Sporting events and venues do not immediately evoke the thought of wine; beer is the first beverage to come to mind.  When I first met my Bride she worked for a company where the principals were sports enthusiasts.  Back in the early days of hockey in Detroit when the games were played at Olympia, they were proud to say that they had the first “box” at the arena.  At that time a box had folding chairs in a cordoned section and an ice chest to hold beverages.  When the Detroit Red Wings moved to the Joe Louis Arena her company not only had center ice seats at the glass, but they had a suite that was center ice as well.

Before the games, there were times when we would meet at the Olympia Club for dinner and drinks and then on to the suite to watch the game.  Other times it was straight to the suite and an array of food and drinks were set up for the clientele and employees as well as family and friends.   The wines that were ordered were good popular wines that most people recognized and felt comfortable.  Nothing exotic in name, but dependable choices of wines, as everyone was really there for the game and not for fine dining.

As most people that enjoy wines, as an adjunct to our wine collection, we have acquired many wine bottle stoppers, from very prosaic to very elaborate.  Included in this collection is a beautiful crystal wine stopper with an etched emblem of the Detroit Red Wings.

As wine has progressed in popularity, so have the players embraced this beverage.   We have an empty bottle that was autographed by Dominik Hasek of the Detroit Red Wings from a charity event.   Another famous hockey player from Brantford, Ontario, Canada; Wayne Gretzky has the Wayne Gretzky Estates with the proceeds going to his foundation to help children.  So hockey and wine do go together.