The Red Wings are leaning heavily on NHL history to develop their new arena.
The building will pay homage to the league’s Original Six venues. Each had steep rakes and balconies that hung over the bowl, including those at the Olympia, where Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch grew up watching hockey.
Such a design resulted in deafening sound and a feeling of fans right on top of the action, and that’s exactly what the team wants, project officials say.
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The gondolas, suspended from the ceiling along the sidelines, will house media and a mix of premium seats.
Rendering: HOK
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Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings’ home now, and Bell Centre in Montreal, with their tight seating bowls, are also influences.
The project team asked Red Wings general manager Ken Holland which arena he thought was the loudest in the NHL. He pointed to the Canadiens’ arena, filled with “20,000 screaming French-Canadians” for every home game, Red Wings CEO Tom Wilson said.
In Detroit, a distinct feature is something the team is calling gondolas, seating sections suspended from the roof and similar to the bridge seats at Madison Square Garden.
The vintage hockey arenas of years ago had them. For the most part, that’s where the media sat, covering the action from the arena’s highest point. Bell Centre’s press box is one example of a modern facility that has grabbed a piece of the past.
“It all started with Red Wings broadcaster Mickey Redmond,” said George Heinlein, HOK’s principal-in-charge of the project. “He wanted something unique from a broadcasting standpoint and told us we needed to see what they did in Montreal, [telling us] ‘That’s where we want to be.’”
In Detroit, each gondola has two levels. The east side is reserved for broadcast and print media, while the west side features eight-person boxes and individual seats. Portable beer and food carts will serve those ticket holders. Restrooms are on the ends.
“A lot of it is a throwback,” Wilson said. “I think the Wings and the Ilitches really respected the old Olympia arena. The old buildings were built to be as tight as they could possibly be.”
