Home Sweet Home
21 straight wins at home. That's what it took to resurrect Hockeytown. From the fans to the players and on up to ownership, the people associated with this franchise care about the city and the community and take great pride in the Hockeytown moniker.
The last few years, though, things just haven't been the same. 21 home wins total last season and 24 the season before that, along with way too many empty seats, didn't lend credence to an entire area anointing itself Hockeytown let alone a single arena. The Joe used to be a house of horrors for opponents but seemed to have lost it's edge somewhere along the way.
Oh, how quickly things change. When the opposing team gets off the bus now they better be ready to play, because this is Hockeytown and 91% of the time we don't give up points in that old grey barn on the river.
21 straight wins and 55 straight sellouts- the community has taken notice. People are responding to this team in a way that they haven't since The Captain was captain and our locker room was the Detroit branch of the Hockey Hall of Fame. I haven't seen this many winged wheel car flags and window decals since 2002.
These recent home wins have generated points, interest, and a psychological advantage. The points have carried the Wings to the top of the standings, which will guarantee home ice throughout the playoffs if the team continues this pace. The interest comes from a portion of the fanbase that has been asleep for too long but has awoken and found their way back to the Joe. The psychological advantage comes from an extended streak of dominance, a streak that teams are thinking about before they even set foot in the building. The league has been put on notice. This is Hockeytown, and Hockeytown is back.
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