I didn’t think people from Detroit were afraid of anything.

Apparently, I’ve given them way too much credit. Apparently, they’re afraid of a little snow.

The downtown Detroit area got six inches of snow on Wednesday and that was enough to keep Red Wings fans away from the new Little Caesars Arena. When you’re from New England, six inches of snow is considered a dusting and isn’t something that would keep any self-respecting hardcore hockey fan away.

But anybody who watched the "Wednesday Night Rivalry Game" on NBCSN got an eyeful of empty red seats in the lower bowl at LCA that made Detroit look like anything but HockeyTown. Skipping the game would be understandable if the Motor City was truly in the thrall of a nasty blizzard, but instead Wings fans looked like a player turtling in a hockey fight with the sad attendance. Weak sauce, in my opinion.

Next time just shut down the entire city and cancel everything when an inch or two is in the forecast.

-Joe Haggert of NBCSports Boston