Have any Wings players ever commented about the city of Detroit itself?

[Jdes91]

Crime, housing vacancy, bankrupcy stuff like that

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[Rzombo4 prez]

Crime, housing vacancy, bankrupcy stuff like that

Why do you ask?

 

[MBH]

I think Jurco said there wasn't anything to do.
I bet the players are warned early about PR disasters like wealthy white millionaire athletes talking about crime in Detroit.

 

[FabricDetails]

Why to you ask?

Maybe he's a free agent gathering some candid, anecdotal accounts.

 

[Jdes91]

Oh for sure, it would make sense for them to avoid saying anything disparaging. Just curious cause guys like Kane have said negative things about Winnipeg so I wondered if any of them had something to say about Detroit.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

Crime, housing vacancy, bankrupcy stuff like that

Why would they? This seems incredibly rife for being taken out of context and it 100% blowing up in their face. When the time is necessary for players to take a stand (1967 with Willie Horton walking in full Tigers uniform down to the middle of the riots to try to help calm things down tDetroit Tiger Willie Horton tried to bring peace during the 1967 riots), they will take a stand.

It is also a little bit of a side effect in that you'd only call out that kind of stuff if you're a city lifer. If it's your hometown, like it was for Willie. If you're Valterri Filppula and you're potentially going back to Finland once you're done wiht hockey... what do you care about Detroit the city?

 

[kliq]

I also don’t think many of them live in Detroit. Don’t most players live out in the suburbs anyways?

I guess that’s still technically Detroit, but like others said, rich white athletes taking shots at the city of Detroit will only lead to issues for the athlete regardless of the motivation.

 

[FabricDetails]

Does anyone have an idea of how many players actually live in Detroit?

 

[HisNoodliness]

It's pretty rare that players will talk poorly about the city. just a PR nightmare. Most of them live in nice neighborhoods outside downtown and such, so I don't think they get a ton of exposure to the other side of Detroit. Gated communities do so much to make sure you never meet people from the other side of the tracks. I'd be surprised if they think about the crime, vacancies etc in Detroit much more than I do living in Toronto. I imagine the players probably find it a little boring more than anything. The vets seem to like living in Detroit quite a bit as they stick around.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Does anyone have an idea of how many players actually live in Detroit?

Larkin lives somewhere he can walk to the arena. I know that has been mentioned and I fell like there are a couple that have talked about Corktown. Usually the younger guys.

The older vets generally live in either Novi/Northville or Birmingham/Bloomfield Hills.

The school systems are a factor.

Opposing players have trashed Detroit. Most players like the market once they actually see it. However, I don't think a ton of the athletes love downtown.

Suh is the last one I can think of itching to leave.

 

[FabricDetails]

Larkin lives somewhere he can walk to the arena. I know that has been mentioned and I fell like there are a couple that have talked about Corktown. Usually the younger guys.

The older vets generally live in either Novi/Northville or Birmingham/Bloomfield Hills.

The school systems are a factor.

Opposing players have trashed Detroit. Most players like the market once they actually see it. However, I don't think a ton of the athletes love downtown.

Suh is the last one I can think of itching to leave.

I thought Novi was home to several of the Swedish players (sans Henrik Zetterberg in Bloomfield Hills) while Babs and Lidstrom were the only ones in Northville. Now they're all gone and I don't recall hearing of any other vets who live in that area so it wouldn't surprise me if more players live around/closer to Detroit.

 

[newfy]

Larkin lives somewhere he can walk to the arena. I know that has been mentioned and I fell like there are a couple that have talked about Corktown. Usually the younger guys.

The older vets generally live in either Novi/Northville or Birmingham/Bloomfield Hills.

The school systems are a factor.

Opposing players have trashed Detroit. Most players like the market once they actually see it. However, I don't think a ton of the athletes love downtown.

Suh is the last one I can think of itching to leave.

Mike Commodore always talked about how he actually got an apartment right downtown and he liked it. That was right near when downtown was being revitalised a bit. I would think a lot of the younger guys especially would live close to the arena nowadays with how gentrified the area is becoming so that doesnt surprise me about Larkin one bit.

I was getting dropped off at a tailgate by a bus driver after everyone had got off at a different stop and he had time to kill so he gave us a quick tour around the areas that are being fixed up and the difference is crazy. You used to be able to shoot a cannonball through some of these areas and the only thing you might hit is a crackhead but now its full of young professionals

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Mike Commodore always talked about how he actually got an apartment right downtown and he liked it. That was right near when downtown was being revitalised a bit. I would think a lot of the younger guys especially would live close to the arena nowadays with how gentrified the area is becoming so that doesnt surprise me about Larkin one bit.

I was getting dropped off at a tailgate by a bus driver after everyone had got off at a different stop and he had time to kill so he gave us a quick tour around the areas that are being fixed up and the difference is crazy. You used to be able to shoot a cannonball through some of these areas and the only thing you might hit is a crackhead but now its full of young professionals

I remember being told this would never happen when they built it...

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

The city has changed so much in the last 10 years that certain parts are almost unrecognizable for the better, IMO.

I grew up in Detroit in the 80's/90's and the only reason to visit the city was for the Tigers or Red Wings. You'd park near the Joe or Cobo Hall, or somewhere near the people mover. Maybe get a bite to eat at Greektown, visit trappers alley, then head to the game. After the game it was a mad dash back to your car because of how unsafe Detroit was at night during this time.

Tigers games at the old tigers stadium were even less safe. Corktown wasn't as friendly in the 90's as it is now. It was pretty much liquor store/pawn shop/dive bar/liquor store/gunshop/pawn shop on your way to old Tiger Stadium. Maybe you'd be harassed by a crackhead, maybe you'd see someone passed out in the alley. When you visit now there's brand new condos, lots of hipster bars and cafes, restaurants, and things to do other than the Gaelic club.

I'm still waiting to see what will happen with District Detroit, though. It'd be great if we got rid of all those empty parking lots up and down Woodward in midtown and put parking structures and new buildings there.

 

[Bench]

You used to be able to shoot a cannonball through some of these areas and the only thing you might hit is a crackhead but now its full of young professionals

The "who you would hit with a cannonball" test is seriously underutilized.

 

[newfy]

The "who you would hit with a cannonball" test is seriously underutilized.

Lol is that not a common saying about shooting a cannonball through somewhere? I say that all the time, never actually tried it though hard to find a cannon these days

 

[Mlotek]

Datsyuk had one of his homes in Bloomfield

1267 Club Drive, Bloomfield Township

Pavel Datsyuk's $4.5M home in Bloomfield Twp. includes panic room, theater

For some reason I recall his other house hitting the market between 2013-2016.


IIRC, the homes Fyodorov was defaulting on were also in Bloomfield Hills.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Datsyuk had one of his homes in Bloomfield

1267 Club Drive, Bloomfield Township

Pavel Datsyuk's $4.5M home in Bloomfield Twp. includes panic room, theater

For some reason I recall his other house hitting the market between 2013-2016.


IIRC, the homes Fyodorov was defaulting on were also in Bloomfield Hills.

Fedorov still owns the house he lived in when he left the Wings. Spends time each summer there.

 

[Gniwder]

Maybe he's a free agent gathering some candid, anecdotal accounts.

Is he left handed and can he play D?

 

[FabricDetails]

Is he left handed and can he play D?

If he makes it us Michiganders will have to teach him how to point to his hand.

 

[Mlotek]

Fedorov still owns the house he lived in when he left the Wings. Spends time each summer there.

That's possible.

All I recall is that he was defaulting on multiple properties in the Detroit area when he left Washington for the KHL.

 

[Gniwder]

That's possible.

All I recall is that he was defaulting on multiple properties in the Detroit area when he left Washington for the KHL.

Lost all his money in Joseph Zada's Ponzi scheme, I don't think he ever filed bankruptcy but bankruptcy does usually protect primary residence. Maybe he just used the KHL money to pay for that one house.