Detroit Red Wings break Traverse City camp tradition, will stay home

The Detroit Red Wings are breaking with a tradition dating back nearly three decades and choosing to stay home rather than go to Traverse City this September as they embark on the NHL’s new preseason format.

The expansion of the regular season schedule from 82 to 84 games means teams only have four exhibition games; the Wings used to have eight. On the slate for the 2026-27 season are: Sept. 21 at the Columbus Blue Jackets, Sept. 22 at the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sept. 24 at home against the Buffalo Sabres, and Sept. 26 at home against the Blue Jackets. Ticket sale information for the preseason and regular season will be announced at a later date.

The regular season schedule is expected to be released in July; last year it was the middle of the month.

For now, it’s a one-year decision to keep camp activities centered in Detroit. The Wings will host a four-team prospect tournament Sept. 12-15 and will feature prospects from the Wings, Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Dallas Stars. Wings camp is scheduled for Sept. 17-20.

The Wings’ decision to hold training camp at Little Caesars Arena saves hundreds of thousands of dollars and takes advantage of their home since the 2017-18 season featuring a built-in practice facility and multiple locker rooms. The Wings already have been holding development camps, timed to start soon after the annual draft, at LCA for several years. Traveling to Traverse City requires rooms for 60-some players, plus management, scouts, coaches, and support staff ranging from equipment personnel to trainers to dieticians.

It was former coach Scotty Bowman’s idea to bring the then-defending Stanley Cup champions to Traverse City in the fall of 1997. Spending a handful of days in such a beautiful place at an ideal time of the year was such a hit, it continued yearly except during labor disputes and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. 

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings break Traverse City camp tradition, will stay home