Apr 21, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings fans walk to Joe Louis Arena prior to game three of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Most Detroiters are very excited for the new arena being built. Unlike Ford Field and Comerica park across the street, Detroit Red Wings fans are used to arenas with no sponsor name like The Olympia and Joe Louis Arena.
With the new stadium being built, the question some wonder is; is the new stadium going to named after a sponsor or is it going to have a non sponsor name?
Until the name is decided on, the new arena has been temporarily been dubbed the Detroit Events Center.
A name that is speculated to be on the new arena would be Little Caesers . Mike Illitch, the one who owns the Red Wings is also the owner of Little Caesers and it would be easy to put their name on the stadium. The Little Caesers triple-A hockey team could play their games there. In the end it would all work out.
Puck Prose
The Wings have also have ties to Amway Corp. Amway is already the sponsor of the stadium of for the Orlando Magic in the NBA. With that there is a chance they may not get the sponsor name since, there is just a problem with having two teams have the same name of their arena. Also legal issues and nonsense like that.
There is also PNC Bank that could be another option for the new arena. They are involved with the Pistons and became official bank of the University of Michigan athletic department. They have connections throughout the state of Michigan and giving them the name would work well for both sides.
However, there is a problem with the name, similar to that of Amway. PNC is also involved in the MLB with naming rights on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ stadium. So it is more than unlikely the new arena will be sponsored by PNC. Also take into consideration that PNC is a Pittsburgh based company and so they more than likely want to keep their major sport ties in the state. It would seem a bit odd to have your new fancy stadium named after a company based in a state where two of your Eastern Conference rivals stay.
The more popular option would be a non sponsor name. Some non sponsor names that could be a good fit would be;
The Woodward Forum/Event Center – Woodward it the street the arena is on. Woodward is a key road in Detroit and one of the most famous.
Park Avenue Arena – This would be great name because Olympia Development had to go through the Detroit Historic Commission to demolish a historic hotel, The Park Avenue Hotel to make room for the arena.
Gordie Howe Arena – This one is pretty self-explanatory. Gordie Howe is one of the most beloved Red Wings players ever. He played for the Red Wings from 1946-1971 and he has his number retired by the Wings. This may not be the best option since he already has a bridge from Michigan to Canada being named after him.
Construction is underway and progress is being made everyday.
What would you call the new arena? Do you want it to have a sponsored name? Do you want it to have a traditional and memorable name? Let us know below!
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