April 15, 2007 – Detroit, MI
If you can’t get tickets to a Flames playoff game in the Dome, you might want to consider heading to the other barn to see some hockey. After being unable to secure tickets for either game three or four of the Flames-Red Wings series, I decided to look into going to Detroit. Checking on the Red Wings site, I had no problem getting tickets, so it was off to Toronto, and then a nice four hour drive through Southern Ontario into the Motor City.
Game Two was an afternoon tilt at Joe Louis Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 1:00PM. We had landed in Toronto at 6:30AM, so there was plenty of time to make the four hour drive to Michigan. After touring around downtown for a couple of hours (which involved going to White Castle for burgers) we headed to the rink. Walking to the arena from our parking spot a few blocks away, I was again reminded of my dislike of watching hockey games in the afternoon. Being that this was a playoff game and in April, it was even worse. It is supposed to be dark for hockey games, not sunny and 23C outside; it just doesn’t fit.
When we arrived at the arena, we still needed to pick up our tickets at Will Call, which happened to have approximately 12,000 people in line. We found the end of the line, snaked around the corner and half way down the length of the building, and began to wait. There was still a lot of time, so that wasn’t a factor, but it was a little intimidating standing against a wall in downtown Detroit, wearing a bright red Flames jersey. There were plenty of comments, but nothing we couldn’t handle. As we exited the Will Call booth after an hour line up, I was approached by a reporter from CBC, who asked me for a few comments. Happy to oblige, I began what turned out to be a CBC radio interview, standing on the steps of the Joe. The reporter asked me the standard questions: “Are you from Calgary?” “Why come all the way to Detroit for a game?” “Do you think the Flames can win this afternoon?” among others. All easy questions really; I am from Calgary, because it’s easier to get tickets, and of course they can!
We headed into the dreaded Joe, where we were given red playoff towels, saying “Ride the Red Wave!” I guess the Red Wings wanted in on the C of Red, but it just wasn’t the same. I suppose it was better than when teams hand out white towels, which I’ve never understood, as waving a white towel is the international sign for ‘I surrender!’ Entering the seating bowl, we found a ton of Flames fans. Talking with a lot of them we found some that had made the trip from Calgary as we had, but the majority were transplanted Calgarians, now living in Toronto and Southern Ontario. The game didn’t work out as planned, and within four minutes of puck drop the Flames were down 2-0. By the end of the game it was 3-1 for the Red Wings, and a two games to none lead in the series. Dejected, we left the arena and prepared to make the long, monotonous journey back to Toronto. With a win, the drive would have seemed like going around the corner, but of course, winning makes everything better.
As we made the walk from the Joe to our car, we heard one of the greatest comments I’ve ever heard at an away game. As we waited to cross the street at a red light, a group of four Red Wings fans approached the same light on the other side of the street. They began hooting and hollering the usual things, until one yelled, “Calgary’s a dump!” This was a pretty ironic statement, as we were standing at an intersection where the only building that wasn’t abandon featured a pawn shop specializing in bail bonds. Calgary could be called many things, but in perhaps the biggest crime-ridden cesspool in the developed world, it can’t be called a dump! However, as Detroit has one of the highest murder rates in the United States, I opted not to retort and we continued on to our car.
We were back in Canada within a few minutes, and on our way back to Calgary to see if the Flames could somehow even up this series.
-TheRev
Joe Louis Arena Fast Facts
Seats: Section 217B; $63; Red Wings Website
Score: Flames 1, Red Wings 3
Unique Concession: Little Caesar’s Pizza
Souvenir Stick: none
Public Transit: Detroit People Mover across the Street
Unique Arena Trait: One-tiered seating bowl
Swag: ‘Red Wave’ Playoff Towel
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