CLEVELAND — There was a sense of calm at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland on Wednesday night: The empty seats, the untouched ice and the profound moment that was about to happen.
Then, fans started to arrive for the hockey game -- and it was a very special game.
A matchup between Cleveland police officers and firefighters for an important cause. And, the "fans" were actually family and friends of Northeast Ohio first responders playing in the charity hockey match in honor of two fallen heroes -- Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin and Cleveland police officer Jamieson Ritter.
Not just by showing up, but by donating all proceeds of the game to the Derbin and Ritter families.
The names of both Derbin and Ritter proudly displayed on the backs of family members and every player on the ice.
Ritter's mom, Karen, says it's also about remembering the ultimate sacrifice both men made at such a young age.
"And to continue to show their faces because they were babies."
That's something Derbin's mom, Dawn, struggles with, but the love and honor she felt at the hockey event is comforting.
"When I am breaking apart and falling apart at home, I remember these moments," Dawn says. "Knowing everybody cares and how he's impacted so many means the world. I can't express how much it means."
As the game came to a close, nobody was focused on the winning shot. Instead, they were lifting up two families determined to carry on their sons' legacies -- and so is this community of heroes who aren't going anywhere.