Kalamazoo Wings
Rink: Wings Event Center
Capacity: 5,113
Built: 1974
League: ECHL
City: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Home Of: Kalamazoo Wings
Games Attended: 1
Only Game: January 28, 2024 vs Indy
Unique Arena: #78
ECHL Arena: #4
The Wings Event Center sits right next to I-94 in the east end of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and screams 1970s in every way possible. The exterior of the building really reminds me of a smaller Agridome in Regina, just less orange. Amazingly, the rink has been called the Wings Stadium or Event Center from when it opened in 1974 as the home of the Wings. The franchise has changed leagues several times over the years, but today’s ECHL Wings are the same franchise that started here in 1974. Well, technically it’s two different franchises. The old one moved out in 2000, but a new one moved right in that fall without a gap, and the team takes the history of the old Wings team as well. The rink is surrounded by parking which is a very reasonable $5 in this day and age.
The 1970s feel from the outside of the rink continues in the interior as well. There are updated and newer concessions and bathrooms, but they are all fitted into the same space the building has always had. The concourse feels very much like The Aud in Kitchener to me, just on a smaller scale. The bowl itself has an ungodly number of sections to it for its size. You could easily remove half of the openings to the bowl and still have enough, and therefore be able to fit some more seating. The roof is among the lowest I’ve ever seen at a rink that hosts high level hockey. Combine that with the very steep seating and you have a recipe for loud crowds. Usually, games in Kazoo are sold out, but unfortunately the game we attended was the afternoon that the Detroit Lions played in the NFC Championship game, so the crowd was much thinner than normal and totally excusable. Still the crowd that was there was loud and knowledgeable, and I have no doubt they make the building a very intimidating place to play for visitors when full.
The only things in the arena bowl that makes you realize it’s not the 70s anymore is their new HD videoboard, which is a very odd rectangle shape due to the low roof, as well as newer LED lighting. Beyond that everything feels old. We were pretty sure the seats are originals, and if they aren’t, they were replaced decades ago. Benches are on opposite sides of the ice, and the visitors’ is so small that the backup goalie has to sit in the tunnel at the corner of the bowl. It appears players have to walk up a flight of stairs to access the ice. There are two press boxes on either side of the ice as they are so small and cramped, they need two of them. They seemed like afterthoughts, and basically just take the place of a few rows of seats at the top of the bowl right at the roof. The roof in Kazoo is so low that banners have to be hung on the wall at one end of the ice. Some even are attached to diagonal walls and face down towards the floor.
I enjoyed my experience in Kalamazoo for what it was. It is a much different experience from most clone rinks these days and that’s a good thing. Unfortunately, the Wings Event Center won’t be hosting the Wings for much longer. While construction hasn’t started yet as of this writing, a new 10,000 seat building is in the works for the K-Wings and should have shovels in the ground very soon. So, if you like small 70s barns, I suggest not waiting on getting to Kalamazoo and getting to a game at the Event Center before it’s gone.
