National Post (National Edition)
Adversity won’t strip Red Wings of their pride
Six months later came more sad news: Jamie Daniels, the 23-year-old son of longtime Wings broadcaster Ken Daniels, passed away in his sleep on Dec. 7. Once again, the Red Wings family mourned. And it would do so a third time one month later, when it was learned that Ilitch, the founder of the Little Caesars Pizza empire who bought the Red Wings in 1982, had passed away. He was 87.
“We’ve gone through a lot of emotional stuff the past year,” Kronwall summed up. “A lot of sad stuff.”
The windows are broken. The roof is crumbling. The only inhabitants of the place are birds — and perhaps, rodents.
So why was this dilapidated house on 2712 Cass Ave. in downtown Detroit put back on the market last week for a whopping US$4.9 million, just 15 years after it was sold for only $25,000?
Simple. For the land. The 4,791-square-foot property is directly adjacent to Little Caesars Arena, the new home of the Red Wings and the NBA’s Pistons, which is scheduled to open this September.
Whether that optimistic asking price is actually met, it is no secret that property values in parts of this once-gutted city are spiking, thanks to the new rink and the 50-block area surrounding it. Officially named The District Detroit, it includes six theatres, bars, restaurants, Comerica Park (home of baseball’s Tigers), and Ford Field, where the NFL’s Lions play.
Mike Ilitch had a vision that this all one day would be part of a revitalization of Detroit. And even after his passing, his fingerprints are all over those efforts, especially when it comes to Little Caesars Arena.
Once the jackhammers have finally stopped grinding away, shops and eateries will be accessible to the facility without ever having to take a step outside. As for the arena itself, the lower bowl specifically has been made steep so fans will be right on top of the action. To that end, workers officially began installing the actual red seats last week.
“It looks awesome,” Larkin said. “I think it excites all of us. And I think the most exciting thing is it brings a new perspective to it. We just had a game in Edmonton and saw their new building. It’s beautiful. That in itself got us excited for next year.”
The Wings needed something, anything, to get “excited” about, especially with all the recent doom and gloom. Included in that: the likelihood that their streak of 25 consecutive playoff appearances is about to end.
For coach Jeff Blashill, the adversity and white noise surrounding the team will not strip the franchise of its pride. He won’t let it. Mr. Howe wouldn’t want it that way. And neither would Mr. I.
“I grew up in Michigan, in Detroit, I’m a hockey guy and those two guys had a huge impact,” Blashill said. “Obviously, Mr. Howe shaped the NHL like probably no one else and helped shape the Red Wings probably like no other player has. Mr. Ilitch built up a powerhouse that I grew up cheering for. I became a diehard Red Wings fan because of that. They both had huge impacts on the league, on the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit.
“We’re real excited (about Little Caesars Arena). We think it’s going to be real good. The Joe’s a great place, it’s got great atmosphere, but the new rink is going to bring some bells and whistles that the Joe doesn’t has. So it will be fun.”
After what this organization has gone through the past year, it could use some.