Lev Facher

When former Detroit Red Wings left wing John Ogrodnick made his debut in the NHL, Joe Louis Arena was considered anything but antiquated.

“I was called up in January of ’80, and we’d actually just started playing in Joe Louis Arena,” Ogrodnick said at a recent charity event in Fraser. “Normally, you practice at 10 or 11 in the morning, but we’d have to practice at 2 or 3 in the afternoon to allow the construction people to continue finishing the building.”

Thirty-six years later, Ogrodnick has 402 career goals, 425 career assists and a successful NHL career in his pocket. And 23 years after Ogrodnick’s retirement, Joe Louis Arena also is on its way out, leaving the former star with just one concern as the arena enters its final season.

“I joke about it,” Ogrodnick said. “They say Joe Louis Arena is antiquated, so what does that make me?”

The building is set to be demolished in 2017, after the club’s new venue, Little Caesars Arena, opens. It’s named after the pizza empire built by Red Wings co-owners Mike and Marian Ilitch.

As members of the Red Wings Alumni Association gathered for their charity game earlier this month, some former players declined to comment on the new building’s name. Others expressed enthusiasm.

“That’s the perfect name,” said former Red Wings center Kevin Miller. “The Ilitch and Little Caesars organization has been a huge part of the Red Wings and really brought championship teams back to Detroit. They deserve it.”

Former Red Wings enforcer Darren McCarty agreed.

“Mr. Ilitch, in my opinion, can do it whatever he wants,” McCarty said. “So we’ll call it the LCA.”

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McCarty said he’ll miss the Joe, but that its useful life has likely come to an end.

“The analogy I use is that it’s like having to put down your old dog. How many years old is it?” McCarty said. “It’ll be sad, but it’ll be happy. Out with the old, in with the new. It’ll definitely always be remembered.”

Among the more notable moments of McCarty’s career was “Fight Night at the Joe,” a major brawl between the Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche in March 1997 that ended with McCarty scoring the winning goal in overtime.

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The Red Wings went on to win their first Stanley Cup since 1955 later that season.

“Obviously, I have great memories and great highlights (in that building), definitely with the Stanley Cup wins,” McCarty said. “Definitely, 1997 comes to mind.”

The ending, all seemed to conclude, will be both bittersweet and timely, especially given the age and quality of other venues around the league.

“It’s always hard to leave with all the memories that have been made throughout the years, but you’ve got to keep up with the new buildings and new times,” Miller said. “I’m sure it’s going to be exciting moving into the new building.”