There's only one word to describe the city of Detroit: Hockeytown. I mean, does a hockey fan need any other reason to drive into the Motor City than that?
While the Hockeytown moniker was a marketing angle from the mid-to-late 1990s, it's still earned. Detroit is home to a club that's won 11 Stanley Cups, and some of the best players in history have played for the Red Wings, including Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, and Alex Delvecchio, if you want a few of them.
Then there's the fact that the Red Wings are part of that exclusive Original Six club, which houses the league's most storied franchises. So, if you want a dose of NHL history that literally only five other cities in the league possess, Detroit, Michigan's got it.
Seeing a Detroit Red Wings game is a must for the hockey historian
While some NHL teams play in ultra-unique cities (not that Detroit isn't one of them), they don't have the same rich history in the professional hockey realm. That's what sets Detroit apart not only from most of the league, but also from other franchises that were in the Original Six with them.
Think of the rival Chicago Blackhawks, who won just three Cups during the Original Six era. Or the Boston Bruins, who also only snagged three. And you can probably guess how many the New York Rangers skated away with. If you said three, you're right.
The Wings more than doubled that success with seven Cups during the Original Six era, with four more in the years since. And really, other than "Dead Wings Eras I and II," elite hockey has defined the Detroit Red Wings and that would entice any hockey historian to venture to Hockeytown.
Detroit is the pinnacle of hockey among American-based cities
There are some great hockey cities in America that boast a ton of history, like New York, Boston, and Chicago. Others, like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, have also risen through the ranks. But they don't match what the Red Wings have done throughout what will be 100 seasons of operation.
This makes Detroit the Hockey Capital of America, bar none. So, if you're a hockey fanatic and/or an NHL historian and you're interested in watching your team play in a road game, you need to pick Detroit.
Even if your favorite team's playing in a road game and the hometown team happens to reside in the same city you live in, you still need to make a trip to Little Caesars Arena. No, it's not the Joe, and it's not Olympia Stadium. But it doesn't mean the ghosts of Red Wings past aren't lurking.
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