Lease of the Joe not up until June 30, 2010

[lfd250 1]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...=Metro-Stadiums

[SwedeLundin77 460]

I love the Joe, don't get me wrong, but PLEASE give us a new arena. A new arena is a catalyst for better attendance. I don't mean just selling out games but having the people and corporations that actually buy the tickets, show up. I can wish anyway.

[Jwo 7]

Wow that sucks. Oh well, at least this will give the Wings and the city time to think about upgrading the new people mover tracks and stations to the proposed new wings arena site.

[irishtemper14+25 11]

no thats fine...we just dont renew it and play a final couple seasons at joe to give time to build new arena

[EJ in 216A 0]

Detroit deserves a better hockey arena...I've seen over 500 games at the Joe, and about 30 other games in other NHL cities, and the Joe is really lacking in a number of areas...

1) Bathrooms...were they an afterthought by the architects?

2) Unispired concessions - That's a kind term but compared to other rinks, they suck. In Tampa, they have an Outback steakhouse stand! Yum!

3) No restaurants or places to eat - I mean, for god's sake, people have to eat off the trash cans at the Joe!

4) Underutilization of the riverfront - What the hell were they thinking when they built this thing?

[Jwo 7]

Depends how much money it would cost to renovate it. I would hate to see him almost go broke again like with comerica park.

Edited August 19, 2007 by Jwo

[Comrade Zorro 0]

I don't really mind the Joe. All I really want is cup holders.

[Ozzie30 170]

I don't really mind the Joe. All I really want is cup holders.

Here here

[chrisdetroit 189]

My buddy & I were @ the Joe for a game this past January, & we used a trash can lid for a makeshift table for the Little Ceasers pizza we had just purchased...The pizza didn't seem to mind

Yeah the Red Wings could use a new home, but would the folks in the greater Detroit area mind paying a bit more in taxes (probably a slight increase in sales tax) for the new arena, or would you guys/gals see Ilitch spend his own $$$, & renovate the Joe?

I don't agree. Illitch should spend some of his own money to renovate the Joe. All of the things can be fixed without building a new building.

[Matt 1,048]

I've said it before, I'll say it again: The Joe is a dump.

The team needs a new arena, the city needs to expand Cobo and Ilitch has bought up most -- if not all -- of the land necessary for a Foxtown arena.

Get it done!

[betterREDthandead 58]

I don't agree. Illitch should spend some of his own money to renovate the Joe. All of the things can be fixed without building a new building.

No, they can't. The Joe is hemmed in by Cobo, the river, and the Lodge. Fixing all the common complaints (poor concessions, overcrowded concourse, inadequate bathrooms, etc.) requires more space, which the Joe doesn't have on its current plot of land. I've only been to one other NHL arena (GM Place in Vancouver) and it was much, much bigger than the Joe, and had all the niceties, and plenty of room. The Joe doesn't have that much space to expand into.

The best solution - hell, the only solution that makes any sense at all - is a new arena. It's best for absolutely everyone involved: the city, the team, the organization, the fans. It's a false traditionalism that wants the Joe saved - it's only 30 years old, it's not exactly Tiger Stadium or Fenway Park.

[Guest Yzer19]

Why not just upgrade the JLA? I don't think they necessarily need a whole new arena. I guess I'm a traditionalist, but I always like the old stadiums better than the new stadiums. I liked Tiger Stadium and the Silverdome better than Comerica Park and Ford Field.

[OsGOD 3]

My buddy & I were @ the Joe for a game this past January, & we used a trash can lid for a makeshift table for the Little Ceasers pizza we had just purchased...The pizza didn't seem to mind

he should use the difference between the $5 pizza you get and the $12.50 you are charged to add some places to eat. I usually use the seats we bought to enjoy the pizza... but i have rested along side of a trash can before there.

But I have been on record several times saying... I don't mind the joe one bit, been going there for 23 years now... all I require is a freakin' cup holder.

Edited August 20, 2007 by OsGOD

[BlakChamber 8]

The best solution - hell, the only solution that makes any sense at all - is a new arena. It's best for absolutely everyone involved: the city, the team, the organization, the fans. It's a false traditionalism that wants the Joe saved - it's only 30 years old, it's not exactly Tiger Stadium or Fenway Park.

Agreed. If you wanted to compare The Joe to baseball fields, its not like Tiger Stadium, Fenway, or Wrigley. It's more like Verterns Stadium, Three Rivers, or the Metrodome.

A new The Joe is good for everyone. The Wings get a modern arena. The fans get an arena with bathrooms and cupholders. The city gets a new arena to show off, which probably means an all star game. Plus, Cobo can expand to make sure they keep the auto show as the big one.

Edit to add something

[WingNut199 0]

BlakChamber, I love your signature! I literally laughed out loud when I read that hahaha

[ZabiOfDetroit 0]

Man if a new arena is build, I have to admit....

....I'll miss eating my little ceasers off of the trash can lid. You know, you just buy a $5.00 slice of pizzza and have nowhere to go because the pillars are crowded so you just stand there and use the trash can lid as a place to eat. Can the new nhl arenas do that?

[OsGOD 3]

While i have done it many a times and I am not picking on any person at all by saying this... eating your food on a trash can at the joe when you have seats in the arena is like standing up at McD's and eating by there trash cans while many seats are all around you.... you have seats why don't people use them?

Edited August 21, 2007 by OsGOD

[eva unit zero 271]

Replacing The Joe is good for everyone. The Wings get a modern arena. The fans get an arena with bathrooms and cupholders. The city gets a new arena to show off, which probably means an all star game. Plus, Cobo can expand to make sure they keep the auto show as the big one.

Fixed it.

[eva unit zero 271]

Well to me eating my pizza off a trash can lid @ the Joe is quintessential Detroit - kinda takes me back to the days pre-UAW where auto workers were eating their bologna sandwiches/cold chicken breasts while installing a engine/transmission into a Model T

Pasties and copper mines are the way to go.

[The_Cub 0]

"Detroit officials have no say in whether the contract will be extended."

Good to hear. That alone saves a couple years and a few million wasted $$$.

Edited August 21, 2007 by The_Cub

[betterREDthandead 58]

They may not be able to do much in terms of exterior work due to limited space (except make it more visually appealing), but the interior of the Joe could undergo a major renovation; by reducing the # of seats throughout the Joe (maybe 1000-1200) you could replace them with wider-more comfortable seating with cupholders

Work would be needed to reconfigure the concourse; adding more restrooms is a must, and many would probably like to see a few more food/beverage stands off to the side, & not located in the middle of the corridor as to obstruct fans movement around the concourse.

Renovation of the Joe would be challenging (especially since it would take place during a short offseason over a few years), but it is possible - however my guess is that Ilitch will def want a new home within a few years for the Wings.

Reducing the number of seats at the Joe won't happen - period. The Joe can't be given a corporate name and provides little to no opportunity for fans to patronize other Ilitch-owned establishments due to its locations. Therefore the number of seats is crucial for revenue. Ilitch won't sacrifice a key revenue source that way.

Renovating the Joe just isn't feasible. To me, that's a halfway solution that doesn't fully address everything; remember, the fans' desires are only a small part of the story. As I've said....the only reason to renovate is a false sense of traditionalism. There's no reason to keep it around, except that the city of Detroit and its residents are absolutely notorious for clinging to buildings that have far outlived their usefulness.

[betterREDthandead 58]

Sentiment/tradition aside - the Joe/Cobo is a major cash cow for Ilitch, & if he were to re-sign the lease for another 20 years he'd make even more $$$ while the City of Detroit gets even less $$$...Renovations would be outta Ilitch's own back pocket instead of using taxpayer $$$ for a new arena. Given the current economic woes - many folks in the greater Detroit area do not like the idea of paying .01 cent for a new arena...As for the renovation itself - it can be done however it'll depend how much $$$ Ilitch wants to spend that'll dictate the amount of work done/degree of renovation... As for the reduction of seats - arenas have reduced their #'s in the past ( Maple Leaf Gardens, & Calgary Saddledome) in order to "upgrade" the quality of seats (width of the seat, & more leg room), & in some cases more luxury suites were added - only to reduce even more seats...Like I said this may be something that is neccessary in order to "upgrade" the overall quality of the lower/upper bowls as well as upgrading the luxury suites.

As for a corporate sponsor - IMHO I don't think Ilitch needs 1; Joe Louis Arena works for me ... & besides - his wife Marian owns the Motor City Casino (Ilitch owns alot of other big $$$ making companies) so money shouldn't be an issue - so I would think

In all honesty I for 1 would love to see a new arena configured/designed just like the old Olympia; however there's issues between Ilitch, & the goofs running the city of Detroit ...My guess is that they'll work out a deal since the land behind the FOX Theatre has been purchased by Ilitch, & is being prepared for future construction.

Money is always an issue. The Red Wings are a business. Ilitch sells out the Joe for nearly every game, and until these playoffs, we used to be able to sell them all out. So why remove seats for "fan comfort" when the only result is less money in the pocketbook? What benefit is there in that?

Secondly, not one dime of profit from the casino will go towards the new arena. There's a reason Marian "owns" it and not Mike. Mixing gambling and sports (both baseball and hockey) would look extremely bad. If Mike were to own both, very uncomfortable questions would be asked. And yes, Ilitch will need a corporate sponsor. He may own a large empire, but he doesn't exactly have $200-$400 million in cash just lying around. A sponsor would help defray the building costs by anywhere from $50 to $100 million.

A new arena isn't about more seat room or grungy bathrooms or an ugly building. What's wrong with the Joe can't be fixed with renovations.

P.S.: The Ilitches have nothing to do with Cobo Hall, except that their hockey team's arena is in the way of a badly needed expansion. Cobo is not a cash cow for them. But if they did, there'd already be a new arena, and they'd have already broken ground on Cobo's expansion.

[revnic 0]

*** that

i liive in windsor, moving the joe would probably increase time it takes me to get there by a lot. I like the current arena. The acctual hockey view is awesome, although behind the curtains needs work, thats about it. RENOVATE IT! pLZ

[OsGOD 3]

Eh, there is always lowering the number of seats and Raising the prices for the remaining seats... therefore the Demand will be raised because the supply will be lowered.

The reason the playoffs 500% increase failed was because the same amount of seats were still being used... For instance if he lowered the amount of seats to say the Ponda center level we would have sold out EVERY playoffs game at the joe at the 500% increase level.

Edited August 22, 2007 by OsGOD