MichiganRadio

Wings Renegotiating Arena Lease ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - The Detroit Red Wings are not renewing their lease with Joe Louis Arena.

Instead, they're negotiating a new deal with the city.

The Red Wings owners say the 30-year-old Joe Louis Arena is substandard. They also call their lease outdated.

But that doesn't mean the Wings are leaving.

Karen Cullen is with Olympia Entertainment, which manages the arena.

"The biggest thing is not to read more into this, and I think that's what unfortunately a lot of people will try to do, because there's so much interest in it," Cullen says. "But the bottom line is the current terms of the lease required us to notify the city by next Tuesday -- otherwise that current lease that we're operating under today, would extend automatically."

The Wings will play the 2009-10 season at Joe Louis.

Christopher Ilitch of Ilitch Holdings -- the Wings' owner -- says they are also evaluating options for a new arena.


© Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio