from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

Joe Louis Arena was a wonderful home for the Detroit Red Wings, but as the site for training camp in the early to mid-1990s, it just wasn’t cutting it.

Then Centre ICE Arena opened in Traverse City in 1997, and the Red Wings have been mixing business with a lot of pleasure ever since in this scenic northern Michigan resort town, a four-hour drive from Detroit.

“When I became manager in ’97, I said to (coach) Scotty Bowman when I played I enjoyed when training camp was in a different city and players got an opportunity to bond, whether over dinners, beers or golf,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “Part of a team is relationship building.

“I heard rumblings about Traverse City. I flew into Traverse City, met with Pete Correia, saw the facilities, the wonderful downtown, the beautiful community full of Red Wings fans in northern Michigan. They roll out the red carpet.”

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