Before I talk about the
new arena the Detroit Red Wings were recently approved for, let’s take a look
back at how they got there.
Olympia Stadium
 |
| wikimedia.org |
The Detroit Red Wings
were founded in 1926 as the Detroit Cougars and after their inaugural season in
Windsor, began playing at Olympia Stadium on October 26, 1927. The arena initially
held 11,500 seats.
 |
| blogspot.com |
Joe Louis Arena
In the same year
Olympia closed its doors, Joe Louis Arena opened next to Cobo Hall. With 20,000 seats
and originally planned to host both the Red Wings and Detroit Pistons, the Joe
became the sole home of the then nicknamed “Dead Wings.” There was much speculation the Red Wings' franchise
needed to be sold after compiling 2 decades of terrible seasons.
 |
| flickr.com |
 |
| nhle.com |
I never made it to Olympia but I have been to at least 75 games at the Joe. It is one of the funnest venues for any sporting event. It is old and worn down but the atmosphere is better than anywhere I’ve ever been. It’s bitter sweet they are leaving Joe Louis.
 |
| Game 4 of this year's playoffs from my phone |
Warm ups from game 4 of playoffs from my phone
New Arena
Now after 35 years
playing at Joe Louis Arena, the Detroit Red Wings finally get a new home. A new arena was recently approved by the City
of Detroit and is set to begin construction this spring with doors scheduled to
open for the 2016 – 2017 season. The
news comes as no surprise as Ilitch Holdings, owned by Mike and Marian Ilitch,
have been discussing the possibility of moving from Joe Louis since 2010 when
they renewed their lease of the arena.
The new arena will be located on the corner of Woodward and the I-75
service drive, across the street from Hockey Town Café.
 |
| blogspot.com |
 |
| blogspot.com |
The venue is expected to cost
$450 million and generate some 8,300 jobs for Detroiters. No name or design of
the arena has been made public, but we do know it will hold 18,000 seats. This is a big deal for the Detroit Red Wings, their fans, and most importantly a revenue booster for the City of Detroit.
King, R., & Littmann, D. (2014). Hat Trick. dbusiness, 9(3),
69-73.
Don’t forget to follow me @EJ_Hockey_Post on twitter or my Facebook fan
page ericjhockeypost
Very interesting. I am curious how it will look.
ReplyDeleteI think this is intersting to see how it will look. However, I do not think this is the best option. There is not anything really wrong with Joe Louis and all the great memories are there. I have to say it is definitely bitter sweet.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I'm excited for a bit of change (the new arena will be amazing, I'm sure), but at the same time, the Joe holds 2,000 more people (does this mean the new arena will charge more for tickets?!) and really doesn't seem to have any major problems. Maybe just an update of the Joe would have been a good choice? I'm also interested to see how the traffic/parking situation turns out... I'm pretty sure it's possible that if the Tiger's go to the playoffs (fingers crossed, am I right?), there could be a Lions, Tigers and Bears, er, Red Wings Game on the same day! I can't even imagine what kind of a logistic nightmare would ensue... I guess we'll find out!
ReplyDeleteBest memory at Olympia: 8 year old looking up at Gordie Howe as he walked unto the ice. He was 8 feet tall as I recall.
ReplyDeleteWorst memory at Olympia: 16 year old jumping the median on Grand River with my Chevey Nova. Where did that come from.
I am so excited about this. I've been a Wings fan ever since I can remember. I haven't been to many games recently, but I did go to the game where they retired Lidstrom's number. It was a really cool event with a lot of hockey greats down on the ice to congratulate him.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited about the new stadium! As someone who has studied architecture I can not wait to see how they blend the new stadium in with the everchanging Detroit architecture!
ReplyDeleteGreat story, I am truly excited about the new stadium. Thank you for braking down the financial facts as well. It will make a difference in the City, specially with what it is going on in the last few years. GO RED WINGS!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to see the Joe leave. I am excited yet disappointed at the same time that we will have a new stadium. the biggest thing I am worried about is the price of ticket sales once the new stadium is built. I have a feeling we will be seeing prices nearly double.
ReplyDeleteSad to see the Joe go, but its time.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait till they get a new arena. I love the Joe but it is getting kind of old and needs to be updated. Plus the Red Wings are such a good team they need to have more seats in their arena so they can fit more people. I am happy they are building a new arena for them :D! I hope it gets done soon!
ReplyDelete