Hockey fans ended a 38-year era with a win.
The Detroit Red Wings played their final game at Joe Louis Arena Sunday night, a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. The 20,000 seat arena is closing its doors and the Red Wings will play in the new Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit beginning in October. With the Red Wings failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1990, Sunday's game was the last ever played at Joe Louis Arena.
Riley Sheahan scored his only two goals of the season Sunday night, including the final goal ever scored at the arena. Henrik Zetterberg, who played his 1,000th career NHL game Sunday, also scored a goal. The Devils were the Wings' Stanley Cup Finals opponent in 1995, their first appearance in the Finals since 1966.
The game was marked by loud, constant cheering by the fans, many who lined up Sunday morning waiting for the doors to open. Thousands more gathered outside the building. Current and former Wings players and coaches walked a red carpet past the fans to the building, some signing autographs. During the game, at least 31 octopi were tossed from the stands, former Wings players joined the current ice crew to shovel ice between shifts, and the crowd frequently broke out in spontaneous chanting and singing.
The final horn blew at 7:45pm. A ceremony followed the game in which former Wings players paraded onto the ice wearing their old numbers. They were later joined by the current team and head coach Jeff Blashill and speeches were given by Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman and former coach Scotty Bowman. The crowd also heard taped messages from Wayne Gretzky, Sergei Fedorov, former head coach (and current Toronto coach) Mike Babcock and former player (and current Toronto president) Brendan Shanahan.
The arena replaced the venerable Olympia Stadium, where the Red Wings built a dynasty that included seven Stanley Cups and the play of legends like Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel and Alex Delvecchio. The riverfront arena was built in an effort to keep the Red Wings from moving to an arena in suburban Pontiac. The first Red Wings game was a loss to the St. Louis Blues on December 27, 1979.
During their stay at "The Joe", the Red Wings won four Stanley Cups, in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008. They also appeared in the Finals in 1995 and 2009. The arena has also played host to concerts, ice shows and trade shows, as well as college hockey, OHL hockey, basketball and arena football. Joe Louis Arena also hosted the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the 1980 NHL All-Star Game and the 1980 Republican National Convention.
Several non-hockey events and concerts are scheduled at the arena throughout the spring and summer before the building is closed for good before the 2017-18 hockey season. The arena is expected to be torn down to make room for additional development.
