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Approaching 30, Joe Louis Arena needs a facelift
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It's no Olympia Stadium but it'll do for now.
For as long as I have followed hockey( roughly 17 years or so), the Detroit Red Wings have called one arena home. That arena, of course, is Joe Louis Arena, located right on the banks of the majestic Detroit River. While Joe Louis Arena has been the home of the Red Wings for 16 division championships, five conference championships, and, of course, four Stanley Cup championships( two were clinched at JLA), the arena also has a fair share of non-hockey related history. For example, did you know that Joe Louis has hosted the 1980 Republican National Convention, a WNBA Finals game, an NBA playoff game, numerous WWF/WWE wrestling events, and even a few college basketball contests? Also, the Great Lakes Hockey Invitational and the CCHA championships are held at the Joe every year. The arena is obviously named for the boxing legend and Detroit native Joe Louis. Certainly, Joe Louis Arena has significant amounts of historical value and as the arena approaches its 30th anniversary, the Red Wings look to be in contention for yet another Stanley Cup run.
But for all of the arena's historical value, it definitely has some drawbacks that can make it difficult to watch a game. Firstly, the place is pretty old. While thirty is young in people years, with accelerating technology, that's almost ancient in arena years. Especially when you realize that the NHL's best team plays in one of the oldest arenas in the league. I figure, that if the Detroit Lions, possibly the worst franchise in all of North American professional sports, could play in such a beautiful facility, it makes sense that the Red Wings would play in a great arena. The main gripe I have with Joe Louis is that many of the amenities of the stadium feel like they are straight out of well, 1979. There are usually enormous lines for the rest rooms at every event, and considering the Joe seems to only have two bathrooms per gender, this can cause some confusion. Secondly, the lack of a designated smoking area, that isn't one that forces smokers to brave the cold to sneak in a smoke. In the year 2009, people who pay upwards of $50 for a ticket should be able to smoke without freezing their backsides off. Another issue that I had with the arena in the past was their inability to let customers pay with a credit/debit card at the concession stand. I took in a Red Wings-Canucks game in January of last year, and I was baffled when none of the stands I went to would accept plastic. In this day and age, that is something that should be automatic at any major sporting event.
My other big issue with Joe Louis Arena is the fact that it's so out of the way. Having an arena on the riverfront is nice, but the Joe is surrounded by empty lots and parking garages. The area around an arena, especially a hockey arena, should be filled with memorabilia shops, bars, restaurants, etc. Just compare the area around the Joe with the vibrant scene that surrounds Ford Field and Comerica Park. Even Cheli's Chili, a bar owned by Chris Chelios, is located right across from Comerica Park, simply because in reality, there is no room by the Joe. However, while some take issue with some of the bad seats and sight lines that a fan may encounter during a game at Joe Louis, I personally like old stadiums where not every seat is perfect, and the crowd kind of sits on top of one another. I think it makes for interesting atmosphere. I just feel that Joe Louis Arena suffers of a lack of exterior atmosphere. The Red Wings would be much better served by building an arena in the Foxtown area. That frees up the Joe Louis Arena site for possibly a Cobo expansion or some sort of project that could bring a more efficient use of the waterfront area. The likelihood of this happening anytime soon is probably remote, so until then Red Wings fans will just have to make due with the Joe Louis Arena, as it looks to be the home of Hockeytown's team for the near future.
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