Spirit to host Windsor in 'Farewell to the Joe' game at Joe Louis Arena in December

The Saginaw Spirit announced on Wednesday it will host the Windsor Spitfires for an OHL farewell to the Joe game set for 4 pm on Sunday Dec. 4 at Joe Louis Arena in Downtown Detroit. 

 

This will not the be first time the two teams will have met in Detroit. Back in the 2013-14 OHL season, the Spirit and Spitfires competed in the Hockeytown Winter Festival at Comerica Park as part of the 2014 NHL Winter Classic which featured the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs in an outdoor game at the University of Michigan football stadium on New Years Day. 

 

The Spitfires would get the best of the Spirit 6-5 in an historic battle, which was the first OHL game ever played outdoors, while also setting an OHL single game attendance record (at the time) with 25,749 fans on Dec. 29, 2014 prior to the Plymouth Whalers beating the London Knights 2-1 in the second half of a double header, adding to the attendance record (26,384 fans) that same day. 

 

When the two teams meet this time in Detroit the game will feature 14 NHL drafted players along with another 12 players who are eligible for the next NHL draft. 

 

Ontario Hockey League commissioner David Branch noted the historical importance of Joe Louis Arena and its ties to the OHL as the one time venue for the Detroit Junior Red Wings (1992-95) a team that would compete for a Memorial Cup after winning the 1995 J. Ross Robertson Cup (OHL Champions) under current NHL coach Paul Maurice (Winnipeg Jets) who also played for the Windsor Spitfires. 

 

“With the rich junior hockey tradition of the Joe Louis Arena, the Ontario Hockey League is looking forward to the upcoming 'OHL's Farewell to the Joe' event,” Commissioner Branch said in an email. “This is a home game for the Saginaw Spirit, but we wish to show the league's support and respect for the historical importance of the facility and the many OHL alumni and champions that have called the JLA their home.”

 

Saginaw has a strong history with the Detroit Red Wings beginning with former Spirit forward Jan Muršak -who would go on to play for the Wings at the Joe- to former Spirit players; Eddie Pasquale, Jake Paterson, and Dylan Sadowy who are currently working their way through Detroit's minor league system, along with current Spirit defenseman Filip Hronek (drafted by the Red Wings in the second round of the 2016 NHL draft). 

 

The Spirit also added former Red Wing GM Jimmy Devellano and former Stanley Cup Champion/Red Wing goal tender Chris Osgood to its ownership group earlier this year.

 

Spirit President/Associate Governor Craig Goslin hinted the Dec. 4, event will be as much fun for the fans off the ice as it will be to watch on the ice, as the Spirit's game day operations crew will have a lot of special attractions planned for the fans. 

 

“The Saginaw Spirit wishes to thank the Detroit Red Wings and Olympia Entertainment for their great hospitality and support, as we invite you to come be part of a very special game day when we host the Windsor Spitfires on Dec. 4th,” Goslin said. “This event gives OHL fans their chance to say farewell to the Joe Louis Arena. The game on ice will be full of NHL drafted players and off the ice, the game day operations of the Spirit will entertain the fans with mascots, activities, the world famous Zooperstars and much more. The OHL Farewell to the Joe is a 'Can't Miss Event' that will leave you highly entertained.”