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Time to say goodbye to the Joe

Two things will happen this weekend in the Motor City and both have needed to happen for quite a while.

The Red Wings 25-year playoff streak will end to conclude a disappointing season and Joe Louis Arena will host the team for one last time. Some have been waiting for both to happen for quite a while and rightly so. Detroit has been limping into the postseason the past few seasons and then it gets promptly dismissed by a younger team. The roster is rapidly aging with Henrik Zetterberg on his last legs and Detroit’s framework of signing veterans to short contracts to help will the team to the postseason isn’t a good way to keep things going. With the Wings missing the playoffs this year and having a poor enough record, that could help them land a good draft pick and build for the future. Another perk is that the Wings wouldn’t be eliminated by former captain Steve Yzerman’s Tampa Bay Lightning for the third year in a row.

The JLA is also finally meeting its demise after being a complete eyesore for more than three decades. It has a boring and odd-looking exterior, it’s not in a great location aesthetically, parking is difficult to find and it was clearly made with a tight budget. When I went to Detroit for the first time back in 2014, I was eager to check it out even though the Wings are out of town because I’ve heard so many stories about how cool it is from friends who’d grown up in Michigan. However, when my wife and I arrived, we were extremely underwhelmed and so seemed the guy behind the plate glass window who gave us a game schedule. My wife now refers to the JLA as the “Loo.” For those who don’t get the joke, look up British slang online. I think it describes the facility perfectly.

The interior is slightly better, but still head-shakingly bad. When I went down to cover the Great Lakes Invitational, I tried to give it a second chance and scoped out as much as I could. After the tournament was over, I didn’t change my mind. The concourses were horribly cramped, the suite areas are dirty although the cleaning crew does its best to make it look presentable and the press box is less than pleasant. I try really hard not to complain as a reporter because I feel lucky to do what I do, but when you have to take an elevator up to the top floor, go down a set of stairs and then cross in front of a row of annoyed fans just to get to your seat in the box, that’s kind of a problem no matter if the Tim Hortons coffee is complimentary.

As important as it is that these two eras come to an end, it is still sad in a way. The postseason streak was fun for fans to brag about and the Wings won four Stanley Cups during that span and had the potential to win more. The streak also gave fans something positive to reflect on these last few years after almost the inevitable first-round exit occurred. They could say ‘Hey, we weren’t great, but at least we kept the streak alive’ and I think I’ve heard that exact sentiment a few times during my time in the Upper Peninsula. Growing up a Minnesota Wild fan, I dream of one day uttering a phrase like that.

As much as I mock it, it’s also a little disappointing to see the Wings leave the Joe. The sparkling new Little Caesar’s Arena will have all the bells and whistles that are needed these days and it will probably be a more comfortable experience. However, the JLA did have a weird sort of charm. The video boards take you back to a simpler time, the seats are tight, but it helps create a close atmosphere and when you are inside and look at the banners hanging majestically from the rafters, it tells the outside observer that this place contained some great memories. If you look online, you’ll see hundreds of fans discussing their favorite times spent inside the tight confines of the Joe. It seems as if everyone has a story to tell and that shows that despite its many flaws, the Joe was still a fun place to watch a hockey game.

Now the Wings will enter a new age inside a state-of-the-art venue with what could be a vastly different roster. Detroit could dump some costly veterans this offseason, and try to build out of the draft and through the minor league system, which would be a clear and much-expected sign of rebuilding. If that should happen, it’s going to be a while before fans might see another Stanley Cup banner raised up at the LCA, or even an Atlantic Division banner. However, as long as fans are patient, the next few years might not be as bad as you think. It took a long time to make the Red Wings into a consistent winner and they’ll get there again.

After all, Detroit is Hockeytown, so don’t stop believing.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.

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