Hockeytown Winter Festival Part 2 - The AHL Outdoor Game at Comerica Park

In the days leading up to the Winter Classic, Nick and I had a couple of days to enjoy what Detroit had to offer.  We already checked out the Hockeytown Winter Festival, and made plans to check out the D-Drop while we were here.  Because we bought our Winter Classic tickets via a tour group, we also had the opportunity to watch the American Hockey League outdoor game between the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Toronto Marlies.

Tickets to the AHL Outdoor Game & 2014 NHL Winter Classic

In case you are not familiar with the American Hockey League (AHL), it is the second-highest level of professional hockey within North America – the highest being the National Hockey League (NHL).  The two teams playing in this particular outdoor match – the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Toronto Marlies – are the AHL affiliates of the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs respectively.  While the AHL does not typically host outdoor games on its own, this game was one of a few outdoor hockey games (NHL Alumni and Ontario Hockey League) scheduled as part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival.

View from our seats during the AHL Outdoor Game

The host venue for this AHL game was Comerica Park – home of the Detroit Tigers baseball club.  While past Winter Classic games have been held in Major League Baseball stadiums, the 2014 edition was slated for Michigan Stadium as part of a Guinness World Record attempt to hold the largest outdoor hockey game in the world.  With over 110,000 seats within Michigan Stadium, this attempt was viable.

Toronto Marlies take an early 1-0 lead

The NHL Alumni games – yes, there were two Alumni games scheduled this year instead of the typical one game – were also held at Comerica Park.  However, Nick and I did not want to spend the extra money to get those tickets hoping we could visit some of the local Detroit attractions instead being our first time staying in the city.  So, it was a delight that we were able to experience a little hockey action in Comerica Park with the AHL Outdoor game.

Jamie Devane vs. Triston Grant

To be quite honest, this was my first American Hockey League game ever, so I wasn’t familiar with any of the players on either team, except for Jordin Tootoo.  He is the first Inuk player from Nunavut to play in the NHL.  At the time he was a member of the Detroit Red Wings, but sent down to the AHL to play with the Griffins for awhile.

Toronto Marlies vs. Grand Rapids Griffins

Our tickets were in the centre field area of Comerica Park, but we still had a decent view of the match.  From the looks of it, the stadium was very empty – like half of it.  Turns out attendance for the game was 20,337 although I would have pegged it closer toward 10,000 or 15,000 with all the empty seats in the stadium.  Plus, it was bloody cold!  I imagine many fans chose to stay home instead of coming to the game.

Zambonis ready to resurface the ice at the end of the period

By the end of the first period, Nick suggested we head up to the Tiger Club for a bite to eat and to warm up.  Good call!  My dinner was pretty simple – a burger with chips.  No, not “chips” as in fries like they are called in England, but actual potato chips.  Gotta love the American diet!

My dinner at the Tiger Club

I also ordered a bottle of Batch 19 Pre-Prohibition Style Lager to wash my meal down.  It was alright, but I wouldn’t say it was the most memorable craft beer I have ever had.  In reality, I just ordered it based on the name of it alone given Detroit’s position to be an easy place to bootleg beer from Canada during the Prohibition era.

Toronto Marlies vs. Grand Rapids Griffins

For the rest of the game, we ended up watching it in the comforts of the Tiger Club.  Our view of the ice was incredible as we could see the entire length of the ice.  The game ended up going to overtime with the score 3 – 3.  Since five minutes of extra time did not result in any different result, a shootout was necessary to decide a winner.  It was also a foreshadowing of what was to come later on at the Winter Classic.

Toronto Marlies win 4 – 3 in the Overtime Shootout!

In the end, the Toronto Marlies pulled out the 4 – 3 win in the shootout.  We would go on to celebrate the win at a couple of nearby bars, including Hockeytown.  Things were shaping out nicely in these last few days of 2013.