“HOCKEYTOWN NORTH:” FANS FLOCK TO RED WINGS FALL TRAINING CAMP IN TRAVERSE CITY
A Press-Ready Travel Feature
From the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau
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Michael A. Norton
Media Relations
(800) 940-1120; (231) 947-1120, fax (231) 947-2621
mnorton@VisitTraverseCity.com
Photo Credit: Detroit Red Wings
Cutline: Team captain Nicklas Lidstrom breaks away during a scrimmage at the 2006 Detroit Red Wings fall training camp in Traverse City. This year’s camp will be held Sept. 20-23, just after the annual NHL prospects tournament Sept. 13-17. The camp and the tournament are both open to the public, and have become favorite events on the North American hockey circuit.
(Other high-resolution photos available on request.)
By MIKE NORTON
TRAVERSE CITY, MI – For most of the year, this resort community on Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay is best known for golf, sailing, fishing, beachcombing and other outdoor recreation. But for one week in mid-September, the most exciting action here seems to be happening indoors.
Each autumn for the past 11 years, the Detroit Red Wings have been bringing their fall prospects tournament and training camp to the Traverse City’s Centre ICE arena. For that brief time, Traverse City is transformed into “Hockeytown North,” where hundreds of fans from the U.S. and Canada come to watch and meet players from Detroit and seven other major hockey franchises in what may be the sport’s most “up close and personal” events.
“Last year we had people travel here from 38 states and Canada, and we always end up selling out for all the events,” says organizer Pete Correia, who persuaded the Red Wings to bring their fall camp to Traverse City in 1997. “Back when they held it at Joe Louis in Detroit, only a handful of people would show up.”
The camp’s popularity may have something to do with the scenic beauty and casual “Up North” atmosphere of the Traverse City area. But it’s also at least partly due to the relaxed and friendly nature of the events themselves. Fans who travel to Hockeytown North can easily find themselves staying in the same hotel or sharing a table at a local nightspot with members of a visiting team; it’s easy to strike up a conversation, and even easier to get an autograph.
The Red Wings training camp, which begins Sept. 20, features as many as 60 players divided into three separate training teams. During the first three days of the camp, players work out and play intrasquad games, culminating in a Gold Medal Game on Sept. 22 and the traditional “Red & White” game on Sept. 23.
Just as popular – and even less expensive – is the annual NHL prospects tournament that precedes the Red Wings camp. Started in 1998 with four teams, the tournament now includes hot prospects from seven teams in addition to Detroit: the Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning. Rink manager Terry Marchand says he enjoys the tournament even more than the chance to watch the Wings at practice.
“Year in and year out, this is truly the best hockey you can see anywhere,” he says. “These are eight NHL teams bringing in their top prospects to show what they can do. It’s intense, because these guys are young and hungry, and each one of them is literally fighting to prove he can do the job. You can see four games in a single night and it’ll cost you a whole five bucks.”
Since Centre ICE has two sheets of ice, there’s action going on almost incessantly during the tournament and the training camp, and spectators are allowed to wander back and forth between rinks during the day. Also, the facility has no rules against fans taking their own photographs; in fact, cameras are encouraged.
At first, Traverse City’s hotels and resorts were slow to recognize the potential of the camp and tournament, but many now offer packages and special rates to fans. The local Days Inn & Suites, for example, offers special rates to attendees – and Traverse City’s Great Wolf Lodge (whose laundry department cleans players’ uniforms each day for free) is offering specials rates, plus a free copy of the children’s book ABCs of Detroit Red Wings Hockey to the first 40 families that book a stay during the Sept. 14-18 camp. Other hotels with special hockey-related deals include the Traverse Bay Lodge and the Holiday Inn West Bay.
For information on tickets for the main camp contact Centre ICE Arena at (231) 933-7465 or log on to http://www.redwingstrainingcamp.com/ Tickets for the prospects tournament are available at the door on game day.
WHAT ELSE TO DO:
Just because the town is filled with hockey players doesn’t mean that Traverse City’s normal amenities are on hold. Au contraire! In most years September weather is balmy and gentle, with warm days and cool nights – perfect for sightseeing, excursions to the area’s many beautiful wineries, and hiking or cycling along the beautiful shore of Grand Traverse Bay, whose water is usually warm enough for swimming.
Traverse City nightlife picks up when the Wings are in town, too – particularly in the clubs along Union Street in downtown and the new Warehouse District. And those who appreciate good things to eat and drink might want to check out the Traverse Epicurean Classic, a three-day celebration of food and wine artisanship scheduled for Sept. 13-15, with international food and wine tastings, cooking classes, demonstrations, dinners, winery tours and other events.
For more information, and a comprehensive listing of area restaurants, accommodations and attractions, contact the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-TRAVERSE or on line at www.VisitTraverseCity.com
