From the stands: Hockeyfest 2011

By Danielle Floyd –

As a Red Wings fan, there is nothing more exciting than stepping foot into Joe Louis Arena. The only thing that could make it better is having the knowledge that upon entering, you’ll be able to come face to face with your favorite players.

Many fans felt that excitement on Sept. 12 as Joe Louis Arena opened its doors for Hockeyfest 2011. The all-day event provided a great opportunity to meet players and to take a look behind the scenes at the Joe.

The family-friendly event had activities for everyone to enjoy. The day was packed full of meet and greets, games, contests and tours.

Fans were able to take tours of the locker room, check out the Olympia Club, and even get a view of the ice from way up in the press box. Fans were also given the chance to take pictures with Al the Octopus, the 2008 Stanley Cup Banner, and the Zamboni.

One of the bigger attractions that took place at ice-level was the ‘interactive hockey zone’. The interactive zones allowed for fans to brush up on their hockey skills and compete for a chance to win a Wings jersey. Not only was the hockey zone a fan favorite, but a player favorite too. Niklas Kronwall was spotted passing pucks around with a few kids while Pavel Datsyuk was seen showing off his stick handling skills.

Perhaps the best part of Hockeyfest was the chance for Wings fans to meet some of their favorite hockey players – past and present.

Current Red Wings favorites like Nick Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, and Jimmy Howard were all around to chat with fans, sign autographs, and take photos Even recently inducted Hockey-Hall-of-Famer Dino Ciccarelli was on hand for the event. Though lines were long, it seemed as if every player was happy to meet every fan that they encountered.

Autograph sessions also gave Red Wing newcomers like Ian White and Mike Commodore a chance to introduce themselves to the citizens of Hockeytown.

It was also nice to see Red Wings walking around on their own to interact with their fans. Justin Abdelkader was kind enough to challenge a few kids to a game of bubble hockey while Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller posed with fans for photos.

With all the activities and player interaction, a hockey fan couldn’t have asked for a better way to kick off the upcoming season.