CC, you knew he was going to be successful in whatever direction he went. I’ve been doing this long enough now that when you see some people like that, you recognize it in them.”
After graduating, Kiefer enrolled at Michigan State University. On Sept. 19, 2016 — just one month into his freshman year — a tragic accident ended his life as he was returning to East Lansing from his home in Northville.
“Basically, what happened is that traffic came to a standstill, another young driver was not paying attention and rear-ended Mitchel’s car and sent him over a very narrow median on I-96, where he was sent into oncoming traffic and hit by a truck and killed instantly,” said his older brother, Blake. “It really doesn’t matter exactly what she was doing — she was distracted, that’s really the main point. We just see way too much of that on the road.”
After getting past the initial shock, Kiefer’s family sprang into action, intent on getting the word out.
“We realized that day that we’re not the only ones that lose a loved one to this senseless issue that we have — distracted driving — and it’s just something that needs to stop,” Blake Kiefer said. “When you’re driving down the road and you’re checking your phone, it seems so innocent, but when the worst happens, like it did for our family, you really realize that this is something that no one needs to be doing. It can save a lot of lives if you focus on the road and just keep driving.”
In the six years since Mitchel’s death, plenty has happened. Not only is Catholic Central’s home rink named for its former player, but the stretch of I-96 in Ingham Country where the accident happened also bears a memorial sign for him.
The family has formed the nonprofit Kiefer Foundation, which aims to make the issue of distracted driving front and center.
“Really, the main focus is just to raise awareness to the issue,” said Blake Kiefer, one of the organization’s directors. “It’s something that everyone knows is wrong, but until you face a tragedy like we have — losing a loved one — you don’t realize how serious an issue this is.”
It certainly resonates with Catholic Central’s hockey team.
“Hopefully that’s a message that can keep being delivered,” Kaleniecki said. “You can see how focused his family is. Hopefully that's something that can change people’s habits.”
Besides Blake, Mitchel left two sisters, Alexa and Juliana, as well as his parents, Steve and Paula, who attend Our Lady of Victory Parish in Northville. Steve, recently retired from General Motors, now makes running the Kiefer Foundation his primary avocation.
There is more to be done, Blake said. The foundation is pushing to pass legislation to make it illegal in Michigan to be holding a cellphone while driving.
“There are 26 other states in the country that have implemented these hands-free laws, where if you’re seen holding your phone behind the wheel you can be pulled over,” he said. “It is not a primary offense in Michigan now, and we have a few bills going through the Senate at the moment that would make it illegal to hold your phone while driving. We’ve seen how successful this has been in 26 other states. It really does keep people from using their phone, and does save a lot of lives.”
The family is hoping to get enough legislative support by December to see the bill signed into law.
“It’s been a long process, and we really wish it could be quicker, because we know that every day we let this pass, more and more people are dying on the roads,” Blake said. “We’re asking all of our supporters to urge our local politicians to really get this done and keep the roads safe.”
The Kiefer Foundation also backs several events, such as the “Play With Purpose” game. The pre-season exhibition contest between the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s Under-18 squad and their U.S. Hockey League rivals, the Muskegon Lumberjacks, was staged at USA Arena on Sept. 17 — the weekend closest to the anniversary of Mitchel’s accident.
Fans at the game were made aware of Mitchel’s story, as the public address announcer filled breaks between play with reminders to put phones away while driving, set the phones to “do not disturb” mode, and texting while driving “isn’t cool.”
The contest, won by Team USA, 6-3, drew hundreds of spectators, and had the full backing of CC’s hockey team.
“The biggest thing we do is continue to support the foundation. We’re not necessarily hands-on, but we do raise awareness through social media and throughout the rink,” said Kaleniecki, who was Team USA’s “guest coach” for the contest.
“As avid a hockey player as my brother was, and having this rink named after him, it was always just a great fit to have an event here,” Blake Kiefer said. “We spent so many hours here watching him play. It’s always fun coming back here and getting to see Mitchel’s name on the rink, at a place that we used to come watch him all the time.”
For more information about Mitchel Kiefer, and to take a pledge to help stop distracted driving, visit the Kiefer Foundation’s website at mkiefer.org.
