Olympia Stadium

Famous Detroiters

Famous people tied to this place 33

Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.

• Joe Louis 1914–1981 · boxer, world heavyweight champion

  Played here

  Louis defended his title here, including against Abe Simon in 1941; the arena was razed in the late 1980s and a National Guard armory stands on the site.

• Sugar Ray Robinson 1921–1989 · boxer, world welterweight and middleweight champion

  Played here

  Site of his two February 1943 fights with Jake LaMotta: his first professional loss and his revenge three weeks later.

• Gordie Howe 1928–2016 · ice hockey player, right wing

  Played here

  Howe's home rink for his entire twenty-five-year Detroit career, including the 'Production Line' years; demolished in 1987.

• Andy Bathgate 1932–2016 · ice hockey right winger

  Played here

  Red Wings' home rink during his two Detroit seasons; demolished in 1987.

• Ted Lindsay 1925–2019 · ice hockey player, left wing, general manager

  Played here

  His home rink through the four championship seasons and his brief 1960s comeback; demolished in 1987.

• Marcel Dionne born 1951 · ice hockey centre

  Played here

  Red Wings' home rink for his first four NHL seasons; demolished in 1987.

• Terry Sawchuk 1929–1970 · ice hockey goaltender

  Played here

  The Red Wings' home rink for his championship seasons; demolished in 1987.

• Alex Delvecchio 1931–2025 · ice hockey player, coach and general manager

  Played here

  His home rink for his entire playing career and all three Stanley Cup wins; demolished in 1987.

• Al Arbour 1932–2015 · ice hockey defenceman, later coach

  Played here

  The Red Wings' arena for his playing years in Detroit, including the 1954 Stanley Cup; demolished in 1987.

• Glenn Hall 1931–2026 · ice hockey goaltender

  Played here

  His home rink for his Red Wings career and the 1952 Stanley Cup title; demolished in 1987.

• Red Kelly 1927–2019 · ice hockey defenceman, politician, coach

  Played here

  His home rink through all four of his Detroit Stanley Cup championships; demolished in 1987.

• Tiny Thompson 1903–1981 · ice hockey goaltender, scout

  Played here

  The Red Wings' home ice for his final two NHL seasons; demolished in 1987.

• Sid Abel 1918–2000 · ice hockey player, coach and general manager

  Played here

  The Red Wings' home rink through his entire playing career and much of his coaching tenure; demolished in 1987.

• Václav Nedomanský born 1944 · ice hockey forward

  Played here

  The Red Wings' home rink when he first joined the team; demolished in 1987.

• Jack Adams 1894–1968 · ice hockey coach and general manager

  Worked here

  The Red Wings' arena for nearly his entire 36-year tenure and all seven of his Stanley Cup wins; demolished in 1987.

• Leo Boivin 1931–2021 · ice hockey player, defenseman

  Played here

  The Red Wings' home during his Detroit seasons, including the 1966 Final run; demolished in 1987.

• Paul Henderson born 1943 · ice hockey player

  Played here

  His NHL home rink, including both his 1964 and 1966 Stanley Cup Finals runs.

• Earl Lloyd 1928–2015 · basketball player, head coach, scout

  Played here

  The Pistons' Detroit home in Lloyd's playing years; the arena was demolished in 1987.

• Dick McGuire 1926–2010 · basketball player and coach

  Played here

  The Pistons' first Detroit home, shared with the Red Wings; demolished in 1987.

• Marcel Pronovost 1930–2015 · ice hockey defenseman, scout

  Played here

  The Red Wings' home arena throughout his Detroit career; demolished in the 1980s.

• George Yardley 1928–2004 · basketball forward

  Played here

  The Pistons' first Detroit home, where he set the 2,000-point mark; demolished in the 1980s.

• Bill Gadsby 1927–2016 · ice hockey defenseman and coach

  Played here

  His home arena as a Red Wings player and coach; demolished in the 1980s.

• Syd Howe 1911–1976 · ice hockey forward

  Played here

  Where he scored six goals in one game in February 1944; demolished in the 1980s.

• Ebbie Goodfellow 1907–1985 · ice hockey forward and defenseman

  Played here

  The Red Wings' home arena throughout his career; demolished in the 1980s, the site now holds a National Guard armory.

• Norm Ullman born 1935 · ice hockey center

  Played here

  The Red Wings' home arena throughout his Detroit career; demolished in the 1980s.

• Larry Aurie 1905–1952 · ice hockey right winger

  Played here

  The "Old Red Barn", his home rink, where his retired No. 6 jersey was displayed in the lobby in the 1960s; demolished in the 1980s.

• Mickey Redmond born 1947 · ice hockey right winger, TV color commentator

  Played here

  Where he scored most of his Detroit goals; demolished in the 1980s.

• Tommy Ivan 1911–1999 · ice hockey coach and executive

  Worked here

  Home of his dynasty-era Red Wings; demolished in the 1980s.

• James E. Norris 1879–1952 · businessman, Red Wings owner

  Related place

  The arena he bought with the team in 1932; closed in 1979 and demolished in the 1980s, the site now holds a National Guard armory.

• Fred Zollner 1901–1982 · industrialist, basketball team owner

  Related place

  The Pistons' first Detroit home after the move from Fort Wayne; demolished in the 1980s.

• C. Howard Crane 1885–1952 · architect

  Worked here

  Home of the Red Wings from 1927 to 1979 and a major concert hall; razed in 1987, the site is now a Michigan National Guard armory.

• Budd Lynch 1917–2012 · hockey broadcaster, public-address announcer

  Worked here

  Where he called Red Wings games in the Stanley Cup years of the early 1950s; demolished in the 1980s.

• Bruce Martyn born 1929 · hockey radio broadcaster

  Worked here

  The Red Wings' arena for his first fifteen seasons on the air; demolished in the 1980s.