The Red Wings' new Little Caesars Arena will feature a "lively plaza" on its outside, giving fans opportunities to watch games -- weather permitting -- with "approximately 3,000 other fans," according to Ted Kulfan of the DETROIT NEWS. Plaza areas "are popular" at Quicken Loans Arena, Air Canada Centre and Amalie Arena, and Olympia Entertainment President & CEO Tom Wilson "expects a similar festive atmosphere for Red Wings games, with fans milling before, during and after games, and up-and-coming musical acts" (DETROIT NEWS, 8/24). In Detroit, Helene St. James notes the inside of Little Caesars Arena was "inspired by" the Canadiens' Bell Centre. Wilson: "That became the model. It's very steep -- I mean, people are right on top of you. The difference is in Canada, there's no leg room, and they don't have ADA restrictions. So, we had to take all that into account, and even with that, this building is tighter than Montreal." St. James notes new seats "are 21 inches wide, compared to 17-18 at Joe Louis Arena." Wilson: "The lower level has 9,000 seats for hockey, 11,000 for basketball. The Joe has 6,000 in the lower level. So, as an average fan, my view is going to be much better -- 3,000 more people are going to be closer to the action. And then the suites, we brought down to about 24 rows up, and there's two levels of them." St. James notes all 60 suites "sold out within 40 days." Most of the suites "seat 30, hold 40, and feature five screens adaptable to PowerPoint presentations, a decision geared toward attracting businesses to bring clients there ahead of games" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 8/24).
