Where are the fans in Hockeytown?

Don,
You are the best, with out a doubt. I learned about Hockey as a child watching CBC. We were offered free tickets, centre ice just before the playoffs and had to decline. We couldn't afford the parking, gas to get there (10 miles away) or anything else once we got there. I am disappointed in the game, the strike. The lockout. as kcwinger wrote "9. VS. Duh.
10. Bettman. Triple Duh"
Even though I'm a die never Wings fan, the economy, and the current situation in Hockey in general has had a hard time winning me back after being 40 years loyal. btw Shanny should have stuck to the ice and left the politics alone.
I'm glad you're still with us.
RocketJ

Hey Don, This is why the people of Detroit don't go to hockey games. This is from Ticket master.

-Standing Room Only (Designated Areas)
US $140.00

It would cost me $ 800.00us to take my wife and 2 boys to a standing room ony 3rd round play off game with parking and a small snack

If I want to sit in the lower bowl it would cost me around $ 1,700.00. That's not from a scalper that's from the Red Wings! An old friend used to say "Pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered". The Ilitch's have been a bit to greedy at the trough of Ticket sales.

I am, probably a red neck since I don't have your distinctive taste. However, The problem with Wings attendence isn't red necks. It's the red hand of Mike Ilitch reaching into blue coller pockets that has stopped fans from going to the games

Take care,

Don, love you but your way off base on this one. As has been noted on previous posts, the current economy is the biggest reason for the downturn in Wings attendance.

However, more importantly your myopic obsession in equating fighting to toughness has to be challenged. I have watched the Wings for over fifty years and I loved it when the Bruise Brothers, Howe, Lindsay, McArty, et al would mix it up. However, if you think the current Red Wings are soft you need to go buy a new suit and get your head screwed on straight.

You may not have noticed it but the Wings were leading the Stars in hits. Likewise, while the Wings don't get into a lot of fights they do hand out punishment. Teams try to run Datsyuk all the time but with his skill it is usually the other team's guy who ends up taking more punishment.

However, my main point in writing was to comment on your dumb remark regarding Holstrom on Coaches Corner. To make your point about the Wings being soft, you showed film of Ott (I think) giving Holdstrom a couple of love taps after the whistle had blown. You went off on your little rant because Holstrom didn't retaliate. Are you nuts. The Wings were already on a power play. If Homer had retaliated and it negated the power play advantage you would have called it undisciplined and a bone-head move. As it was the Wings went on a 5-on-3 and scored a few seconds later.

Most nights Holdstrom is the toughest guy on the ice. He is willing to go into the corners and do the dirty work. He takes constant abuse in front of the net and keeps coming back for more. You couldn't have picked a worse example to try to illustrate your theory that the Wings are soft.

By the way, the next time you want to go off about toughness, drop the pink suit.

Don Cherry, your theory about the Red Wings fans that they "Don't care" couldn't be more untrue. It's not that the fans don't care, it's that they can't afford it. With gas reaching record prices and still increasing, the fans cannot afford to go. That's not the only factor that affects the fans ability to go to games. There is the ticket prices that are through the roof. Detroit is one of the only teams, if not, the only team not to decrease the prices for their tickets. The economy in Michigan is also about as bad as it can get, companies are leaving left and right. If and when the Red Wings management realizes this, and lowers their prices, then there will not be an empty seat in the Joe Louis Arena. The point is people do care about the Red Wings, and a lot more than you think, but they just can't afford these types of ticket prices. Also, Gary Bettman seriously needs to be ousted now. Trying to destroy a 56-year tradition is not right. No player has ever been hurt because of the octopus waving. Gary Bettman just hates Detroit. He didn't have a problem when Nashville threw their catfish on the ice, or when McLeod threw the Octopus back into the crowd, or when San Jose threw their Shark onto the ice. The point is Bettman needs to go now, not later. It will benefit the NHL greatly by him being gone. Alo , he is the only reason the lockout happened and he thought Versus would be better than ESPN.

Din Cherry does not know what he was talking about at all when he was talking on Sportscenter. Detroit is not a city where the favorite player is McCarty. Detroit's favorite players are the fast and skilled players like Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Detroit loves its hockey team. There is still great interest in the team.
Don Cherry is just jealous that Canada is terrible at managing hockey teams.
America has owned the Canadian teams for the past 15 years.

Don and Ron -

WE LOVE YOU! - keep speaking your peace and never change. However, as a Wings season ticket holder for the last 20 years, I will say it is most definitely the economy and not the style of play nor the fact that Stevie Y is no longer on the ice. The number of empty seats is deceiving (and simply sad) in that the lower bowl is predominantly held by corporate sponsors - who for some reason seem to think it's OK not to mandate use of those tickets at each and every game. As a result of this and the economy, the rest of us have had difficulty selling tickets when we can't use them. The Red Wings have dropped prices (a little) and have come up with an option to donate unused tickets to Armed Forces personnel and the like - a great idea.

While Wings Fans are admittedly spoiled from success and may not have the same burning hunger we did 10 years ago - our passion for the greatest game on the planet remains in tact.

With no dis-respect intended, I'm thinking the next Wings promo should include an inflatable Don Cherry doll under each seat - TO BE INFLATED WHN SEAT NOT IN USE.

Sincerely,

HockeyTOWN USA

There he blows again. Somebody tell Don that the empty seats have nothing to do with the fact the Wings aren't head butting their opponents. To Don, if there aren't 5 fights in a game that results in buckets of blood then the team is a bunch of pansies. We like the Wings just the way they are. Our region is devastated by free trade and families can't afford extras. If Don is such an expert why isn't the NHL beating a path do his door. Anybody want to guess.

Don is closer to the truth than most want to believe. As a season ticket holder, I've had a heckuva time giving away tickets to the games I can't attend. The Wings may be the best team in hockey, and everyone wants to win the Cup, but people won't spend their discretionary income on something that doesn't entertain them. There's not the same electricity in the building, and I believe that's what Cherry was pointing out when he showed how nobody even got up for Kronwall's hit. Do the fans want the Cup first and foremost? Absolutely, but in the Probert/Kocur days you wouldn't dare leave your seat in a 4-1 game because anything could happen. These days, you might miss another goal by standing in the concourse or leaving early, but you won't miss much else. We're probably spoiled having had a successful team for so long, but this is a blue-collar town and a lot of us still like (and miss) physical hockey.

The Detroit fans are still some of the best in the league. I can't afford to go to the games myself because I can't afford the $250 dollars for a couple of seats and other expenses to get to the arena. But if you go to any bar where the Wings are on TV there are a ton of people high-fiving a goal, cheering big hits and I've even been to places that chant "Let's Go Red Wings!". Detroit still loves their hockey.

Its true that the economy is poor in Detroit right now and Tigers and Pistons tickets are WAY cheaper than Wings games but the truth is Detroit has never appreciated the Wings. Try listening to 97.1 for a day and see how much time is spent covering the Wings, its supposed to be a sports station but all that station is, is a 24/7 Lions/Pistons/Tigers/UofM love fest. They rarely talk about the Wings and it is always briefly. And if Don was so wrong about his comments then why was everyone in Detroit so excited when the Wings were scheduled to play the Avalanche and disappointed when they realized the rivalry is over? People in Detroit should be more upset over Mitch Albom's article then Don Cherry's remarks. Albom was way more insulting than Don was and Don wasn't even trying to be insulting but typical American politically correct B.S. blows everything out of proportion.

Don;
Being an avid "Wing Nut",I would like to add my voice to this controversy. Yes, Michigan is in an economic slump and people cannot afford gas & beer or tickets..etc;However, I used to work over there, and every now & then I would get the company seats for a game. These were along the glass in the Detroit home end. When i bought tickets for myself, I could barely afford the roof rafter section. If the camera was to pan these upper nose bleed sections of the Joe, thats where you would find the true "Hockey Town" fan, not the lower "Corporate"section where they buy these seats strictly for a write-off and they really don't care if they are or aren't being used.

In the event of economic crissis the first to suffer will always be the entertainment industry.

Blame Honda and Toyota for making better cars then GM, Ford and Chrysler...

Thanks grapes for opening up the can of worms that owner's and players don't really want to talk about. Like everyone in Michigan is saying, its not about the love the game its about ticket prices. Its a crime really that the people who are the team's biggest fans can't afford to go to the game. I call out the players and owners on this one. They're the ones at fault for not the fans not being in the seats. Drop all the salaries across the board and make the ticket prices affordable for the real fans.

It is terribly sad to see our fans,the city of detroit and our amazing team be insulted in front of all of Canada. Don, we are sorry that we can't dish out $1000 dollars to take the family to a hockey game right now but i can assure you that it's not becuase all we want is fights and goonery.

If attendance is down its due to the economy, high gas prices especially for long distance travelers, difficulty in crossing the border & past attendees left area for jobs elsewhere. Michigan unemployment is 7.2% (highest in US). Foreclosures are at all time highs. Those working are saving for the day they get laid off. Many work two jobs or took tremendous pay cuts to save their jobs. Official NHL attendance at RW games has been 20,066.Isn't that a sell out? I remember when 19,200 was a sell out. Tickets are being sold, but attendance has many no-shows. Some people have to make difficult choices how they support the Wings. Concessions & parking are too high. Mr. Ilitch has missed the fact that ticket prices are just too high. The lockout resulted in a salary cap that penalized the Wings more than any other team. Our payroll was virtually cut in half ($80,000 to 40,000) but the tickets weren’t reduced proportionately-which didn't go unnoticed. As great a job as Holland has done in dealing with this & putting a top team together, it forced us to castoff some very popular players. It ended a really memorable era. Scheduling since the lockout has become boring due to the unbalanced schedule; not seeing every team has been unpopular. How many times can you see Columbus or St Louis games without seeing Toronto, Montreal, or even some teams with the new stars? Games starting at 10:30 for West Coast games is not popular. East teams rarely leave their own time zone. So this chiseled a few more fans away. Businesses know that once you lose customers its tough to get them back. Mitch Albom’s recent article on this empty seat issue got him absolutely lambasted for being insensitive to the plight of local fans. It raised specter of classism as he attacked those that would love to attend but just can't afford to. Please investigate this before accusing us that we don't support our team. The Wings are very much loved in this area.

As usual Don Cherry makes a mistaken observation, but saying that there is no interest in Detroit indicates that Cherry is still "blind" to some things in life, whether it be the economy in Michigan or
how many players he sends over the boards...

Why is Don talking about in Hockeytown?? How about Don support the rest of players in Canada, not only the players from Ontario. After watching Coaches Corner over the years I've rarely heard him say how well Crosby is playing or any recognition really? Not sure what Atlantic Canadians done to tick Don off. LOOK EAST DON!!

Don baby I love ya, but my reason for not being there Saturday was th $140 dollar price for the uper bowl seat that I DID pay $90 to see the Wings beat the Avs in the second round. Too much to pay out of my unemployment check. Maybe if people would quite driving toyotas to the Joe my job at GM would be more secure. Go Wings!

Don's just sore that the flames and the bruins aren't still playing. Don needs to stop bashing the wings for not playing dump and chase hockey.

Don
I diagree with your comments about Detroit fans not supporting there team. I grew up in Windsor Ontario I have been down to Detroit all three rounds. Unlike MLE , Mr Ilitch does not sell all the seats to scalpers so the general public cannot afford to go. I was able to buy game 5 in round 3 from Ticket master seven rows off the Ice. If you are a fan in TORONTO you would have to pay a grand a piece for those tickets. Detroit Red Wings is the best run team in the league and they have the best scoots in the league. Hockeytown will bring the cup back home THIS YEAR . The fans that are working will be there to support them

Don, you are wrong. People here still love the Wings, and ratings were up substantially this season. As someone else stated, the empty seats that were shown are $200 each! Even to sit in the upper bowl, the tickets are $100 each. My dad and I went to game two, and after buying the tickets, paying for parking, and then food, the evening came to around $250. That is a very expensive night, and even more expensive when people here are losing their jobs left and right.

The style of play that Detroit uses is more exciting than any other team in the game (except maybe Pitt,) just look at their "Goals For" stat this season.

GO WINGS!

The Red Wings took things for granted for too long.

Detroit Tiger games to be played this summer are already sold out. So much for blaming the economy.

The schedule is awful. Two years ago, the Red
Wings played Columbus three times including two home games in one week. As a season ticket holder, you can not even give away those games. Yet, teams such as Toronto, Pittsburgh and Montreal play in Detroit once every 3 years. So why bother getting season tickets when there are only one or two marquee games.

Post lock-out, the Red Wings payroll dropped $20 -30 million. Yet the ticket prices remained the same. The Red Wings are charging what they think the market will pay. They have been proven wrong.

Detroit is far from the mecca of Hockey in the USA. There are plenty of other American cities that are more deserving of the title 'Hockeytown' than The Motor City is. Cities like Buffalo, Philadelphia and New York.
But none of them compare to any of the Canadian cities!!

This is my first hockey playoffs after 20 years in England and I've been shocked by the empty seats in Detroit. What a team! The CBC play-by-play man called it a sell-out crowd Saturday night. Sell-out? Were most people at the hot dog stands? There were loads of empty seats. Shocking Detroit, what's wrong with you?

Let me start off by saying I've been a Don Cherry fan since I can remember. There are times however he needs to think before he opens his big mouth.

Michigan's economy is in the toilet right now and people simply can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on hockey playoff tickets. They've got to choose between paying their bills or going to a hockey game. At this point my bills take precedence over a game. Of course Don wouldn't understand that because he doesn't have to struggle to make ends meet like the average joe.

Don's comments about the brand of hockey played here by the Red Wings are also way off base.

Sure I like a good fight just as much as the next guy but I'd rather see my beloved Wings win the cup with skilled players rather than see them fall short using guys that act like a bunch of goons.

Growing up my favorite player was Steve Yzerman and I sure didn't see him getting into too many fights. Now that Stevie has retired, my favorite player is Nick Lidstrom another guy that uses his skill, not his fists. Sure I liked watching Probert and Kocur put fear into opposing players during the bruise brothers days but they couldn't hold a candle to Stevie and Nick skill wise.

My point is this.

Don you don't speak for the fans here in Detroit, so just shut up!

Screwed again..if this was a world series game ,they(the americans,networks) would delay starting the game so people on the west coast could watch.But not in hockey,our "game',but we bow to them.Some of us have to work and thus miss the first part 0f the game by the time we get home.

Mr.Don Cherry,as much as you make the first intermission interesting.Your analysts of why so called HOCKEY TOWN is not putting bums in those red wing seats because of not enough fighting is very stupid.
This is not 1980's anymore ,this is called HOCKEY not clutch and grab and punch each other in the head game !
Much as your coaching style has gone the way of the dinosaur,people watching and paying for HOCKEY is to WIN a GAME,,,not a fight !
Mr.Cherry,please STICK to your talent of inspiring players (young and old) of how much fun it is provide spectators , a quality game well worth paying thee price to WIN thee LORD Stanley Coupe /Cup !
You do not see fights in a ALL-STAR game or WORLD HOCKEY Championships !!
(and also COACHS CORNER ,sir is about HOCKEY and not fighting ,(either overseas in wars or fights like those in junoir hockey with mr.patrick roy and his child ! so please stick to HOCKEY so CBC can try to compete with other stations on saturday night sir.!!
THUMBS UP and well as your collars !
Best regards from CORNWALL ontario Canada (where mr.don cherry's Restaurant is still #1 on thee St.Lawrence River to watch COLTS and NHL Hockey !
sincerely yours
terry wasik

I agree with all the comments about price and our economy. It's also hard to get excited if you can't watch the games. We have no form of pay TV so we only see the Wings occasionally when they happen to be on Hockey Night in Canada or on NBC. We USED to have a local network that aired most of the games! We're still thankful we have great reception from CBC channel 9!

to chad from windsor hate to burst your bubble but detroit has not been the best team the past 17 years. Canada has always had the best teams. its kind of hard for any can team to get anywhere in the playoffs with betman telling the yanky refs how to call the games. Chady quit your whining lots of people are out of work.

Don...I am a detroiter now living in mexico. Still love the wings as much as ever even though shanny, stevie and the old guard are gone. You were correct in your one statement that the lions, tigers, & pistons don't have problems selling tickets. The economy is part of the issue but I think the are a victim of their own sucess. Similar to what Atlanta Braves experienced - people here are used to sucess and are not exited to go to a game until the finals

Wings fans here in Cleveland, we wish we had the NHL, but actually love the A! We get great seats for the AHL Lake Erie Monsters games for $20! Fifth row behind the net! Sadly, NHL is expensive, especially in MI where the economy is very tough. Too bad we have the farm team for the Avs . . . as a long-time Wings fan THAT'S tougher than any economy ever! Seriously though, Go Wings and MI fans, visit Cleveland next season for good hockey at a good price. And you know what? 100 years from now, when the West has run out of water, everyone will be flocking back to the Great Lakes!

Off topic here, but still with Detroit. Feel good story about Winnipeg native Darren Helm. Here's a guy who didn't make the local junior A team, the Selkirk Steelers. So he goes on and plays junior B with the Selkirk Fishermen, only to eventually get noticed by the WHL. Don't think he even got drafted. Kudo's "once" again to the Red Wings scouts always finding hidden gems. Truly unbelievable job they do.

Don Cherry should have left CBC (with his suits) a long time ago! period. He hasn't any idea of how the economic crisis in the US of A has and will affect how and what people will do with their disposable income. I'm sure hockey is far down the list of things to do!

I agree,the economy is a BIG factor.Can't imagine how Joe or Joesephine Average can afford season tickets or even take their kid to the occasional game.All the fans who say EVERY time somebody signs an $814 mill contract...."He's worth EVERY cent"...YOU are the reason because NOBODY is worth the kind of dollars pro athletes are getting but people continue to pay.Cherry and a lot of the other guys don't care cause they are comped...it might be different if he had to buy All his tickets...like everyone else.Also,the $4 a gal (US) gas.Your gallons are 3.36 liters and our Imperial are 4.54 liters and currently our Regular is $1.30 a liter.That DOES affect a lot of things and entertainment budgets are the first to go.

I have to agree with Don on his call about the wings and their lack of fan turn out. I remember back not even 10 yrs ago when the playoffs came arround every car had a wings flag on it, every other person you seen had a wings something or other on their body or head, you heard people talking bout the wings in almost every store or food joint..and today its almost nothing..and its been nothing for the last few years as well.

I have lived just outside detroit for 30+ years and have been well intune with the hockey vibe in and arround the area. sadly its dying, be it from lack of jobs to this or that, or the simple fact that aside from kronwall hitting people and the dazzzling datsyukian deeks detroit is BOARING to watch and teams will tell you they are boaring to play.

Detroit needs to go on about a 20 yr cup drought or so and make the people in the city hungry again. everyone there is way to used to having such a good team, its become so normal the last few yrs there is nothing new or exciting to get hyped about including on the ice.skate up skate down skate up skate down.toss in a hit here and there and thats your excitment factor...sounds great dont it..NOT..and the lack of turn out is your proof.

The job situation isnt great across america not just michigan. every other rink i have seen in the playoffs has had people hanging off the rafters filled over capasity, in detroit you can set up a beach recliner and lay down and put up an umbrella with all the room arround you.

Even if detroit wins the cup, it wont put butts back in the seats, we have seen enough cups here the last while..detroit needs what it used to have, the ability to kick some butt in the literal sence! the bruise brothers filled up the house! not watching some boaring euro style hockey game..

don is balls on...detroit is boring boring boring.the new nhl wants there poster boys the
red wings and pittsberg in the finals to show how great hockey is...what ever they both play
lifeless hockey...if they let them play hockey like they should with out calling a millon power plays nether team would be this far...

Don Cherry:

I remember at the Olympics in Italy when you were giving the Canadian Womens' Hockey team a rough time about running up the score. I seem to remember you saying that the guys team wold never do anything like that. What do you have to say about the Canada-Latvia Score (7-1 for Canada) or the Canada-Germany Score (10-1 for Canada)?

The ticket prices are horrible. Why the hell would I want to pay 200-1000 dollars for ONE seat for ONE game. It's horrible. I can get the whole NHL season on satellite for the price of getting ONE seat in ONE game. It's just horrible the ticket prices. Not just to mention that, but how about paying for the gas to go back and forth to each game also. I'll stay home and get every game of every team on television ( including the great Hockey Night in Canada ) and not miss a beat all season long.

Ticket prices for the playoffs are a rip off. Since the players salaries are only for the regular season, this is just gouging by management. The solution is in the hands of Mr. Ilitch and I don't see him giving his fan base a break.
I am a lifelong Red Wing fan.The Red Wings are the best team left in the playoffs and they will make a run at the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, no team with a European captain has ever won the Stanley Cup.I'm thinking Pittsburgh in 6.

Don,

You usually make some good points but you're out of whack on this one. I think there's alot of Wings fans like me out there that can't afford to go to the regular season games, let alone playoffs (and I'm still employed, knock on wood). The last game I went to was a couple of years ago with my son who gave me a ticket. I do like going to the Plymouth Whalers and USA Hockey games in Ann Arbor because the hockey is good and affordable.

I think you're also wrong about Euro players. There are softies from every country including North America. But if you watched the punishment that Tomas Holmstrom puts up with for a mere 2 mill per year you might say he's the most underpaid player in the league.

Anyway, keep up the other good work that you do.

I think Don is right in a way. I think the way the game is called the last couple seasons is one of the main reasons we don't go to games. they have taken the defense out of the game,of course the ticket prices has taken the real fans from the arena because of the lack of employment.

The Glass seats are corporate seats! Give them to the fans (at a decent price) we'll be there and we'll be standing up and cheering as we are right now in the sports bars and our friends home the only place we can afford to see our beloved RED WINGS

At the age of 10 my favorite movie was Slapshot. That last Colorado series was a snore, as was the entire regular season. Don was absolutely right. Until the Wings move to the Eastern Conference and get some rivalries going, the NHL will be a bore.

Cherry refuses to see anything outside the toronto area and is ignorant to the fact that Detroit people are in the middle of a financial disaster and like any sane person choose to feed their family instead of dishing out two weeks worth of groceries for a hockey game. If anyone other than a canadian is leading a team then according to cherry their not worth watching.

Look, I was born and lived in Detroit most of my life. McCarty is a favorite son but we don't need Probert and the Dead Things back. There are MANY reasons why nobody is showing up to Wings playoff games:
1. Lost identity. When Yzerman retired, the team lost its icon. At one point we had a six story portrait of him as our adopted son on the side of a building downtown. Now it's a car ad. Nick may be Thor, but Yzerman was Odin. Gordie, well, he has to be Galactica, I guess. It's a new era.
2. We're broke! With the loss of Big 3 jobs, thousands left the state and many of them were Wings fans. I moved away myself last year. My heart is broken because my wallet is too.
3. Playoff ticket prices are ridiculous. People get fed up paying $150 for a nosebleed seat when they can barely fill their gas tank.
4. Detroiters have other options for successful teams, Pistons and Tigers. Wings are no longer, the only game in town.
5. Wings fans don't trust the wins. We have seen the team dominate the regular season for a decade and a half, only to watch them get smoked by some 16th seed in the first round.
6.Season ticket holders at the Joe have had a lock on playoff (and regular season) tix for decades, corporations as well as individuals. I have to get my tix on ebay from season tix holders every game every year.
7. Playoff fans are polar opposites of regular season fans. It's all leather jackets, trophy babes, a see and be seen in-crowd society event, paying $550 for a lower bowl seat and none of them care a dime about hockey. I've been there, I've seen it. A Kronwallian hit? They're busy texting their call-girl.
8. The lockout. People moved on.
9. VS. Duh.
10. Bettman. Triple Duh.

Where are the fans of Hockeytown?! They are staying at home because they can not afford to pay the 4 dollars a gallon for gas, and on top of that,the play off ticket prices are too high! The state of Michigan is in a severe economic crisis. Many fans have lost their jobs, many jobs have been shipped overseas,nobody is hiring for jobs that make a decent wage.

I heard Don's theory about why the Wings have so many empty seats in Detroit but don't agree with him on this one. The Wings have one of the highest ticket prices around plus Michigan is in a big economic slump and both of these together are providing the rationale for the empty seats rather than the lack of rough stuff. Maybe the Wings should try lowering their prices - they didn't do that when the salary cap came in.

Well, I am loving the hockey. I really do hope more people show up Saturday night. I used to live in the Detroit area but now I live more north but it is still in my blood and I am always excited.

I am actually a bit happy they don't retaliate. I mean I do like a good fight, but in the playoffs we don't need to get all these penalties. In fact three of the goals the Red Wings got Thursday night were on the power play. The Wings could use some more regular ice goals though.

The Red Wings have been playing great and true fans realize this. Go Red Wings! And fans respect the glory of Hockeytown USA.

Don's diagnosis for the empty seats at Joe Louis Arena - "Nobody cares" - misses the mark.

Don's wrong on this; it's the economy. The average Joe can't afford the luxury of playoff hockey tickets.

I agree with Don that Detroit has a different team than they used to ten years ago. However, I disagree with Don about people not being interested. Fans in Detroit are interested but Michigan's economy is terrible, and the cheapest seat in the building right now is 75 dollars! People are still following the team closely here in Michigan, it's just a lot of us can't afford to attend the games. And I can tell you fans in Detroit aren't nearly as interested about having a tough team, as we are about having a winning team..........
Go Wings.

Don, we love you man.... but, I was offended with your comments about the Detroit fans. Of course we would like to see more scrappy play in the playoffs without the interference of the refs, but we also can appreciate the discipline,focus and "fire-in-the-belly" it take to reach the finals. These things have been missing in recent years. But please don't think for a minute that the fan's around here are "bored" with the style of play and refuse to attend the games. The economic situation around here is quite bad and the majorty of true blue-collar fans cannot afford the ticket prices.
Local business owners who once had season tickets can no longer afford them.
I can only imagine what you paid for the twelve tickets you bought for Thursday's game. I know that my friends and family would be at EVERY game if we could only afford it. Until then, I guess we'll just have to sit in our lawnchairs, watch CBC and drink our own beer.

Don's comments about the Redwing's style of play not filling the seats miss the larger economic reality of the current Detroit sports market.

The seats he showed are $200 - $1000 each!

There are lots of people who would like to be in those seats but #1 how many people have $500 to spend on a pair of hockey tickets and #2 are they going to get $500 of fun out of it? In any market there are a limited number of people who can afford these tickets. Between Detroit's current economic situation and the Pistons in the NBA playoffs the pool of $200+ ticket buyers is obviously too limited.

I think the Ilitchs have really missed the mark the last few seasons with ticket prices in general. The lower bowl has been consistently unfilled all season but the upper bowl has been packed. I feel this is bad for the team as it gives the impression, especially on TV, that Detroit doesn't support the Redwings.
Last, I know a number of people who were seriously annoyed when the ticket prices didn't follow the serious drop in the Redwings payroll due to the salary cap.

Ron, could you please explain to Don that the people in the Windsor/Detroit area are in very hard times right now and do not have a extra $180 for a pair of tickets. No one is working, and if they are, they are worried about their jobs. Do some research Don instead of insulting the best fans, and team, for the past 17 years!

Don, you couldn't be more off with your opinion on what's going on in Detroit! It has nothing to do with Detroit "not fighting" and everything to do with EVERYONE BEING OUT OF WORK!
The Red Wings have provided the best hockey in the NHL for the past 17 years. The people in this area show year after year how much they love this style of hockey in Detroit by giving Detroit top 5 franchise profits year after year. Now that this area is hurting you want to start up with your nonsense and insult the fans and the team?
Unfortunately, right now, the average family doesn't have $180 extra dollars for a pair of tickets. I'll tell you what though Don, even half full that arena is still louder then the ACC.
Telling Canada that the fans in Detroit aren't coming because they don't like the style of hockey here is like telling you that your suits are very stylish - both comments are ridiculous.

i love grapes but i'd rather win the cup than watch my tough guys win fights. truthfully i'd rather have both but babcock's got the boys playing real disciplined hockey and when you have the most skill by far there's no real reason to goon it up. maybe when we're up by 5 goals d-mac can slap one of the stars around for old times sake.