[to use a phrase first coined by CCHA commish Bill Beagan back in '86
 in Providence during the NCAA Championships...]
 
Regarding Maine's schedule for next season, someone wondered if the
10/26 Hall of Fame Classic in Detroit would be played at The Joe.
I'm not sure, but yesterday it was reported that Olympia Arenas, Inc.
(manages Joe Louis Arena) decided not to renew the Junior Wings'
lease to play at The Joe.
 
According to the Detroit Free press, Peter Karmanos, owner of the
Junior Red Wings, was told that CCHA officials were unhappy with
the OHL team's presence because it affected crowds for college games.
From my experience, college games have been sparsely attended at The
Joe (though the Jr Wings were not playing then obviously), but this
is not necessarily true on campuses located relatively near Detroit
(i.e. Ann Arbor and Lansing).
 
In a released statement by Atanas Ilitch, Red Wings Vice President, said:
"...Upon expiration of their five-year lease this summer, we were
forced to make a business decision based on the financial stability
of the arrangement and our desire to bring additional family shows,
concerts and college hockey games to Joe Louis Arena and the city
of Detroit." [source: Detroit Free Press, 07/05/95]
 
My read on this is Ilitch will be looking at hosting some more NCAA
championships down the road (has a place been decided after Cincinnati?),
in addition to the regularly scheduled CCHA Championships and GLIs. And
who knows maybe even some NCAA regionals to compete with Grand Rapids
and Lansing sites. The first NCAA finals held at The Joe was back in 1985,
then there was one in 1987. The last one was held in 1990. I attended the
last two (nothing much to cheer for, but some great hockey played; also
was at the NCAA finals in 1977--more to cheer for but Michigan lost to
Wisconsin ;-().
 
Anyways, I'm not sure how they compare to other locations, but here are
the attendance figures at The Joe for the NCAA Championships:
 
Year  Day 1  Day 2   Day 3
1990 14,174 15,034    ---
1987  7,526 14,093  17,644
1985 10,696 12,484  16,282
 
MC
--
Mike Collingridge
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