Nicknamed "The Joe", its most popular tenant is the Illitch-owned Detroit Red Wings, consistently named most valuable franchise in the National Hockey League by Financial World Magazine. The area surrounding the arena is now known as "Hockeytown" in tribute to the Detroit Red Wings and more than a dozen college-hockey events held annually at "The Joe."
 |
Image of the Joe Louis Arena by
Cory Suppes of Ballparks.com |
Joe Louis Arena is also the exclusive site for world-class Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus. The World's Toughest Rodeo, the Tour of World Figure Skating Champions and college hockey championships. In 1994, The Joe, along with Cobo Arena hosted the nationally televised U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Joe Louis Arena sold-out concert events have included Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavoarotti.
The arena was called the "Joe Louis Warehouse" when it opened in 1979 because it looks so vast and bleak inside, but when Mike and Marian Ilitch bought the team in 1982, they did some redecorating. There is an inviting concourse decorated with hockey artwork, for example.
The Red Wings' most eagerly anticipated tradition is throwing of an octopus on the ice during the playoffs. The bizarre fan ritual began back when only four NHL teams made the playoffs, and the eight legs symbolized the eight wins needed to win the Stanley Cup. Attendants are booed if they use a shovel to remove the octopus and cheered if they use their bare hands.
Getting there
From the south, go north on I-75 to the exit for US 10. Exit southbound onto US 10 and go south for 1 mile. Take the Joe Louis exit, which leads to the Arena.
Joe Louis Arena history
* First regular-season game: Dec. 27, 1979, 3-2 loss to the Blues
* First goal: Brian Sutter, Blues
* March 24, 1992: Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux scores his 1,000th point, despite a Red Wings victory, 4-3.
Building Dimensions: 328'x550'x85' high. Approximately 12 million cubic feet. Floor Surface: Non-hockey = 120'x230'.
Dressing Rooms Eight rooms located on ground level on the south side of the arena.
Press Area: 128' long counter space located on the third level. Include facilities for live audio and television broadcasts.
Scoreboard: 18' center Sony Jumbotron video scoreboard; 8 computerized side boards on both sides of the arena showing out-of-town scores.
THE ULTIMATE SPORTS ROAD TRIP
By: Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell
| Joe Louis Arena Ranking by USRT |
| Architecture |  | 1 |
| Concessions | | 6 |
| Scoreboard | | 3 |
| Ushers | | 5.5 |
| Fan Support | | 10 |
| Location | | 2 |
| Banners/History | | 10 |
| Entertainment | | 5.5 |
| Concourses/Fan Comfort | | 3 |
| Bonus: Octopus | | 2 |
| Bonus: Hockeytown | | 1 |
| Bonus: Joe Louis Statue | | 2 |
| Total Score |  | 51 |
October 20, 2000 & October 13, 2006 - Joe Louis Arena opened in 1979, and is located downtown and sandwiched between a parking ramp, expressways on 2 sides, and the Detroit River. Despite its location, this building is totally segregated from anything else that downtown Detroit has to offer. The only way to get to the arena is by navigating a set of pedestrian walkways which lead you to the doors of the building... no lobby, no atrium, just doors to the concourse flung open to the cold air outside. The building is grey and nondescript, the pedestrian walkways and adjoining structures are grey and bland... greatfully, the area between the building and the river has been fixed up with a pleasant riverwalk. This by far is the nicest side of the building as the rest of the arena is surrounded by ugly ramps and bridges. Once you walk into the building (and step through the metal detector under the scowling gaze of a cadre of beefy security guards...ugggghhhh!), you walk into a wide concourse with very high ceilings, and a cornucopia of murals, banners, and memorabilia saluting Detroit hockey greats - the names Howe, Lindsay, Delvecchio, Sawchuk and Yzerman are everywhere... old black and white photos brought over from the old Olympia reminded us of similar photos which adorned the halls of Maple Leaf Gardens.
The team does a great job of organizing concessions.. every bit of wall space has a food stand, souvenir stands or memorabilia shops. Lines are short and quick. Of course Mike Ilitch's Little Caesars Pizza and subs are the highlighted fare.
The "obstructed view" seats in rows 25-27 were horrible - basically they were in a nook at the top of the building where the pitch of the balcony ended, so if you sat in those seats, you could see everything from the blue line on and that is it. Gratefully a kind usher let us sit in better seats which were unoccupied.
The Redwings have a season ticket base of over 16,000 seats, leaving less than 2000 seats available on a game to game basis. Furthermore, they package Redwings tickets with college hockey games to promote those games (i.e. buy a college 7 pack and you can choose 2 Redwings games of your choice). Ticket prices? Top ticket is $150, and the cheapest (not including the obstructed which they only have a few of) is $41..... $41 for a seat location comparable to Buffalo's 300 level III seats!
When we told people sitting around us that Buffalo's premium ticket was $75, and that comes with parking... that our 100 level season tickets are 18 rows off the glass and cost $38... oh and Sabrebuck rebates... the Detroiters were just flabbergasted, and really questioned how Buffalo people could not be kicking down the door to take advantage of the good deal, especially since our team has been competitive.
Overall we would have to say that this has been one of our WORST NHL arena experiences, and more closely represents the image of the bad old Detroit. This city has just opened a fabulous baseball stadium in Comerica Park, and right next door, beautiful Ford Field will be home to the Lions starting in 2002. Casinos are now open, Greektown is the new entertainment district, the area around Comerica Park is really cool and their downtown is finally starting to come back. The only thing saving this NHL venue is the "Hockeytown" theme mystique and the team's recent successes.
Hat Tricks, Assists, Penalties
Penalty (and game misconduct) - Those metal detectors. What a horrible way to greet your customers as they arrive! As we walked around the concourse before the game and walked past the various entrances, those things were constantly chirping.. people being detained..women were removing earrings and spilling purse contents onto tables. This is no way to treat the fans.
Hat Trick - Actually nothing to do with the arena itself, but rather the "Hockeytown Cafe", which is owned by the team. Ideally it should have been next to the arena, but it is located the other side of downtown right across from Comerica Park... the layout is great, consisting of a bar, restaurant, interactive games and a comedy club; and the outdoor marquee consists of a huge jumbotron video board and a times square style streaming information ticker... very impressive!
Summary
Go to Detroit, visit Comerica Park, or take in a Lions game, but AVOID this wretched place. We can certainly understand and feel the passion of these dedicated Redwings fans who snap up every available seat, and the tradition of one of the Original Six teams really comes alive here. But going against all of this is the cruddy neighborhood, the shabby building, and an NHL venue that is so far behind the curve compared to its peer facilities. We made the best of things, but between the metal detector and the wretched seats we were dealt, we have to say we were kind of soured to this place from the minute we parked our car to begin the evening. Our Sabres losing in OT was a fitting ending.
RED WINGS FACE UPCOMING DEADLINE ON ARENA
March 26, 2009
Copyright 2009 MediaVentures
Detroit, Mich. - The ongoing saga of whether to renovate the Joe Louis Arena or build a new
home elsewhere in the city for the Detroit Red Wings has entered its version of hockey's third
period - and the team owner can force overtime by negotiating an extension on a lease with the
city.
Mike Ilitch, the team's owner since 1982, has until June 30 to tell Detroit if he will modernize
the 30-year-old, city-owned arena or construct a new venue that likely would cost $200 million to
$300 million.
Talks have been ongoing for several years between the Ilitch organization and the quasi-public
Detroit Economic Growth Corp.
Even with the clock ticking, no offers are on the table, those involved say.
Adding spice to the drama is that the expiring Joe Louis lease - widely considered one of the
most team-friendly in all of professional sports - is part of the Cobo Arena master lease.
Cobo Center has been its own drama in recent weeks as debate rages over a plan to transfer the
city-owned venue to a regional authority, and the uncertainty that comes with a city government in a post-Kwame Kilpatrick state of mayoral flux through next year. The Cobo Center issue has added additional layers to the Joe Louis situation.
What happens with the lease affects both the $279 million Cobo expansion plan and the fate of
Joe Louis Arena.
The Ilitches have said very little about the lease negotiations and even less about their possible arena plans. However, organization spokeswoman Karen Cullen did offer a comment on the
present political instability in Detroit: "It's safe to say there are many factors that play a role in our due diligence on this project."
Cullen, vice president of corporate communications for Ilitch Holdings Inc., the central
business entity of Mike and Marian Ilitch's empire that includes the hockey team, the Detroit
Tigers and Little Caesars Pizza, has been the only person in the organization permitted to talk
publicly about the Joe Louis situation.
Meanwhile, June 30 nears and significant questions loom larger.
An immediate question is the Ilitches' role in the Cobo situation, which affects Joe Louis.
The city needs Ilitch-owned Olympia Entertainment to renegotiate its master lease for nearby
Joe Louis Arena, which includes language that gives Olympia say over any project that would
significantly impact Cobo Arena. Olympia manages both arenas, while the city runs Cobo Center.
It's believed the Ilitches want breathing room on a Joe Louis decision, delaying any choice on
renovation or a new hockey arena by a year or two.
The city and the Ilitches won't offer specifics on the negotiations.
There are no offers on the table for either the city or the Ilitches, said Brian Holdwick, the
DEGC's vice president of financial services.
Instead, the sides are debating points on what Holdwick termed "restructuring the lease."
The Joe Louis lease expires July 1, 2010, but the Ilitches must tell the city by June 30 if they
plan to renew.
The lease, first negotiated under Mayor Coleman Young after the Detroit Lions and Detroit
Pistons left for the suburbs, has drawn criticism, including from the Detroit City Council, that it tilts too far in favor of the Red Wings.
Denise Tolliver, deputy chief of staff for Council President Monica Conyers - who orchestrated
the effort to veto the Cobo authority deal - said her boss isn't going to speak about the Ilitch talks.
A potential wild card is the Cobo authority plan.
The city and the proposed authority would split negotiating responsibilities under the deal,
according to a Feb. 23 memo to the council from Irvin Corley Jr., director of the city's fiscal analysis division.
"If the Cobo Hall deal proceeds, the responsibility for negotiating with the Ilitch family will be a split responsibility," he wrote. "The authority would be responsible for negotiating the release of Cobo Arena from the existing lease, and the city would be responsible for negotiating any change as it related to Joe Louis Arena."
Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. vetoed the council's rejection of the authority proposal, and the council
has filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court to challenge the validity of the veto Ñ meaning
things stand in a sort of limbo.
Adding a third negotiating party could potentially add another layer of red tape in reaching a
new lease agreement - or it could mean nothing if the Ilitches opt for a new arena.
If a lease deal isn't reached, the Cobo expansion plan now under consideration is to use the
venue's Riverfront Ballroom for additional exhibit space - a fall-back option that hasn't generated enthusiasm.
Upgrading or replacing Cobo has been discussed for several years, with a variety of plans
floated to ensure the North American International Auto Show has enough room. Several
manufacturers have pulled out because of the down auto market, and others have complained
about Cobo's condition and size.
The Ilitches also face questions about financing a new arena amid the current economic crisis.
A delay bought by a lease extension would provide time for the national and local economies to
rebound; but even if forced to make a decision in June, the team has options.
One of them is financing a new venue through a combination of private money from the Ilitches
and taxpayer money through an extension of local hotel and car-rental taxes - the formula that
financed Comerica Park.
A new arena offers the team more revenue from additional suites and corporate sponsorships.
Debt financing by the team is iffy at best and has hampered projects elsewhere in the country.
Even if the Ilitches have the cash reserves to finance a new arena completely privately, it's
unclear they'd want to - they won't discuss it. Varieties of financing options exist and have been used for other Detroit venues.
"We've had several discussions (with the Ilitches) on what would be viable for the future,"
Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said. "We're open to options."
Those talks have included financing options, but Ficano said he couldn't reveal details or say
what the county's preferred option is.
Any use of tax dollars to subsidize construction - either in the form of a direct levy or by
extension of current taxes - generates fierce criticism that it's nothing more than welfare for rich owners and players. (Crain's Detroit Business)
