DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch said he expects the team to remain at Joe Louis Arena next season.



"They (the Red Wings) will probably play their games again at Joe because it takes time to get things done and things are pretty complicated,'' Ilitch told 97.1 The Ticket's Morning Show on Thursday. "There's some options in what we can do, we've been thinking about them. The market is pretty bleak out there as far as building. But we're still going to get it done (new arena downtown). Just have to show a little bit more patience.''



The team had considered a temporary move to The Palace of Auburn Hills, but now it appears it will finalize a short-term lease with the City of Detroit to remain at Joe Louis Arena. The current lease expires after the season.



Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, though not part of the decision-making process on where the team plays, has been working on next season's schedule with the NHL under the assumption the Red Wings will remain at JLA.



"That's my understanding, unless something's going on that I'm not aware of,'' Holland said. "I've always presumed we'd be playing at the Joe next season.''





