1.
Saginaw, Michigan
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Saginaw /ˈsæɡ. ᵻ. nɔː/ is a city in the State of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both located in the known as Mid-Michigan or Central Michigan. The city of Saginaw is located adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and is considered part of the Tri-City area, along with neighboring Bay City, the Saginaw County MSA had a population of 196,542 in 2013. The city is also the largest municipality within the Saginaw, Midland, the city of Saginaw was a thriving lumber town in the 19th century and an important industrial city and manufacturing center throughout much of the 20th century. However, by the late 20th century, Saginaws industry and its once-strong manufacturing presence declined, leading to increasing unemployment, crime, currently, economic development is focused on comparative advantages in innovation, clean energy, and continued manufacturing exports. The city continues to have a proportion of manufacturing jobs in comparison to the US. The name Saginaw is widely believed to mean where the Sauk were in the Ojibwe language, another possible explanation is that it originated from Sace-nong or Sak-e-nong because the Sauk people once lived there, or from Chippewa words meaning place of the outlet from sag, and ong. However, this name may be a mistake, when Natives told Samuel de Champlain that the Sauk nation was located on the west shore of Lake Michigan, Champlain mistakenly placed them on the western shore of Lake Huron. This mistake was copied on subsequent maps, and future references identified this as the place of the Sauks, the site of what later became the city of Saginaw was originally inhabited by the Sauk people, who lived in the area and were driven out by the Ojibwe. French missionaries and traders first appeared in the area during the late 17th century, the first permanent settlement by those other than Native Americans was in 1816 when Louis Campau established a trading post on the west bank of the Saginaw River. Shortly thereafter the United States established Fort Saginaw, campaus trading post was also inhabited by Metis. During Michigans territorial period, a county and township government were organized at Saginaw, growth of the settlement was fueled rapidly during the 19th century by the lumber industry. Saginaw was the site of sawmills and served as a port for Great Lakes vessels. What is now the city of Saginaw resulted from the consolidation of the cities of East Saginaw and Saginaw City in 1889. In 1819, Lewis Cass, in the Treaty of Saginaw, negotiated the prerogative for the United States to own, in 1820, Campau attempted to expand across to the east bank of the river but was rejected by the Chippewas. In 1822, the United States Army established a fort on the west bank of the Saginaw River, two companies were stationed at the fort. A group of investors purchased land near the fort and had it platted under the name. Due to the harsh seasons and illnesses, Fort Saginaw was abandoned by 1824
2.
Leamington Flyers
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The Leamington Flyers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Leamington, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, bill Burgess, coach and general manager of the local Intermediate Flyers, formed the Junior Flyers in 1954. They were a Junior B team in the Southwestern League until 1958 when they quit the league, the Flyers were a part of the BCJBHL1958 until 1964. When the OHA allowed the Border Cities League to fail in 1964, in 1966, the team operated as an independent team, playing only in OHA playdowns and exhibition against local all-star, juvenile, and intermediate teams. In 1967, they joined the Western Junior B League and they entered the new Border Cities league in 1968. When the league became the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League in 1970, the Flyers were promoted to the Western Junior B league in 1992 and are still a charter member. On January 3,1993, the Leamington Flyers helped set a record for the highest scoring tie in the history of the Western Ontario Hockey League by tying the London Nationals 11-11, the Flyers hold the record for the most lopsided game in the history of the WOHL. On January 20,1995, the Flyers defeated the Windsor Bulldogs by a score of 30-3, on January 26,2002, the Flyers set the WOHL record for largest margin in a shutout victory by defeating the Aylmer Aces by a score of 16-0. At the beginning of the 2006-07 season, it was announced that the Flyers have officially affiliated with the Ontario Hockey Leagues Saginaw Spirit, on Tuesday March 16,2010, the Leamington Flyers hired Head Coach Tony Piroski. Previously, as coach of the Essex 73s, Piroski won seven Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League championships, in Piroskis first season the team went from 7 wins to 26 wins, losing Game 7 in overtime to the Lasalle Vipers. In spring 2011 the Flyers brought aboard OHL scout Mike Sadler as the general manager. In the 2013–14 season the Flyers won the championship with a record of 37 wins 10 losses and 2 OTL for 76 points finishing 3 points ahead of the rival Lasalle Vipers. The Flyers eliminated St. Marys 4–0 then faced the defending Sutherland Cup Champion London Nationals, the Flyers would need a couple double overtime games but defeated London 4 games to 1. The Flyers faced the Chatham Maroons in the Finals, a maroons team that had added many pieces at the deadline and were the favourites. The 2014–15 edition of the Flyers finished the season with 38 wins 9 losses and 2 OTL good enough for the regular-season championship. The Flyers faced the number 8 seed Lambton Shores Predators in the first round, next up were the London Nationals who finished 7th but were coming off a huge upset of the Chatham Maroons. The Nationals would win the first 2 games on the strong goaltending from Justin Tugwell, the Flyers would find a way to solve the London netminder and win the next 4 to take the series in 6 games. Leamington would make their 2nd straight Western Conference Finals and take on their county Rival Lasalle Vipers, the Flyers would take home their 2nd straight Western Conference Title in 6 games against the Vipers in a classic series
3.
Ice hockey
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Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in a rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponents net to score points. Ice hockey teams usually consist of six each, one goaltender. A fast-paced, physical sport, ice hockey is most popular in areas of North America, Ice hockey is the official national winter sport of Canada, where the game enjoys immense popularity. In North America, the National Hockey League is the highest level for mens hockey, the Kontinental Hockey League is the highest league in Russia and much of Eastern Europe. The International Ice Hockey Federation is the governing body for international ice hockey. The IIHF manages international tournaments and maintains the IIHF World Ranking, worldwide, there are ice hockey federations in 74 countries. Ice hockey is believed to have evolved from simple stick and ball games played in the 18th and 19th century United Kingdom and these games were brought to North America and several similar winter games using informal rules were developed, such as shinny and ice polo. The contemporary sport of ice hockey was developed in Canada, most notably in Montreal, some characteristics of that game, such as the length of the ice rink and the use of a puck, have been retained to this day. Amateur ice hockey began in the 1880s, and professional ice hockey originated around 1900. The Stanley Cup, emblematic of ice hockey club supremacy, was first awarded in 1893 to recognize the Canadian amateur champion, in international competitions, the national teams of six countries predominate, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States. Of the 69 medals awarded all-time in mens competition at the Olympics, in the annual Ice Hockey World Championships,177 of 201 medals have been awarded to the six nations. In Russia and the Ukraine, where hockey can also refer to bandy, the name hockey has no clear origin. The English historian and biographer John Strype did not use the word hockey when he translated the proclamation in 1720, the 1573 Statute of Galway banned a sport called hokie—the hurling of a little ball with sticks or staves. A form of this word was thus being used in the 16th century, though much removed from its current usage. According to the Austin Hockey Association, the word derives from the Scots Gaelic puc or the Irish poc. The blow given by a hurler to the ball with his caman or hurley is always called a puck. Stick-and-ball games date back to pre-Christian times, in Europe, these games included the Irish game of hurling, the closely related Scottish game of shinty and versions of field hockey. IJscolf, a game resembling colf on a surface, was popular in the Low Countries between the Middle Ages and the Dutch Golden Age. It was played with a curved bat, a wooden or leather ball
4.
Michigan
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Michigan /ˈmɪʃᵻɡən/ is a state in the Great Lakes and Midwestern regions of the United States. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, Michigan is the tenth most populous of the 50 United States, with the 11th most extensive total area. Its capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit, Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, is noted to be shaped like a mitten. The Upper Peninsula is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, the two peninsulas are connected by the Mackinac Bridge. The state has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world, being bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, as a result, it is one of the leading U. S. states for recreational boating. Michigan also has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds, a person in the state is never more than six miles from a natural water source or more than 85 miles from a Great Lakes shoreline. What is now the state of Michigan was first settled by Native American tribes before being colonized by French explorers in the 17th century, the area was organized as part of the larger Northwest Territory until 1800, when western Michigan became part of the Indiana Territory. Eventually, in 1805, the Michigan Territory was formed, which lasted until it was admitted into the Union on January 26,1837, the state of Michigan soon became an important center of industry and trade in the Great Lakes region and a popular immigrant destination. Though Michigan has come to develop an economy, it is widely known as the center of the U. S. automotive industry. When the first European explorers arrived, the most populous tribes were Algonquian peoples, which include the Anishinaabe groups of Ojibwe, Odaawaa/Odawa, the three nations co-existed peacefully as part of a loose confederation called the Council of Three Fires. The Ojibwe, whose numbers are estimated to have been between 25,000 and 35,000, were the largest, French voyageurs and coureurs des bois explored and settled in Michigan in the 17th century. The first Europeans to reach what became Michigan were those of Étienne Brûlés expedition in 1622, the first permanent European settlement was founded in 1668 on the site where Père Jacques Marquette established Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan as a base for Catholic missions, missionaries in 1671–75 founded outlying stations at Saint Ignace and Marquette. Jesuit missionaries were received by the areas Indian populations, with relatively few difficulties or hostilities. In 1679, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle built Fort Miami at present-day St. Joseph, in 1691, the French established a trading post and Fort St. Joseph along the St. Joseph River at the present day city of Niles. The hundred soldiers and workers who accompanied Cadillac built a fort enclosing one arpent, cadillacs wife, Marie Thérèse Guyon, soon moved to Detroit, becoming one of the first European women to settle in the Michigan wilderness. The town quickly became a major fur-trading and shipping post, the Église de Saint-Anne was founded the same year
5.
Canadian Hockey League
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The Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canadian-based major junior ice hockey leagues for players 16 to 20 years of age. For the 2016-17 season, its three leagues and 60 teams represent nine Canadian provinces as well as four American states. The CHL schedule culminates in the Memorial Cup tournament, which each of the three league champions, as well as a host team, play a round-robin tournament to determine a national champion. The Canadian Hockey League is the body for Major Junior hockey. The CHL currently oversees the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, each league plays individual regular season schedules, and playoffs. The annual CHL championship is determined by the Memorial Cup tournament held in May, if a CHL player does not sign a professional contract, many also opt to play for Canadian Interuniversity Sport and go to school due to CHL sponsored scholarship programs. The CHL also seeks to raise the profile of the game by hosting annual events such as the Memorial Cup, the CHL Top Prospects Game. The organization also provides scholarships and bursaries for its players who exemplify extraordinary efforts. These programs are supported by the corporate sponsors. The Memorial Cup Tournament is the championship of Junior Canadian hockey, each year it features the champions from the and the host CHL team. The host team changes from year to year, and is selected by a bidding process prior to the start of each season. The annual event is one of the biggest sporting events in North America, attracting thousands of spectators, masterCard is the official sponsor of the championship. Each draft prospect hopes to boost their draft ranking with the NHL scouts, the players are typically coached by a pair of hockey celebrities, usually Don Cherry and Bobby Orr. The event has been held annually since 1992, from 1992 to 1995 the event was known as the CHL All-Star Challenge and usually pitted one of the CHLs leagues against the other two. The CHL hosts annually, the Subway Super Series, sponsored by Subway to showcase Canadian junior talent versus Russian junior talent, picks are chosen in reverse order of the teams standings in the CHL. The import draft is seen as a way to raise the level of competition in the CHL, for the 2016–17 season the league comprises 60 teams located in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. Currently, nine of the ten Canadian provinces have a member team, newfoundland and Labrador is the only province without a team. The Western Hockey League, with 22 teams in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Washington, the Ontario Hockey League, with 20 teams in Ontario, Michigan, and Pennsylvania
6.
Car
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A car is a wheeled, self-powered motor vehicle used for transportation and a product of the automotive industry. The year 1886 is regarded as the year of the modern car. In that year, German inventor Karl Benz built the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, cars did not become widely available until the early 20th century. One of the first cars that was accessible to the masses was the 1908 Model T, an American car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Cars were rapidly adopted in the United States of America, where they replaced animal-drawn carriages and carts, cars are equipped with controls used for driving, parking, passenger comfort and safety, and controlling a variety of lights. Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles, examples include rear reversing cameras, air conditioning, navigation systems, and in car entertainment. Most cars in use in the 2010s are propelled by a combustion engine. Both fuels cause air pollution and are blamed for contributing to climate change. Vehicles using alternative fuels such as ethanol flexible-fuel vehicles and natural gas vehicles are also gaining popularity in some countries, electric cars, which were invented early in the history of the car, began to become commercially available in 2008. There are costs and benefits to car use, the costs of car usage include the cost of, acquiring the vehicle, interest payments, repairs and auto maintenance, fuel, depreciation, driving time, parking fees, taxes, and insurance. The costs to society of car use include, maintaining roads, land use, road congestion, air pollution, public health, health care, road traffic accidents are the largest cause of injury-related deaths worldwide. The benefits may include transportation, mobility, independence. The ability for humans to move flexibly from place to place has far-reaching implications for the nature of societies and it was estimated in 2010 that the number of cars had risen to over 1 billion vehicles, up from the 500 million of 1986. The numbers are increasing rapidly, especially in China, India, the word car is believed to originate from the Latin word carrus or carrum, or the Middle English word carre. In turn, these originated from the Gaulish word karros, the Gaulish language was a branch of the Brythoic language which also used the word Karr, the Brythonig language evolved into Welsh where Car llusg and car rhyfel still survive. It originally referred to any wheeled vehicle, such as a cart, carriage. Motor car is attested from 1895, and is the formal name for cars in British English. Autocar is a variant that is attested from 1895
7.
Ontario
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Ontario, one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, is located in east-central Canada. It is Canadas most populous province by a margin, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all Canadians. Ontario is fourth-largest in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and it is home to the nations capital city, Ottawa, and the nations most populous city, Toronto. There is only about 1 km of land made up of portages including Height of Land Portage on the Minnesota border. Ontario is sometimes divided into two regions, Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario. The great majority of Ontarios population and arable land is located in the south, in contrast, the larger, northern part of Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and is heavily forested. The province is named after Lake Ontario, a thought to be derived from Ontarí, io, a Huron word meaning great lake, or possibly skanadario. Ontario has about 250,000 freshwater lakes, the province consists of three main geographical regions, The thinly populated Canadian Shield in the northwestern and central portions, which comprises over half the land area of Ontario. Although this area mostly does not support agriculture, it is rich in minerals and in part covered by the Central and Midwestern Canadian Shield forests, studded with lakes, Northern Ontario is subdivided into two sub-regions, Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Ontario. The virtually unpopulated Hudson Bay Lowlands in the north and northeast, mainly swampy. Southern Ontario which is further sub-divided into four regions, Central Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Golden Horseshoe, the highest point is Ishpatina Ridge at 693 metres above sea level located in Temagami, Northeastern Ontario. In the south, elevations of over 500 m are surpassed near Collingwood, above the Blue Mountains in the Dundalk Highlands, the Carolinian forest zone covers most of the southwestern region of the province. A well-known geographic feature is Niagara Falls, part of the Niagara Escarpment, the Saint Lawrence Seaway allows navigation to and from the Atlantic Ocean as far inland as Thunder Bay in Northwestern Ontario. Northern Ontario occupies roughly 87 percent of the area of the province. Point Pelee is a peninsula of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario that is the southernmost extent of Canadas mainland, Pelee Island and Middle Island in Lake Erie extend slightly farther. All are south of 42°N – slightly farther south than the border of California. The climate of Ontario varies by season and location, the effects of these major air masses on temperature and precipitation depend mainly on latitude, proximity to major bodies of water and to a small extent, terrain relief. In general, most of Ontarios climate is classified as humid continental, Ontario has three main climatic regions
8.
Niagara Falls, Ontario
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Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on 12 June 1903, across the Niagara River is Niagara Falls, New York. The city is dominated by the Niagara Falls, a set of three large waterfalls on the Niagara River. The American and Horseshoe falls can be best seen from the Canadian side of the river, the natural spectacle attracts millions of tourists yearly. This area, which stretches along the Niagara Parkway and tourist promenade, is concentrated at the brink of the falls. Further to the north or south, golf courses are operated alongside historic sites from the War of 1812 and this area was long part of the Iroquois Confederacy territory, five powerful First Nations mostly along the southern edge of the Great Lakes. The Niagara Falls area has had some European settlement since the 17th century, louis Hennepin, a French priest and missionary, is regarded as the first European to visit the area in the 1670s. French colonists settled mostly in Lower Canada, beginning near the Atlantic, loyalist Robert Land received 200 acres and was one of the first people of European descent to settle in the Niagara Region. He moved to nearby Hamilton three years due to the relentless noise of falls. Tourism started in the early 19th century and has been a part of the local economy since that time. The falls became known as a wonder, in part to their being featured in paintings by prominent American artists of the 19th century such as Albert Bierstadt. Such works were reproduced as lithographs, becoming widely distributed, in addition, Niagara Falls markets itself as a honeymoon destination, it is the self-proclaimed honeymoon capital of the world. In 1856, the Town of Clifton was incorporated, the name of the town was changed to Niagara Falls in 1881. In 1882, the community of Drummondville was incorporated as the village of Niagara Falls, the village was referred to as Niagara Falls South to differentiate it from the town. In 1904, the town and village amalgamated to form the City of Niagara Falls, in 1882, Irish author Oscar Wilde visited Niagara Falls after lecturing in Buffalo during a lecture tour of North America. He stayed at the Prospect House in Niagara Falls, New York, an Internment camp was set up at The Armoury in Niagara Falls from December 1914 to August 1918. In 1953, the American actress Marilyn Monroe filmed Niagara here and this was a major event for the city
9.
North Bay, Ontario
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North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing, the site of North Bay was on the main canoe route west from Montreal. Apart from First Nations tribes, voyageurs and surveyors, there was activity in the Lake Nipissing area until the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1882. The CPR started its expansion from Callander Station, Ontario. That was the point where the Canada Central Railway extension ended, the CCR was owned by Duncan McIntyre who amalgamated it with the CPR and became one of the handful of officers of the newly formed CPR. The CCR started in Brockville and extended to Pembroke and it then followed a westward route along the Ottawa River passing through places like Cobden, Deux-Rivières, and eventually to Mattawa at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers. It then proceeded cross-country towards its destination, Bonfield. Duncan McIntyre and his contractor James Worthington piloted the CCR expansion, Worthington continued on as the construction superintendent for the CPR past Bonfield. He remained with the CPR for about a year until he left the company, McIntyre was uncle to John Ferguson who staked out future North Bay after getting assurance from his uncle and Worthington that it would be the divisional and a location of some importance. In 1882, John Ferguson decided that the bay of Lake Nipissing was a promising spot for settlement. North Bay was incorporated as a town in 1891, the first mayor was John Bourke. More importantly, Bourke developed the western portion of North Bay after purchasing the interest of the Murray Brothers from Pembroke, the land west of Klock Avenue was known as the Murray block. Bourke Street is named after John Bourke, Murray Street is named after the Murrays. During construction of the T&NO, silver was discovered at Cobalt, the Canadian Northern Railway was subsequently built to North Bay in 1913. The Georgian Bay Canal was a transportation system that proposed to connect the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The entire passageway from the Ottawa River to Lake Nipissing and down the French River to Georgian Bay was surveyed in the first decade of the 20th century. Financing was an obstacle and, as time passed, transportation patterns changed and interfered with the earlier practicality of the giant venture. Despite this, there were groups who hoped it would happen as late as 1930
10.
Central Michigan
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Mid Michigan, occasionally called Central Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U. S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the area of the Lower Peninsula. The region contains cities of moderate size including Flint, Saginaw, for the most part Central Michigan and Mid Michigan are synonymous with each other, representing generally the same geographic area of Michigan. However, some definitions of Central Michigan and Mid Michigan can vary significantly, the Greater Lansing area, sometimes called the Capitol Region, includes the area surrounding the state capitol of Lansing and nearby East Lansing. The Flint area is included in Mid Michigan, and can also be considered a part of Metro Detroit, the Thumb of Michigan is a peninsula that surrounded by Lake Huron in the east-central area of the state. Central or Mid Michigan can also include areas that are referred to as Southern Michigan and this is loosely defined and can refer to a region in the south-central portion of the state characterized by the Irish Hills. The region includes the Adrian, Jackson, and Hillsdale areas which are considered a part of Southeast Michigan. Portions of Central or Mid Michigan can overlap with portions of Western Michigan, Also, some areas may overlap with what is known as Northern Michigan. These areas, such as Clare, Gladwin, and Arenac County are along the border of the two regions and can be considered parts of both, depending on frame of reference. See also, List of Michigan state parks and geography of Michigan, the region includes many rivers including the Grand River, Red Cedar River, Saginaw River, Tittabawassee River, Shiawassee River and Flint River. A drainage divide occurs in Central Michigan, causing the Grand River to flow west into Lake Michigan, the terrain has rolling hills and plains with fertile soil. Agriculture dominates in the areas, where corn, soybeans, sugar beets. The region has mostly small towns with a few cities of notable size, most of the area is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing or Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw. It is the fifth largest city in the state, the Lansing-East Lansing metropolitan area is the third largest metro area in Michigan. Flint is the sixth largest city in the state and an important center for Michigans automotive industry, the Tri-Cities area includes Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw. The Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City metropolitan area is the fifth largest metro area in Michigan, the Mid-Michigan area was predominately Ojibwe territory prior to colonization. One of the first European settlements in the region was the French Fort St. Joseph in present-day Port Huron in 1686, the area that became Michigan opened up to European settlement following the French and Indian war. Later in the 1800s Lewis Cass would negotiate the Treaty of Saginaw, the opening of the Erie Canal brought vast numbers of settlers to the region, as population started growing northward from Ohio
11.
Comerica Park
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Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in Downtown Detroit. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball, the park is named after Comerica Bank, which was founded in Detroit and was based there when the park opened. Comericas headquarters have since moved to Dallas, though the bank still retains a large presence in Detroit. The stadiums seating capacity is 41,297, there is a Detroit People Mover station about a block from the stadium. Comerica Park sits on the site of the Detroit College of Law. Since their founding in 1901, the Tigers had played at the corner of Michigan, for the last 88 of those years, they played at what eventually became Tiger Stadium. By the mid-1990s, it had become apparent that the park could not be renovated any further. Groundbreaking for a new ballpark to replace Tiger Stadium for the Tigers was held on October 29,1997, at the time of construction, the scoreboard in left field was the largest in Major League Baseball. The first game was held on April 11,2000, against the Seattle Mariners, the new stadium is part of a downtown revitalization plan for the city of Detroit, which included the construction of Ford Field, adjacent to the park. In December 1998, Comerica Bank agreed to pay $66 million over 30 years for the rights for the new ballpark. Upon its opening, there was effort to try to find a nickname for the park. It is often referred to simply as Comerica, the first playoff game at Comerica was played on October 6,2006 against the New York Yankees. It hosted its first World Series later that month, in contrast to Tiger Stadium, which had long been considered one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball, Comerica Park is considered to be extremely friendly to pitchers. Except for dead center—420 feet versus Tiger Stadiums 440 feet —the outfield dimensions were more expansive than those at Tiger Stadium and this led to complaints from players and fans alike, most famously from Bobby Higginson who sarcastically called the venue Comerica National Park. As Minute Maid Park has reduced its center field fence from 436 feet to 409 feet in 2017,420 feet is the longest in baseball. Although a few public figures—notably radio announcer Ernie Harwell—supported the dimensions, most agreed that the wall, in particular. Before the 2003 MLB season the club did so, moving the distance from left-center field from 395 to 370 feet and this also removed the flagpole from the field of play, originally incorporated as an homage to Tiger Stadium. Two years later, the bullpens were moved from field to an empty area in left field created when the fence was moved in
12.
Plymouth Whalers
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The Plymouth Whalers were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They played out of Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, USA, the Whalers can trace their roots back to the 1990–91 Detroit Compuware Ambassadors as an expansion team in the OHL. Since then the franchise has been the Detroit Junior Red Wings, in 1998 they were officially called the Plymouth Whalers after the local municipality gave generous tax breaks to the team and venue. The franchise had been owned by Peter Karmanos since its inception until 2015, chad LaRose is the only player to have played at every level of Compuware hockey, Compuware AAA Ambassadors, Plymouth Whalers, Florida Everblades, Lowell Lock Monsters, and the Carolina Hurricanes. Plymouth is one of two teams to win 5 consecutive division titles (West division from 1999–2003, the other team being the Ottawa 67s. Plymouth has made the playoffs 23 consecutive seasons, since the 1991–92 season, the Whalers reached the OHL finals two consecutive seasons in 1999–2000, and 2000–01, losing to the Barrie Colts and Ottawa 67s. These seasons included future NHLers David Legwand, Justin Williams, Robert Esche and this created the build-up for the next year. Headed by overage captain John Vigilante, the rookies in 2003 and 2004 came to fruition in James Neal, Dan Collins. Vellucci acquired the Belleville Bulls leading scorer Evan Brophey and the Toronto St. Michaels Majors goaltender Justin Peters, who had an extensive resume. On the last game of the season, the Whalers played the Saginaw Spirit, with the title on the line. With the Whalers 2-0 lead going into the period, the Spirit fought back. However, Brophey scored in overtime to clinch the Whalers 9th division title, during the 2006–07 season, rookie goaltenders Jeremy Smith and Michal Neuvirth, combined for the lowest goals against average in the OHL, with only 173 goals against in total. After a very inconsistent start, the team improved to fall short of the London Knights by one point for the Hamilton Spectator Trophy. The Whalers, although seeded #2, easily won the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as Western Conference playoff champion, sweeping #7 Guelph, and winning in 5 against both #3 Kitchener and #1 London. In the final, the Whalers defeated the Sudbury Wolves in six games to win the J. Ross Robertson Cup, thus earning the right to represent the OHL in the 2007 Memorial Cup. In the Memorial Cup, the team suffered a rough start, losing to the Vancouver Giants 4-3 in overtime on May 18, and again to the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-1 on May 21. However, on May 25, the Whalers would lose again to the Vancouver Giants in the semifinal round and this way, the Whalers finished the 2007 Memorial Cup in third place. During the 2007–08 season, the Whalers dealt the goaltender that led them to their 2007 OHL Championship, Michal Neuvirth, early, Neuvirth was among 12 players that left/were traded from that team, leaving the team looking to a number of young players for leadership
