Motown mojo - The Fans Speak Out

Hockey Digest, March, 2002 by Debra Wells

I beg to differ with Alan Grove's letter ["Fans," January]. Perhaps there is legitimate argument for other cities besides Detroit to be dubbed the hockey city, but I, for one, would certainly never trade Detroit for Toronto, home of the rude and supercilious. Having visited there more times than I've cared to, because of sports events and so on, I have invariably had negative experiences with merchants, venue staff, and other terribly self-important people whose tendency to view fans of other teams as lesser beings has on more than one occasion tainted my enjoyment of the event.

At Joe Louis, everyone is welcome, people talk, actually look one another in the eye to discuss hockey, and are just down-to-earth folks who love their team. It's a comfortable place to be. For me--and 20,000 of my. closest friends--it is "Hockeytown."

Debra Wells
St. Clair Beach, Ontario