Copyright WDIV ClickOnDetroit
DETROIT – Red Wings fans are gearing up for the highly anticipated “100 Years of Hockeytown: A Night at the Fox Theatre” event happening tonight, Saturday, Nov. 8, as part of the centennial season celebrations. Hosted by longtime and legendary Red Wings broadcasters Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond, the event showcases five powerful acts told by alumni celebrating Hockeytown’s rich history. Daniels spoke with Local 4 about how tonight’s event will capture 100 years of Hockeytown history through iconic moments such as “25 Years of Greatness,” “The Russian Five,” “Goalies of Hockeytown,” “Fight Night at The Joe,” and “Stories with Stanley.” “When you win the Stanley Cup, the players all get a day with the Stanley Cup and what they do with it -- there are many stories to tell, he said. ”So all those stories behind the scenes and Chris Chelios, I’m sure, is a few of those. So to try to capture some of what’s gone on in the past so the fans can hear -- I think will be a wonderful, wonderful event at the Fox Theater.” He also recalled a memorable moment involving his day with the iconic cup at his daughter’s elementary school. “The keeper of the cup was bringing it in, but locked his keys in his SUV, and the Stanley Cup got locked in there with it. So we had to call the West Bloomfield police to unlock the vehicle. I think it made the papers at the time. This was in 2002, after that Stanley Cup, and the West Bloomfield police department, as you can imagine, were more than ready to come and help out and get their own pictures with the Stanley Cup. It’s little things like that you don’t expect.” Daniels hopes the current team, whom he fondly calls the “kids,” will draw motivation from the weekend’s celebration of history and the presence of returning legends. “It’s paying it forward for the young group, and they know the history,” he said. “When they see a retired jersey go up in the rafters, hopefully, they’re watching on YouTube if they’re too young to have seen what Sergei Fedorov was able to do, that we got to see the great Sergei Fedorov play. It’ll be wonderful to see him honored in January and to see him at FanFest and at the Fox Theatre.” When asked about a standout moment in his career in Hockeytown, Daniels said it was calling the final game of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, where the Red Wings defeated the Penguins 3-2. “To be able to call a Stanley Cup final game in Pittsburgh for me is a memory I’ll never forget because it was part of a game where the Wings won the Stanley Cup. That was cool for me.” He added, “People ask me all the time, ‘What’s your favorite memory?’ I don’t know, there were just so many. Just being part of the Stanley Cup celebration, even though you’re there reporting for the network, at the time it was Fox Sports, and just being on the ice to be part of it. Down there with the players lifting that 35-pound trophy over their heads. The weight has always stayed the same, but the weight is off your shoulders when you win the Stanley Cup. So just wonderful to see it and be on the ice.” And if you’re curious -- after 28 seasons calling games and witnessing so many Hockeytown greats -- Daniels names Pavel Datsyuk as the most exciting Red Wing he’s ever had the chance to watch. “We’re seeing so many players now who can do things you’ve never seen before. That’s how great the skill in these games is,” he said. “The great young players today will tell you they grew up watching Pavel Datsyuk, and now they’re doing the moves he did. That’s what makes them great -- they perfected that. I guess calling a game, I wait to watch for those who are going to come over the boards and do something you’ve never seen before. I saw lots of those moments courtesy of number 13.” As any loyal Red Wings fan will tell you, Daniels and Redmond are as much a part of the team’s fabric as any player, serving as the voices behind many of the magical moments being celebrated this weekend. Daniels says the impact of his work doesn’t fully hit him until younger fans tell him, “You’re the voice we grew up with.” “Every game Mickey and I call together, we smile, try to make each other laugh, and hope to bring a smile to people’s faces,” Daniels said. “For those on the ice, as we always say, we’re in the emotional transportation business. If you can tell a great story that brings a player on the ice, whether a Red Wing or an opponent, closer to the fans, that’s great. Through that, they get to know us and the stories we tell. That’s what means most to us.” Daniels emphasized that the centennial events are not just a tribute to the team but also a celebration of the fans, who have played a vital role in shaping the Hockeytown identity. “The crowds through that 25 years of greatness were so raucous at Joe Louis Arena,” he said “And you could tell even at Little Caesars Arena a few years back when the Red Wings were in the hunt and then lost out in the playoffs on that tiebreaker on the final night -- but all the excitement and the scoring from Lucas Raymond and the fans down the stretch. You just want it to happen again at Little Caesars Arena, to try to create, and we will in time, what had happened at Joe Louis Arena over the years. The fans were such a big part of that, and they will be again.”
