Joe Louis Arena - wikipedia Joe Louis Arena Joe Louis Arena The Joe Address 19 Steve Yzerman Drive Location Detroit, Michigan Coordinates 42 ° 19 ′ 31 '' N 83 ° 3 ′ 5 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 42.32528 ° N 83.05139 ° W ﻿ / 42.32528 ; - 83.05139 Coordinates : 42 ° 19 ′ 31 '' N 83 ° 3 ′ 5 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 42.32528 ° N 83.05139 ° W ﻿ / 42.32528 ; - 83.05139 Owner City of Detroit Operator Olympia Entertainment Capacity Ice hockey : 19,275 ( 1979 -- 1989 ) 19,875 ( 1989 -- 1996 ) 19,983 ( 1996 -- 2000 ) 19,995 ( 2000 -- 2001 ) 20,058 ( 2001 -- 2003 ) 20,066 ( 2003 -- 2014 ) 20,027 ( 2014 -- 2017 ) Basketball : 20,153 Concerts : 21,666 Construction Broke ground May 16, 1977 Opened December 12, 1979 Closed July 30, 2017 Construction cost US $57 million ( $192 million in 2017 dollars ) Architect SmithGroupJJR General contractor Barton Malow Tenants Detroit Red Wings ( NHL ) ( 1979 -- 2017 ) Detroit Pistons ( NBA ) ( 1985 ) Detroit Drive ( AFL ) ( 1988 -- 1993 ) Detroit Turbos ( MILL ) ( 1989 -- 1994 ) Detroit Compuware Ambassadors ( OHL ) ( 1991 -- 92 ) Detroit Junior Red Wings ( OHL ) ( 1992 -- 1995 ) Detroit Rockers ( NPSL ) ( 1996 -- 2000 ) Inside Joe Louis Arena. The retired numbers of former Detroit Red Wings players displayed at Joe Louis Arena. Panorama of Joe Louis Arena in April 2008. The Detroit Shock practice at Joe Louis Arena before Game 5 of the 2006 WNBA Finals. Joe Louis Arena is a defunct multi-purpose arena in Detroit, Michigan. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $57 million as a replacement for the Detroit Olympia, it sits adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and is accessible by the Joe Louis Arena station on the Detroit People Mover. The venue is named after former heavyweight champion boxer Joe Louis, who grew up in Detroit. It was the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and the second oldest NHL venue after Madison Square Garden until the start of the 2017 - 18 NHL season. Joe Louis Arena is owned by the city of Detroit, and operated by Olympia Entertainment, a subsidiary of team owner Ilitch Holdings. In April 2017, the Red Wings hosted their final game at Joe Louis Arena ; the venue was succeeded by the new Little Caesars Arena, in Midtown Detroit, for the 2017 -- 18 season. Joe Louis Arena will be demolished, and its site slated for redevelopment. The arena closed on July 30, 2017. Demolition was scheduled to begin in September, but Olympia renewed the lease of the arena with the city and are using The Joe as storage and offices until November. Olympia Entertainment moved out in November, and demolition is planned to begin in May 2018. Contents 1 History 1.1 Replacement 2 Other tenants and events 3 References 4 External links History Joe Louis Arena replaced the Detroit Olympia, where the Detroit Red Wings had played since 1927. The neighborhood around the Olympia had gradually deteriorated, especially after the 1967 Detroit riot. After two murders near the Olympia, Red Wings owner Bruce Norris seriously considered moving to a proposed arena in suburban Pontiac. However, the city of Detroit countered with a proposal for a new riverfront arena at one - third of the rent Pontiac was offering. The package also gave the Red Wings operational control of the arena, nearby Cobo Arena and nearby lots. The arena hosted its first event on December 12, 1979 : a college basketball game between the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit. The Red Wings played their first game at Joe Louis Arena on December 27, 1979, hosting the St. Louis Blues. Later that first season it hosted the 32nd NHL All - Star Game on February 5, 1980, which was played before a then - NHL record crowd of 21,002. Joe Louis Arena was the site of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, which marked the first NHL Entry Draft to be held in the United States. In 1980, the arena hosted the Republican National Convention that nominated Ronald Reagan as the Republican candidate for President of the United States. The electronic scoreboard at Joe Louis Arena, during a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Los Angeles Kings on March 9, 2007 In 1990, color matrix boards were installed on the scoreboard ; these were replaced by four Sony JumboTron video walls three years later, when the matrix boards were placed in the corners of the fascia. In 2006, LED video screens replaced the JumboTrons. The screens debuted November 22, 2006, when the Red Wings played the Vancouver Canucks. That same day, the arena 's West Entrance was named the `` Gordie Howe Entrance '' in honor of the legendary Red Wing player, and a bronze statue of Howe was placed inside the entrance. Joe Louis Arena houses 86 premium suites. In 2008, the arena introduced the Comerica Bank Legend 's Club, a 181 - person private seating location in the arena 's southeast corner. Replacement Main article : Little Caesars Arena On July 20, 2014, following the July 2013 approval of a $650 million project to build a new sports and entertainment district in Downtown Detroit, Christopher Ilitch unveiled designs for a new arena near Comerica Park and Ford Field which was completed in 2017 and succeeded Joe Louis Arena as the home of the Red Wings. On October 16, 2014, lawyers involved in the ongoing Detroit bankruptcy case disclosed in court that after demolition ( which will be paid for by the city and state ), the land on which the arena stands, along with an adjacent parking lot, will be transferred to the Financial Guaranty Insurance Company ( FGIC ), a bond insurer with a $1 billion claim against the city. The Red Wings ' final game at Joe Louis Arena was played on April 9, 2017 against the New Jersey Devils. The Red Wings won 4 -- 1, the final goal in the arena 's history coming from Red Wing Riley Sheahan. It was the second of two he scored, which were also the only goals he scored at all during the 2016 -- 17 season. The last ticketed event held at The Joe was a WWE Live Event, held on July 29, 2017. Other tenants and events In 1995, the Detroit Junior Red Wings won the Ontario Hockey League 's J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Guelph Storm. Joe Louis Arena hosted college hockey events as part of College Hockey at The Joe, the Great Lakes Invitational, and the Big Ten Conference hockey tournament in 2015 and 2017. The Detroit Pistons of the NBA used the arena for Game 5 of their 1984 playoff series against the New York Knicks when the Pontiac Silverdome was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict. In the game, Pistons star Isiah Thomas scored 16 points in the final 1 : 34 of regulation to send the game into overtime before the Pistons lost. The Pistons were forced to return to Joe Louis Arena for 15 games during the 1984 -- 85 season, after the roof of the Silverdome collapsed during a snowstorm. The National Hockey League 's Detroit Red Wings hosted the Stanley Cup Finals at the arena six times ( 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008, and 2009 ), and won two of their Stanley Cup championships at Joe Louis Arena in 1997 and 2002. The 1998 Stanley Cup championship was won in Washington, D.C. 's MCI Center and the 2008 championship was won in Pittsburgh 's Mellon Arena. The Red Wings lost in the Finals to New Jersey in 1995 at the Meadowlands Arena and lost on home ice in the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals to Pittsburgh. Joe Louis Arena was the site of the decisive Game 5 of the 2006 WNBA Finals between the Sacramento Monarchs and Detroit Shock on September 9, due to The Palace of Auburn Hills ( the Shock 's usual home arena ) being used for a Mariah Carey concert on the same day. The Shock won the game 80 -- 75 to clinch the championship. Former Arena Football League team the Detroit Drive also had success during their time at the arena, playing in six consecutive ArenaBowls from 1988 to 1993 and winning four of them. Four of the games ( ArenaBowl III, ArenaBowl IV, ArenaBowl V and ArenaBowl VII ) were played in Joe Louis Arena. Joe Louis Arena was the site of the 2013 edition of the Skate America figure skating competition. In addition, Joe Louis Arena hosted the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, best known for the pre-competition attack on Nancy Kerrigan by associates of Tonya Harding. It was announced on May 7, 2015, that the Horizon League Men 's Basketball Tournament would be held in Detroit beginning in 2016 under a five - year deal ; the 2016 and 2017 tournaments were held at Joe Louis Arena. Joe Louis Arena was also a concert venue. Until the Palace of Auburn Hills was built in 1988, Joe Louis Arena was Michigan 's largest indoor arena for concerts. The first concert to take place there occurred on February 17, 1980, in which Max Webster opened for the Canadian rock group Rush. To compensate for most of Joe Louis Arena 's concert business being moved north following the opening of the Palace, the Red Wings began a tradition of playing a home game on New Year 's Eve. Aside from lockouts cancelling part or all of the 1994 -- 95, 2004 -- 05, and 2012 -- 13 seasons, the Red Wings left the New Year 's Eve date open in years they were scheduled to participate in the NHL Winter Classic. For New Year 's Eve 2012 and 2013, the Zac Brown Band held concerts at the Joe. The 2012 date was open due to the planned 2013 Winter Classic that was postponed by lockout until 2014. References Jump up ^ `` Arena Info : General Information ''. The Detroit Red Wings. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Begin Work on Stadium ''. The Ludington Daily News. May 17, 1977. Retrieved December 8, 2012. Jump up ^ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. `` Consumer Price Index ( estimate ) 1800 -- ''. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018. Jump up ^ `` JLA Construction ''. Detroit Red Wings. October 1, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Wojnowski, Bob ( August 10, 2010 ). `` Competitive Spirit Makes Mike Ilitch Perfect Fit for Pistons ''. The Detroit News. Retrieved March 2, 2011. Jump up ^ `` About Olympia Entertainment ''. Retrieved July 2, 2017. Jump up ^ https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2018/02/03/demolition-detroit-joe-louis-arena/1088694001/ Jump up ^ Khan, Ansar ( December 26, 2009 ). `` Red Wings Celebrate 30th Anniversary of Joe Louis Arena ''. Michigan Live. Retrieved March 2, 2011. Jump up ^ `` NHL All - Star Game Summaries / Results by Year ''. National Hockey League. Retrieved March 2, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Joe Louis Arena ''. Ballparks.com. Retrieved March 2, 2011. Jump up ^ Muller, David ( July 24, 2013 ). `` $650 Million Detroit Red Wings Arena Project Clears Another Public Financing Hurdle ''. MLive. Retrieved July 24, 2013. Jump up ^ Shea, Bill ( June 19, 2013 ). `` DDA, Red Wings Unveil $650 Million Arena and Entertainment Complex ''. Crain 's Detroit Business. Retrieved June 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Detroit Rink City : Ilitches ' grand plan to supersize the entertainment district ''. Crain 's Detroit Business. Retrieved September 21, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Detroit bankruptcy deal : Joe Louis Arena site to go to creditor for hotel development ''. MILive.com. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` Watch Red Wings ' Riley Sheahan end 79 - game drought with first goal ''. MLive. Retrieved 31 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` What slump ? Riley Sheahan scores two goals in Joe Louis Arena finale ''. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 31 May 2017. Jump up ^ Sipple, George ( September 24, 2014 ). `` New Detroit Arena Will Be in Mix to Host Many Events ''. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 18, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Moving Horizon League tourney to Detroit is all about branding ''. Detroit News. Digital First Media. May 7, 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` February 17th, 1980 Rush ticket stub ''. Archived from the original on 2016 - 04 - 15. External links Metro Detroit portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joe Louis Arena. Official website Video review of Joe Louis Arena Red Wings Deal is a Catch 22 -- Detroit Free Press Article hide Events and tenants Preceded by Detroit Olympia Home of the Detroit Red Wings 1979 -- 2017 Succeeded by Little Caesars Arena Preceded by Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Host of the NHL All - Star Game 1980 Succeeded by The Forum Preceded by Olympic Center Host of the Frozen Four 1985 Succeeded by Providence Civic Center Preceded by Providence Civic Center Host of the Frozen Four Succeeded by Olympic Center Preceded by Saint Paul Civic Center Host of the Frozen Four 1990 Succeeded by Saint Paul Civic Center Preceded by Madison Square Garden Home of the Royal Rumble 2009 Succeeded by Philips Arena Links to related articles Downtown Detroit Areas Broadway Avenue Historic District Capitol Park Historic District Detroit Financial District Detroit International Riverfront Grand Circus Park Historic District Greektown Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings Park Avenue Historic District Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District Washington Boulevard Historic District Education Primary & Secondary Schools Detroit Public Schools Other education Detroit Public Library Skillman Branch Wayne County Community College University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Skyscrapers and complexes 150 West Jefferson Book Tower Buhl Building Chrysler House Compuware World Headquarters Crowne Plaza Detroit Downtown Riverfront Guardian Building Industrial Building One Detroit Center One Woodward Avenue Penobscot Building Renaissance Center Riverfront Condominiums Detroit David Stott Building Westin Book Cadillac Hotel Meridian Health Plan Headquarters ( proposed ) Detroit Statler Hotel ( demolished ) Parks Campus Martius Park Other landmarks Bagley Memorial Fountain Cobo Center Comerica Park Detroit Building Detroit Opera House Detroit Public Safety Headquarters Elwood Bar Farwell Building The Fillmore Detroit Ford Field Fort Shelby Hotel Fort Street Presbyterian Church Fox Theatre Greektown Casino Hotel Griswold Building Senior Apartments Joe Louis Arena MGM Grand Detroit Michigan Soldiers ' and Sailors ' Monument Park Avenue House Town Apartments Wayne County Building Women 's City Club Coleman A. Young Municipal Center Ford Auditorium ( demolished ) Detroit People Mover stations Broadway Bricktown Cadillac Center Cobo Center Financial District Fort / Cass Grand Circus Park Greektown Joe Louis Arena Michigan Avenue Millender Center Renaissance Center Times Square This list is incomplete. The Michigan State University College of Law was in Downtown Detroit prior to 1997 and was known as the `` Detroit College of Law. '' Detroit Red Wings Founded in 1926 Based in Detroit, Michigan Franchise Team General managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks Seasons Current season History History ( Original Six ) Records Award winners Retired numbers Personnel Owner Ilitch Holdings ( Christopher Ilitch, chairman ) General manager Ken Holland Head coach Jeff Blashill Team captain Henrik Zetterberg Current roster Arenas Windsor Arena Olympia Stadium Joe Louis Arena Little Caesars Arena Rivalries Chicago Blackhawks Toronto Maple Leafs Affiliates AHL Grand Rapids Griffins ECHL Toledo Walleye Media TV Fox Sports Detroit Ken Daniels Mickey Redmond Radio WXYT WXYT - FM Ken Kal Paul Woods Culture and lore Victoria Cougars Al the Octopus Grind Line Hockeytown Legend of the Octopus Production Line Red Wings -- Avalanche brawl Hakan Andersson `` Stanley 's Cup '' ( South Park ) Russian Five Karen Newman Budd Lynch Al Sobotka London Lions Do n't Stop Believin ' 1938 European tour 1954 prison game 2009 NHL Winter Classic 2014 NHL Winter Classic 2016 NHL Stadium Series NHL Centennial Classic Detroit Pistons Founded in 1941 Formerly the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons ( 1941 -- 1948 ) and the Fort Wayne Pistons ( 1948 -- 1957 ) Based in Detroit, Michigan Franchise Franchise All - time roster Seasons Draft history Head coaches Current season Arenas North Side High School Gym Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Olympia Stadium Memorial Building Grosse Pointe High School Cobo Arena Pontiac Silverdome Joe Louis Arena The Palace of Auburn Hills Little Caesars Arena G League affiliate Grand Rapids Drive Retired numbers Bill Davidson Jack McCloskey 10 11 15 16 21 32 40 Hall of Famers Walt Bellamy Dave Bing Larry Brown Chuck Daly Adrian Dantley Dave DeBusschere Joe Dumars Harry Gallatin Grant Hill Bob Houbregs Bailey Howell Allen Iverson Bob Lanier Earl Lloyd Bob McAdoo Bobby McDermott Tracy McGrady Dick McGuire Andy Phillip Dennis Rodman Isiah Thomas George Yardley Fred Zollner NBA Championships ( 3 ) 1989 1990 Conference Championships ( 7 ) 1955 1956 1988 1989 1990 2005 Culture and lore Hooper Jordan Rules 1990 Detroit riot John Mason Pacers -- Pistons brawl Rivals Boston Celtics Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Lakers Broadcasters TV Fox Sports Detroit Radio WXYT - FM Announcers George Blaha Greg Kelser Mark Champion Rick Mahorn Massachusetts Marauders Formerly the Detroit Drive Founded in 1988 Folded in 1994 Based in Worcester, Massachusetts Franchise Franchise Seasons Players Arenas Joe Louis Arena DCU Center Head coaches Marcum Moss Marcum Strock Playoff appearances ( 7 ) 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 ArenaBowl appearances ( 6 ) II III IV V VI VII Hall of Fame members John Corker Dwayne Dixon Mike Ilitch George LaFrance Tim Marcum Perry Moss Gary Mullen Tate Randle Alvin Rettig Gary Vitto Seasons ( 5 ) 1980s 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 Olympia Entertainment Founded in 1982 Division of Ilitch Holdings Teams Detroit Red Wings ( NHL ) ( 1982 -- present ) Detroit Tigers ( MLB ) ( 1993 -- present ) Venues Fox Theatre City Theatre Joe Louis Arena ( operator ) Comerica Park ( operator ) Little Caesars Arena ( operator ) DTE Energy Music Theatre ( joint manager ) Freedom Hill Amphitheatre ( joint manager ) Meadow Brook Amphitheatre ( joint manager ) Ventures 313 Presents People Marian Ilitch Christopher Ilitch Mike Ilitch ( 1929 -- 2017 ) Olympia Entertainment Venues of the Republican National Convention Musical Fund Hall ( 1856 ) Wigwam ( 1860 ) Front Street Theater ( 1864 ) Crosby 's Opera House ( 1868 ) Academy of Music ( 1872 ) Exposition Hall ( Cincinnati ) ( 1876 ) Interstate Exposition Building ( 1880 ) Exposition Hall ( Chicago ) ( 1884 ) Auditorium ( 1888 ) Industrial Exposition Building ( 1892 ) St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall ( 1896 ) Convention Hall ( 1900 ) Chicago Coliseum ( 1904 ) Chicago Coliseum ( 1908 ) Chicago Coliseum ( 1912 ) Chicago Coliseum ( 1916 ) Chicago Coliseum ( 1920 ) Public Auditorium ( 1924 ) Convention Hall ( 1928 ) Chicago Stadium ( 1932 ) Public Auditorium ( 1936 ) Convention Hall ( 1940 ) Chicago Stadium ( 1944 ) Convention Hall ( 1948 ) International Amphitheatre ( 1952 ) Cow Palace ( 1956 ) International Amphitheatre ( 1960 ) Cow Palace ( 1964 ) Miami Beach Convention Center ( 1968 ) Miami Beach Convention Center ( 1972 ) Kemper Arena ( 1976 ) Joe Louis Arena ( 1980 ) Dallas Convention Center ( 1984 ) Louisiana Superdome ( 1988 ) Houston Astrodome ( 1992 ) San Diego Convention Center ( 1996 ) First Union Center ( 2000 ) Madison Square Garden ( 2004 ) Xcel Energy Center ( 2008 ) Tampa Bay Times Forum ( 2012 ) Quicken Loans Arena ( 2016 ) Music venues of Michigan Outdoor venues Chene Park Clio Area Amphitheater Comerica Park DTE Energy Music Theatre Theaters and clubs DeVos Performance Hall Fillmore Detroit Fox Theater Heritage Theatre Hill Auditorium Detroit Masonic Temple Miller Auditorium Temple Theatre Wharton Center The Whiting Arenas Berry Events Center Birch Run Expo Center Breslin Center Convocation Center Crisler Center DeltaPlex Arena DeVos Fieldhouse Ford Field GVSU Fieldhouse Joe Louis Arena Kellogg Arena Little Caesars Arena McMorran Place O'Neill Arena The Palace of Auburn Hills Perani Arena and Event Center Pontiac Silverdome Van Andel Arena Van Noord Arena Wendler Arena Wings Event Center City of Detroit Architecture Culture Detroit River Economy Fire & Rescue Freeways Government History Timeline Historic places International Riverfront Media Music Neighborhoods Parks and beaches People Police & Crime Performing arts Skyscrapers Sports Tourism Transportation Water works Metro Detroit Michigan United States Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joe_Louis_Arena&oldid=838882901 '' Categories : Olympia Entertainment 1979 establishments in Michigan 2017 disestablishments in Michigan Unused buildings in Michigan Sports venues in Detroit Downtown Detroit Sports venues completed in 1979 Defunct arena football venues Basketball venues in Michigan Defunct basketball venues in the United States Defunct college ice hockey venues in the United States Defunct college basketball venues in the United States Defunct National Hockey League venues Detroit Pistons venues Detroit Red Wings arenas Former National Basketball Association venues Indoor ice hockey venues in Detroit Defunct indoor lacrosse venues in the United States Indoor soccer venues in Michigan Ontario Hockey League arenas Hidden categories : Pages using deprecated image syntax Coordinates on Wikidata All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2015 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Cebuano Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara Français 한국어 हिन्दी Italiano עברית Latviešu 日本 語 Norsk Polski Русский Simple English Slovenčina Suomi Svenska Українська 13 more Edit links This page was last edited on 29 April 2018, at 22 : 08. 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Question: when did the red wings move to joe louis arena
Answer: December 27, 1979