Joe Louis Arena left an indelible impression on generations of Detroit Red Wings fans, but it’s fair to say that it was more so for what happened on the ice rather than the actual structure.
The fans who arrived at Little Caesars Arena for the first time on October 5 were probably relieved to find plenty more bathrooms, concession options, and eateries in the new home of their team. But one thing from Joe Louis Arena that was absent was the famed goal horn.
Well, sort of.
A recording of the legendary goal celebration now plays following every Red Wing score at the LCA. While it may seem a trivial “problem”, it didn’t go unnoticed, and some fans are now speaking out about it.
“I noticed right way,” said John Prevost of Ypsilanti. “It didn’t sound the same…I think they should bring the old horn back. I think they try to preserve so many traditions, the Red Wings, you know?
“And, hey, if you leave The Joe and you can take that sort of signature piece with you? Makes a lot of sense!”
“That is the most iconic and original goal horn in hockey!” wrote “Kole H., North Dakota.” ”Without it, it just doesn’t have that some effect.”
“The new horn sounds like a recording of a recording,” wrote “Dave K. in Maryland”. “It lacks the presence of the original.”
Can you notice the difference?
Joe Louis Arena:
Little Caesars Arena:
There is even an online petition making the rounds online, hoping to get the attention of Red Wings brass. However, they were prepared with an explanation on the noticeable audible change.
“The simple truth is we wanted to bring the old horn over, and the old horn is a tiny little horn, believe it or not,” said Tom Wilson, president of Olympia Entertainment. “It just never was going to fill the volume we need.”
He said that the bowl portions of the two buildings are simply too different to have the exact same sound.
“What we’ve got is, it’s probably triple the volume and totally different acoustics,” in Little Caesars Arena, Wilson said. “It would be more like a beep, you know? As opposed to what we’re used to. So, we just made the decision to tape the sound, which we did over the summer, and magnify it, so it would be as close to the sound that people remember.”
Following a goal, you “still have to handle it the old way,” Wilson said.
“If you want it to sound for 10 seconds, you’ve got to hold the button down for 10 seconds,” Wilson continued. “But it is a taped sound. It’s probably triple the volume, you have inside there. So to fill the space with the kind of volume that you need?”
The quality of the videos changes the sound in your example.
I disagree with Tom Wilson. After every goal scored in the Joe, it was the most unique sound over the entire NHL league. A-blue-collar-truck-driver-laying-on-his-horn-kind-of-sound. It was perfect. It was a symbol of the Motor City, I did notice the new LCA version and it sucks, It doesn’t represent the Motor City. Bring the horn back and make it work.
LCA sounds like a foghorn
go to the apple store or the google store and download Hockey Horns Live. Choose the Red Wings Horn. Its loud, its right on. Hey Red Wings. take this sound and play it through the PA… In this day and age, anything can be duplicated perfectly….
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