- Thread starter
- #1
RP-29
xⁿ
- 5,687
- 1,826
- 173
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2014
- Location
- Oshkosh, WI
- Hoopla Cash
- $ 1,000.00
- Fav. Team #1
- Fav. Team #2
- Fav. Team #3
DETROIT -- Wow. Wait till you see it.
Little Caesars Arena, the new home of the Detroit Red Wings, is more than an upgrade over Joe Louis Arena. It's more than just a nice new rink. It's an $863 million facility that sets a new standard for arenas everywhere, the centerpiece of a 50-block, mixed-use development called The District Detroit.
"When you go into a new building, you want that 'wow' factor," said Kris Draper, a former Red Wings forward who is assistant to the general manager. "Well, I mean, this just has it."
Mike Ilitch, the owner of the Red Wings who died Feb. 10, dreamed of revitalizing his hometown. He renovated The Fox Theatre, moved his Little Caesars headquarters there, and built Comerica Park, home of his Detroit Tigers.
His son, Chris, who runs the family businesses as president and chief executive officer of Ilitch Holdings, built upon that vision with this project.
Chris Ilitch and his team studied arenas around North America, asking others what made them proudest and what they wished they could do over again. They borrowed the best ideas and added their own. He told the Detroit Free Press he insisted each room have at least three innovations in design, materials and concepts, and often went over the plans with his father.
"Chris Ilitch has kept his foot on the gas through this entire process," said Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment. "I told him months and months ago, 'If you don't do another thing, I think you've got the best arena in the country.'"
Little Caesars Arena is on Woodward Avenue, Detroit's main street, near the Fox, Comerica Park, and Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. With the Detroit Pistons leaving The Palace of Auburn Hills in the suburbs to join the Red Wings there, all of Detroit's major-league sports teams and most of its concerts will be within walking distance in the heart of the city.
There is so much to Little Caesars Arena: free Wi-Fi, two outdoor plazas, four restaurants, seven clubs, on and on. But here are 10 things that set it apart:
Red Wings' new rink sight to behold
Little Caesars Arena, the new home of the Detroit Red Wings, is more than an upgrade over Joe Louis Arena. It's more than just a nice new rink. It's an $863 million facility that sets a new standard for arenas everywhere, the centerpiece of a 50-block, mixed-use development called The District Detroit.
"When you go into a new building, you want that 'wow' factor," said Kris Draper, a former Red Wings forward who is assistant to the general manager. "Well, I mean, this just has it."
Mike Ilitch, the owner of the Red Wings who died Feb. 10, dreamed of revitalizing his hometown. He renovated The Fox Theatre, moved his Little Caesars headquarters there, and built Comerica Park, home of his Detroit Tigers.
His son, Chris, who runs the family businesses as president and chief executive officer of Ilitch Holdings, built upon that vision with this project.
Chris Ilitch and his team studied arenas around North America, asking others what made them proudest and what they wished they could do over again. They borrowed the best ideas and added their own. He told the Detroit Free Press he insisted each room have at least three innovations in design, materials and concepts, and often went over the plans with his father.
"Chris Ilitch has kept his foot on the gas through this entire process," said Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment. "I told him months and months ago, 'If you don't do another thing, I think you've got the best arena in the country.'"
Little Caesars Arena is on Woodward Avenue, Detroit's main street, near the Fox, Comerica Park, and Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. With the Detroit Pistons leaving The Palace of Auburn Hills in the suburbs to join the Red Wings there, all of Detroit's major-league sports teams and most of its concerts will be within walking distance in the heart of the city.
There is so much to Little Caesars Arena: free Wi-Fi, two outdoor plazas, four restaurants, seven clubs, on and on. But here are 10 things that set it apart:
Red Wings' new rink sight to behold
