Avid hockey fans hit E.L. bars for series

Editor’s note: This article was corrected to reflect the time at which the Blackhawks scored their second goal.

Michael Tonner waited all his life to go to Joe Louis Arena. A bartender at Crunchy’s, 254 W. Grand River Ave., for the past two years, Tonner had seen fans clad in red and white file through the bar doors every playoff season. Finally, Tonner was headed to Hockeytown’s sanctuary for the first game of the Western Conference Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

Although Tonner wasn’t in the bar, Joe Louis Arena didn’t have a shortage of drunken, loud-mouthed fans.

When at work, unruly patrons are given the boot. At the arena, Tonner had to tolerate the fans of the opposing Chicago Blackhawks as Detroit took the first game of the series, 5-2.

“It was packed, it was awesome,” he said. “It was my first time there — and I also learned how obnoxious Blackhawks fans are.”

In a series that has been dubbed “Hockeytown versus Hawkeytown,” East Lansing could feel the rivalry between the two Original Six squads.

According to a report from the MSU Office of Planning and Budgets, Illinois supplied the second largest number of students to MSU at 3.3 percent of the student population during fall 2008.

Illinois is the only state aside from Michigan that accounted for more than 1 percent of MSU’s student body. Only Michigan contributed more students, which represents 80.9 percent of the university.

Tonner said he has several friends from Illinois and they have discussed the hockey series in depth.

“They think we’re kind of soft and old and that they’re young and quick; but experience makes a world of difference,” he said. “I don’t care how old (Red Wings forward Tomas) Holmstrom is. He’s going to be there and dominate them.”

Aaron Weiner, general manager of Buffalo Wild Wings, 360 Albert Ave., said there weren’t many Blackhawks fans during the season outside of a group of regulars. He said these fans congregated in a corner to watch the Blackhawks on satellite TV as the rest of the restaurant watched the Red Wings.

But with Stanley Cup implications on the line, Weiner said he hopes the rivalry between the teams will transcend TV airwaves and hit customers.

“I’d love to see Blackhawks fans come out and get a little rivalry going in the store,” he said.

Kelsey Tait, a kinesiology senior, didn’t hold back about her feelings toward the Blackhawks on Tuesday at Buffalo Wild Wings.

“The Blackhawks are all small and scrawny,” she said. “I think if we can contain a few of the young ones, we’ll be OK.”

Business graduate Drew Johnson, a Blackhawks fan, said the Wings didn’t stand a chance at Stanley Cup glory.

“(The Blackhawks) are going to win because they’re playing more pressure,” he said as his team scored its second goal of the first period.

Pat Riley, owner of Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub, 131 Albert Ave., said he is excited to see an Original Six matchup so late in the playoffs. The one Original Six team that failed to make the playoffs was the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Although there is history between the Red Wings and Blackhawks, Riley said most customers will wear red and white.

“I have no idea whether there will be a lot of Chicago fans,” he said. “We just get a lot of fans, a vast majority will be Michigan fans. Whoever (the Red Wings are) playing will have the minority.”

Even if Blackhawks fans are in the minority, though, Tonner said the atmosphere is more enjoyable when there is an opposing force on the home team’s turf.

“It’s cool. It definitely livens things up a little bit to get some healthy smack talking a little bit,” he said. “But we try to keep it respectable. There’s a mutual respect for both teams, aside from bandwagoners maybe.”

Staff writer Zane McMillin contributed to this report.