“Even though he goes to lots of games, [Ferrell] doesn’t know a ton about hockey,” Heichman said of his celebrity coach in Skate for LA Strong, a charity exhibition organized by the National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings to benefit fire relief efforts. “He was trying to diagram some plays and stuff — he had us cracking up. Then Snoop Dogg [the team’s other assistant coach] took over. It was pretty funny.”

It’s safe to assume no Bobcat has ever dressed next to Steve Carell and Justin Bieber in an NHL locker room, either. For Heichman, this was the highlight of a hockey journey that took him all over the country and across oceans before new challenges beckoned.

The event, held on February 23, was also a welcome reprieve from the perils of Heichman’s day job as a Pasadena firefighter whose department valiantly battled the wildfires and whipping winds that wrought catastrophic damage last month.

When one of Heichman’s co-workers lost his home, the hometown Kings invited members of the department and their families to watch a game, planting the seed for the four-team exhibition tournament hatched by Kings President and Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille.

Heichman’s wife, Ali, and 7-month-old daughter, Harlow, were among the 12,167 fans gathered at Crypto.com Arena as hockey royalty mixed with pop culture icons. NHL legends Mark Messier, Jeremy Roenick, Theo Fleury and Rob Blake shared the ice with a celebrity contingent that included Carell, Bieber and Taylor Kitsch. The star-studded lineup of coaches also included actors Danny DeVito and Vince Vaughn, as well as legendary broadcaster Al Michaels.

“I’ve been super blessed as a hockey player but nothing compares to this, just in regards to being around those players,” Heichman said. “It was just great to be part of something for charity, that’s going to help Los Angeles. I was just really proud to represent my department as well.”

A native of Yorba Linda, California, Heichman appeared in 152 games over four seasons for the Bobcats, scoring 18 goals and notching 23 assists while skating primarily as a left wing. After playing in parts of two professional seasons in Germany and Belgium, he embarked on a career in commercial real estate before making a connection while coaching youth hockey that led him to become a firefighter five years ago.

The Canadian-born Bieber, a hockey fanatic, and Carell, a former college goaltender on the club team at a university in Ohio who is perhaps best known as bumbling boss Michael Scott on the acclaimed sitcom “The Office,” were on Heichman’s team, Team Black. Their matchup with Team Red, which was coached by actors Vaughn and Cobie Smulders, featured a playful scrap between Bieber and Roenick.

"This was an amazing celebration of hockey and first responders. It was a lot of fun, seeing everyone that showed up and some of the L.A. firefighters playing was a good feeling," Roenick told the Associated Press.

“Sports are like the common denominator that always bring people together,” added the former NFL quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart, who played collegiately at Southern California University. “They bring communities together, whether it’s hockey, football, basketball. I probably speak for a lot of people who knew someone impacted by the fires. Friends. Family. And so just for the Kings to put this day on with the first responders and just show their support and try to raise money for a great cause — it’s awesome to be a part of it.”