Mike Commodore Will Not Wear Number 64 With Detroit Red Wings

It didn’t take long for the Commodore 64 campaign to start once defenseman Mike Commodore signed with the Detroit Red Wings. What started as twitter-banter turned into a full blown charity drive as fans pledged $64 donations to the charity of Mike’s choice should he decide to wear the number 64 in honor of the iconic video game machine.

Mike Commodore has decided on a number but it will be 22, not 64. He sent out his reasoning in a series of tweets today.

"I guess word is out that I will be wearing 22 this year. It was a really tough decision that I went back and forth on many times…..wearing 64 would have been neat and cool, but I just didn’t feel like this was the right year to do it. In my opinion getting an…opportunity to play in Detroit is a special thing, and I felt like I needed to wear a # that is special to me. 22 is that # for me…I really appreciate the interest and support the #64 generated, I wish @Commodore64 all the best with there computers, as a matter a fact Iam going to order one when I get to Detroit, and I will get in touch with @wyshynski about the $64 pledges, and I will match it and donatemoney to charity. Which charity that is I don’t know yet, but I will figure it that out in sept when I get to Detroit."

While this will certainly disappoint some excited fans, it is obvious Mike has thought it through and is wearing the number 22 for the right reasons. The way he is handling this situation is in lockstep with the way the Detroit Red Wings have operated for a number of years.