Joe Louis Arena
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Joe Louis Arena, a.k.a. The Joe and JLA, is the home of the Detroit Red Wings National Hockey League franchise. The arena was completed in 1978 and is named after boxer Joe Louis. It is located at 600 Civic Center Drive on the Detroit River with a view of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is accessible through its own stations on the Detroit People Mover.
Joe Louis Arena is owned by the city of Detroit and operated by Olympia Entertainment, Inc., an Ilitch-owned company (the Ilitch family also owns Little Caesar's Pizza, the Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers MLB franchise, the Fox Theatre, and other Detroit-area interests). JLA replaced Olympia Stadium. It is adjacent to Cobo Hall. Several plans for a replacement arena have been raised for years; presently, JLA is considered somewhat outdated due to its lack of luxury boxes and other revenue-generating amenities. In addition, some proposals for the expansion of Cobo Hall have required JLA to be demolished. No firm plan for a replacement is in place.
A pet theory of some Detroit residents is that the remains of Jimmy Hoffa, the infamous Teamsters chief last seen in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in 1975, might be encased in the concrete of JLA. Theories connecting Hoffa's body and sports facilities are popular; another version holds that his remains are located beneath Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Statistics
- Built: 1978
- Construction Cost: $57 million
- Seating Capacity: 20,058 (including suites)
- Dimensions: 328 x 550 x 85 (ft?), approximately 12 million ft³ (340,000 m³)
- Home Team: Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
- Former Teams: Detroit Rockers (NPSL) 1996-2001, Detroit Pistons (NBA) for one game in 1984 and 16 games in 1985, Detroit Junior Red Wings (OHL) 1991-1995, Detroit Drive (Arena Football) 1988-1993
- Opening event: December 12, 1979, basketball game between the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit
- Opening hockey event: December 15, 1979, the Detroit Red Wings versus the St. Louis Blues
- Other events: concerts, John Hancock (Insurance) Champions On Ice, college hockey, college basketball, others
- Championships: Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998 & 2002), Detroit Rockers (1991)