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This isn't the first time the Pistons and Red Wings shared a home

Pistons preparing to move back to Detroit in 2017

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The Detroit Pistons are moving back to Detroit to share an arena with the Detroit Red Wings.

But this isn't the first time the two teams will share a home.

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When the Detroit Pistons made the move to Detroit from Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1957, they needed to find a home.

Their first choice was the University of Detroit Memorial Building, which seated 9,000.

They ended up settling for Olympia, which housed the NHL's Detroit's Red Wings from 1927 to 1979.

It proved to be a costly decision, because of the expenses to transition the arena from hockey to basketball.

The Pistons could only afford to schedule less than half a dozen home practices per season. 

Pistons owner at the time, Fred Zollner, wrote an open letter to fans:

“This is a clean, rugged sport, played by superbly developed athletes of intelligence. I hope that you’ll enjoy seeing these great stars playing under the modern rules (in the) ideal playing conditions at Olympia Stadium.”

The team opened their first season at Olympia to a crowd of almost 11,000, losing to the Boston Celtics.

The Pistons lost about $100,000 in their first season at Olympia, despite qualifying to the playoffs that season.

After four seasons, the Pistons moved to Cobo Arena, and in 1978 they moved to the Pontiac Silverdome.


About the Author
Ken Haddad headshot

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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