DETROIT – Red Wings coach Mike Babcock along with general manager Ken Holland reclaimed the team’s annual bell ringing title on Friday evening from forwards Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm, as the four duos of Wings personnel brought in a grand total of $17,150.10 for The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign.

During a two-hour span of bell ringing at Hiller’s Market in downtown Northville, the players’ bosses raised $7,261 for the non-profit in addition to a $2,500 personal check from Holland.

Last year marked the first time in five years of friendly competition that a player duo has brought in more money than Babcock and Holland. While Abdelkader and Helm improved upon their total from last year by $1,400 and had fans lined up around the building, the players were unable to successfully defend their title. The two forwards came in second with a total of $4,308 raised from 4-6 p.m. at Hockeytown Authentics yesterday.

The other two teams, consisting of Valtteri Filppula and Drew Miller as well as Cory Emmerton and Jakub Kindl, collected more than $3,080 for the cause, as fans eagerly donated money to the charity in exchange for a photo and autograph.

The total of $17,150.10 raised by the four tandems for The Salvation Army was a 171 percent increase from last year’s total of $6,330.04. Babcock and Holland saw a 309 percent increase over the $2,389 raised by the duo last season.

This season marks the sixth consecutive year that the Wings and The Salvation Army teaming up through the “Red Wings for Red Kettles” initiative to help the nonprofit reach its $8.2 million Red Kettle campaign goal.

In addition to the bell ringing competition, The Salvation Army will have its famous red kettles at Joe Louis Arena for three more home games this month (Dec. 10, 17 and 27).

About The Salvation Army: Founded by William and Catherine Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. This past year, The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit was involved in providing 3,194,802 million meals and 687,203 nights of shelter for the homeless. The Salvation Army uses $.85 of every dollar raised to provide direct services to people in need each and every day of the year. For more information about The Salvation Army, please call 877-SAL-MICH, or visit us at salmich.org.