Parks & Rec Cheer Red Wings at Hockeytown
By Joe Sowmick, Contributing Writer
On Sunday March 4, approximately 50 SCIT community members attended the Joe Louis Arena in downtown Detroit. The Detroit Red Wings faced off against their Central Division, Western Conference rivals, the Chicago Black Hawks.
Charmaine Shawana and her husband Joe (a First Nations Canadian and a die hard hockey fan) made the journey to cheer on the Detroit Red Wings at Hockeytown.
“The stadium was near capacity, almost a sell-out, but I could tell there were a few Black Hawks fans there including Tribal member Craig Graverette and his family....they had their nerve...ha ha,” Shawana joked. “We all had fun and the final score was 2 to 1 Black Hawks. I must admit it was a very close game. It was my very first National Hockey League (NHL) game, and I came away with a new appreciation for hockey. Everyone had a good time and in spite of the Red Wings losing. It was really cool and I enjoyed it so much miigwetch SCIT Parks and Recreation!”
The Graverette family mentioned they “always enjoy the events that SCIT Parks and Recreation sponsor because they are very family oriented”.
“As my family, Kelly, Justin, Skylur, Dakarii and I, boarded the Hartzler bus headed for the Red Wings game, we noticed that we were the only Blackhawks fans on a bus load of Red Wing Fans. The atmosphere was a joyous one and great team spirit was in the air, no matter what team you were cheering for.” Craig Graverette exclaimed. “It was our first time to Joe Louis Arena and the first time my boys have seen a live NHL game. I think my boys cheer for the Blackhawks just because they love their dad, but my wife Kelly loves the Colorado Avalanche and wore a Blackhawks Jersey just to show support for my love of Chicago.”
Youth Facilities Assistant Chase Owl plays league hockey at the I.C.E. Arena in Mt. Pleasant and reveled at the opportunity to watch some professionals go at it.
“Joe Louis Arena was full of dedicated Red Wings fanatics, but with an ‘Original Six’ rivalry game there were plenty of screaming Blackhawks fans to cheer on their team. Even though the Red Wings had a tough loss, it was still a great game to be in attendance,” Owl said. “The game kept you on the edge of your seat up until the final seconds with plenty of scoring chances on both sides of the ice.”
Owl also mentioned that home ice losses have been minimal this year with the Red Wings setting a new league consecutive home ice 23 win record this year.
SCIT Parks & Recreation Administrative Assistant Heather DeMoines served as the travel coordinator for the Tribal entourage and was complementary toward a local bus company.
“Hartzler Transportation provided outstanding service as expected. The transportation to and from Joe Lewis Arena was smooth sailing and enjoyable,” DeMoines informs. “It is nice to have a great company here in town that can work with us and to accommodate us with such excellent service.”
DeMoines has utilized the Mt. Pleasant-based company for Tigers and Lions game and Hartzler is looking forward to a Palace of Auburn Hills excursion to see the Pistons play the Miami Heat on March 23rd.
Injuries have taken a toll on the Red Wings recently with leading scorer Pavel Datsyuk and top defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom and Jonathan Ericsson out of the line-up for their home game rival Chicago. Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock isn’t one for using injuries as an excuse for a lack of offense against the Black Hawks.
For more information on the NHL favorite Detroit Red Wings, please access their website at www.redwings.nhl.com.