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Plymouth Whalers Arena Name: Compuware Arena |
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| Compuware Sports Arena |
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| What's the Arena Like? |
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The Compuware Arena is located in a strange neighbourhood in Plymouth, Michigan, which is a western suburb of Detroit. The neighbourhood seems to be on the fringe between an area between something reminiscent of of Mississauga or Brampton, with a lot of corporations with generic names like "Systems Unlimited" in the area, and a wealthy enclave of executives living in gigantic houses in gated communities. Just to complete the strange feeling, there's also a prison nearby. The neighbourhood has grown up a lot in the past ten years; back even two years ago your choices for food around the rink were limited to the Greek restaurant inside the rink and McDonalds. Nowadays, though, a lot of the nearby vacant land has been developed with monstrous houses and shops and restaurants. It's not quite the hideous commercial sprawl that surrounds the Barrie Molson Centre, but at least you've got a few choices for supper now. The arena itself looks pretty spartan. It's a nice enough building but there is nothing to make it stand out from its industrial neighbours - from the outside the building looks like a concrete warehouse, complete with faux landscaping. The Arena has boxy rooflines, so there is no "arched" ceiling to see from the outside, and there are no gigantic signs or anything, just concrete walls fronted by a giant parking lot. The CSA just doesn't look like a hockey rink, plain and simple. Inside, things aren't too much better. There are a couple of ice pads in the CSA; the Whalers' rink and an Olympic-sized practice pad. The place feels bigger than it looks from the road. When you finally get into the main rink, the "warehouse" feeling is only confirmed - the Arena interior space is much bigger than it needs to be, with the main concourse around the top of the seats being the widest I've ever seen. The ceiling is flat with girders and the ice is buried down from the entry-way. I was immediately struck by the thought that the place must be a warehouse or a Wal-Mart that someone converted into an OHL rink. The fact that the CSA was purpose-built is astounding - to compare, a building in the OHL that was actually built from a former department store (Guelph) is actually really nice and intimate, while a purpose-built rink like the Compuware Arena has that too-spacious, warehouse feeling. The best arenas waste no space at all - they have steep seats and walls giving a closed-in and intimate feeling. Plymouth, by comparison, has a ton of wasted space that echoes sound and makes it feel like you're watching hockey in a boxy, airy gymnasium. The rake of the seats in Plymouth is as shallow as you've ever seen - even for a tall person like me, it's very difficult to see over the person in front of you. Leg room is also totally inadequate by new building standards. Apparently the CSA was originally concieved with an upper bowl. Because of tax considerations, it was rushed into "production" and somewhere along the way the upper bowl was scratched, but this explains why the concourses are so wide. Plymouthite Danger Girl also tell me that reason why the pitch of the seats is so shallow is that the first inspector said that the seats were too steep, so they flattened them out. Then, when it was time for the final inspection, the inspector asked why they built the seats so shallow. Still, the CSA has its odd charms. The Plymouth team has had many incarnations over its history and the championship banners from their days as the Detroit Ambassadors and Junior Red Wings are hanging from the ceiling, as well as Pat Peake's number 14, their only retired number. Plymouth's team store, called the "Pro Shop", has not only all the Whalers gear you could ever want but also sells hockey equipment - sticks, skates, shoulder pads, helmets and the like. It's the OHL's best hockey store, and up there near the Outpost in Kitchener as the best team store. There is a Greek restaurant called "Ginopolis on the Ice" attached to the building as well. There are two LCD boards - one in each end - and they are both done up in red lighting, which is a little hard on the eyes and is strangely reminiscent of Nintendo's short-lived "Virtual Boy" 3-D gaming system. The score-clock is small and functional. There are a few pet peeves about the arena. The announcer is by far the worst that I've encountered. He seems to have been hired on the strength of his voice, and every Whalers goal is a sign to put on the earmuffs - otherwise you'll be blasted with "WWWWWWHHHHHHHHHAAAAAALLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSS GOAL..." and so on. The music is unbearably loud. The fact that the team store sells earplugs should be a good sign that maybe the volume should be turned down a little? Also, the Arena security people keep a very, very tight lid on proceedings. No air horns. No other horns or noisemakers. Don't bang on the glass. Don't yell too loudly. Don't cheer for the visitors. Sit down. Sit up straight. Brush your teeth. Don't forget to floss! Lighten up, security! Plymouth's "no fun" policy is another black mark. One thing I must mention is what happens every time a puck goes over the glass. The arena announcer says, "That puck was brought to you by Zubor Buick." All the kids in the audience respond with, "Who cares?" "Zubor cares!" "So what?" "So sassy." It's probably the silliest thing I've encountered in my travels, and yet... it's cute. The Compuware Arena, for all its faults, seems like a permanent home for the Whalers franchise, and that is all the club needed. After having played at Cobo Arena, Joe Louis Arena, The Palace of Auburn Hills and Oak Park Ice Arena over the past ten years, the Whalers only needed a place that they could call home. The CSA fits that bill. Still, it's unfortunate that owner Peter Karmanos, for all his money, couldn't have built his team a palace to play in, instead of the boring, cheap and uncomfortable warehouse they call home. |
| Future Developments |
| The Compuware Sports Arena is apparently no longer a sports arena - officially it's now just Compuware Arena. |
| What Is It Like For Away Fans? |
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I have been to many Whaler games at the CSA and every time the atmosphere has been surprisingly good. The first time was for the seventh game of a second-round playoff series, and although I had heard a lot of stories about how sedate the CSA is, but it definitely had enough crowd noise; it wasn't quite rowdy, but it was up there. Near the end of the game, even the announcer acknowledged what must have been an unusual amount of crowd noise by saying "They say we have a reputation for being quiet here..." I later heard that the CSA was louder on that night than any in recent memory. Guess we were just lucky. The second visit I made, the arena was still decently loud - it was definitely not the best in the league, but it puts Barrie or Brampton to shame. American fans tend to be less restrained than Canadian ones, and Plymouth's fans are one of the building's best attributes. Plymouth security like to keep a tight lid on things, too, and cheering too loudly for the visitors can bring you a visit from the fun police. Ignore them. Plymouth fans treat the visitors nicely enough. I did encounter some gloating when the Whalers won the game and took the series but I figure that's acceptable enough. Most of the Whaler fans are proud and knowledgable, and worth talking to. Kudos to the lady who apologized to us for "all our asshole fans" - Windsor could use a few people like you. Intimidation Factor: LOW |
How To Get There |
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From Farmington Hills: Take I-696 West to I-275 South. Take I-275 South to M-14 West, exit Beck Rd. Turn right onto Beck Rd. Compuware Sports Arena is located on the right side, past the railroad tracks. From Ann Arbor: Take M-14 East, exit Beck Rd. Turn left onto Beck Rd. Compuware Sports Arena is located on the right side, past the railroad tracks. From the Windsor Tunnel: Take 96 West (Jeffries Fwy.) to M-14, exit Beck Rd., turn right. Compuware Sports Arena is located on the right side, past the railroad tracks. From Sarnia: Take I-94 West (towards Detroit) to I-696 West to I-275 South. Take I-275 South to M-14 West, exit Beck Rd. Turn right onto Beck Rd. Compuware Sports Arena is located on the right side, past the railroad tracks. Parking is on-site. |
| Admission Prices |
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Centre Ice - $14.00 Executive Reserved $10.00 "Centre Ice" seating is the four sections between the blue lines, "Executive Reserved" is everything else. All prices are in US funds. |
| Inside the Compuware Sports Arena |
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| Franchise History |
| The Plymouth Whalers have always played in the Detroit area, but few teams in junior hockey history have ever known more instability in the early years of their existence. They began as an expansion team in 1990-91 at Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit as the Ambassadors, however the arena ownership decided that it was too expensive to maintain ice in Cobo, so for the team's second season they had relocated to Joe Louis Arena. The following year the junior team decided to attach themselves to the popularity of the resurgent Red Wings, and in 1992-93 the Ambassadors became the Junior Red Wings. This state of affairs lasted until the end of the 1994-95 season, when Red Wings owner Mike Illitch and Jr Wings owner Peter Karmanos began developing their well-publicised feud. Karmanos had tried to buy the Wings from Illitch, and eventually bought an NHL team of his own, the Hartford Whalers. (Karmanos still owns the Carolina Hurricanes.) The feud reached fever pitch as Illitch cast the OHL champion Jr Wings out of the Joe and into a state of homelessness. Karmanos immediately began planning to build his own arena in suburban Plymouth to be near his Compuware Corporation. The newly renamed Detroit Whalers spent 1995-96 essentially homeless, splitting their time between the massive Palace of Auburn Hills and the tiny Oak Park Ice Arena. In 1996-97 the Compuware Sports Arena opened, and in 1997-98 the Detroit Whalers were renamed for their new suburban home. |
| Retired Numbers |
| 14 Pat Peake |
| Local Rivals |
| Plymouth has developed a large rivalry with the Saginaw Spirit, being cousins in Michigan. Plymouth's other main rivals are nearby Windsor and Sarnia. |
About the City |
| By Plymouther Danger Girl: Plymouth Township is a currently boasts a population of about 28,000. It is a steadily-growing area that is desirable to both industry and families. Located halfway between Detroit and Ann Arbor with easy access to major freeways, Plymouth is a great place for people who want the big city life without the big city problems. But bring the big city checkbook, because living in one of Money magazine's "most desirable places to live in America" isn't cheap. Established in 1827, Plymouth is an interesting balance of high-tech industry (Plymouth Township) and quaint "main street" businesses (the City of Plymouth). Downtown Plymouth features a town square surrounded by small shops and mostly independent businesses, some in the historic homes that line the streets. In contrast, Plymouth Township features new upscale housing in recently developed subdivisions as well as state of the art industrial parks. Plymouth has grown as urban sprawl and urban flight have spread. You'd be hard pressed to find any racial minorities in Plymouth, as of the 2000 census the population was 97% white. Probably the most famous person from Plymouth was former Barrie Colts' defenseman and Minnesota Wild draft pick Erik Reitz. For more information about the Metro Detroit area, visit Detroit Tourism. |
Feedback |
If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me at  and I'll update the guide. |
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Copyright © Kevin Jordan
2002-07. |