The old NHL buildings offered unique characteristics. The oblong boards of Olympia Stadium. The smaller dimensions of Boston Garden. The mystique of the Montreal Forum.

Today’s buildings tend to be cookie cutters in terms of the rink. The boards, the glass, the ice surface are all relatively the same.

So where is a team to locate a home-ice advantage? In the case of new Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Red Wings are turning their lonely eyes to you, the fans of the team.

They believe that you are capable of providing that competitive edge.

“This is where I think home-ice advantage generally comes from,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill explained. “It’s from the momentum of the crowd. That’s where I think it comes from.

“Momentum is a huge factor in games that I don’t think gets talked about enough. You can be playing really well and all of a sudden get scored on and lose momentum. When you have the crowd behind you the opposite happens. If you’re not playing great, or if you’re getting outplayed and you score, you can really build off that momentum.

“When I look out and see what this building is going to be like, I think it’s a building that can build momentum. So I’m excited about that.”

During construction of Little Caesars Arena, the Wings set out to mimic Montreal’s Bell Centre as much as possible, because Detroit general manager Ken Holland is convinced that it is the most intimidating building in the NHL.

They sought to copy the steep incline of the seating area, and to also ensure they were no gaps, so that everywhere a player looked from ice level, they would see spectators.

The belief is that Wings fans will be able to envelope the ice surface in noise.

“If the fans are 100 percent in, for sure,” said Detroit forward Anthony Mantha, who grew up in Montreal attending games at the Bell Centre. “They did a great job of trying to keep the sound going up and down, and not losing it towards the sides.

“It’s all for the fans. If they decide to be loud, this building could get crazy.”

Another trait they got right was to keep the fans involved. Blashill, for one, likes the intimacy of the layout.

“I know Ken Holland and (team owner) Chris Ilitch really worked hard to make sure the design of the building was such that the crowd was going to be on top of you,” Blashill said. “They used as steep of an angle as they can under (building) code today. They created the gondolas to help create that intimate type of feeling.

“When I sit up in the stands, it feels like you’re on top of the ice. Certainly when I’m on the bench, as you look up it feels like you’re on top of the ice. It should be great for momentum.”

Bert Hurting
One player from last season’s Grand Rapids AHL Calder Cup-winning roster who the Wings felt could crack their roster isn’t getting a chance to display his wares during the preseason.

Forward Tyler Bertuzzi is out 3-4 weeks after an MRI determined that he was suffering from tendon inflammation in his wrist.

Nothing Personal
Restricted free agent forward Andreas Athanasiou remains a holdout, locked in a contract stalemate with the Wings, and according to Blashill, he doesn’t even give Athanasiou a second thought.

In fact, it’s a point of view he feels as a coach he must take.

“I spend every second thinking about the guys that are here and how we’re going to maximize the guys that are here and available,” Blashill explained. “More importantly not just here, but available to me.

“There’s guys that are out injured. I care about them. I hope they get better. But my total focus, 100 percent, is on the group that’s available to me.”

Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer

Join the Discussion: » 9 Comments » Post New Comment

» Five of Last Six First Rounders To Start Season In AHL

» Zadina, Veleno sent down

» Opening-Night Roster Not Set In Stone

» Back Where Pro Hockey Started

» Abdelkader Looking To Bounce Back