Kalamazoo Does It Right

The image above is one of Western Michigan University's Waldo Stadium where the Broncos football team usually practices and plays. While it's a solid stadium for most of the year, it sits empty duirng the winter when snow occupies the seats and the field. That won't be happening this season, though, as Western Michigan University and the ECHL's Kalamazoo Wings have come together to make Waldo Stadium far more fun for university students and hockey fans!

While I found it strange that Western Michigan University didn't make this announcement, the K-Wings announced today that "the team will host an Outdoor Game versus the Toledo Walleye" at Waldo Stadium on January 31, 2027 in what will mark a partnership between WMU and the K-Wings when it comes to hockey. In 2027, the WMU Broncos men's hockey team will move into the Kalamazoo Event Center, sharing that arena with the ECHL's Kalamazoo Wings moving forward!

"In many ways, this Outdoor Game is a preview of what's ahead," Toni Will, Kalamazoo Wings general manager and governor, said in the press release about the outdoor game today. "Beginning in 2027, Broncos and K-Wings alike will call the Kalamazoo Event Center home, creating a shared space for hockey fans of all ages and backgrounds. This partnership with Western Michigan University reflects a bigger vision of growing the game, creating unforgettable experiences and bringing our community together through hockey."

Clearly, this is a smart move for both the K-Wings and the WMU Broncos as the brand-new Kalamazoo Event Center becomes the sole venue for hockey, college basketball, concerts, and events that pass through Kalamazoo. It replaces the old Wings Event Center which sat 5113 people and up to 6323 for concerts and trade shows. The new Kalamazoo Event Center, opening next year, features the arena, practice facilities, other sports-related amenities, and a dedicated parking area for fans. It will hold up to 8000 people for concerts and 6,500 people when configured for hockey and basketball.

Clearly, having two teams that draw smaller crowds to their games wouldn't work in cavernous arenas, but having both teams splitting weekend games and using the facility for other events makes sense for the $515 million event center. In a feasibility study conducted in 2021 by Conventions Sports and Leisure International for three Kalamazoo groups, it was estimated that this new event center would see an estimated 236 events held there annually, and Greenleaf Hospitality Group, who owns the facility, wanted it to be a place where the community can gather. The privately-funded facility looks to draw fans, students, and visitors to all sorts of events.

WMU student Brent Robinson told FOX17's Julie Dunmire, "It's going to be nice. It's going to be definitely a new experience for the town as well. It's going to bring a lot more people in," while Rebecca Macleery, owner of the Kalamazoo Dry Goods, wants to see more shoppers, telling Second Wave Media's Sage Lee, "People do drive here from a couple of hours away to come specifically to my store, and I want to see more of that. At the same time, I want to see more small businesses in this area that are catering to the local community rather than just trying to attract or serve tourists."

Assuming everything goes well, the new events center should be a gem for Kalamazoo. For now, WMU and the K-Wings are working on another venue, albeit temporary, at Waldo Stadium this winter as both teams will take the ice in games on January 30 and 31, 2027! The Western Michigan Broncos will host the Michigan Wolverines on January 30 in an NCAA clash between the two Division-1 univerisites, and the Kalamazoo Wings will host the Toledo Walleye on January 31 in their third outdoor meeting between the two ECHL teams!

Kalamazoo holds a 2-0 record over Toledo in their outdoor meetings with the K-Wings posting a 2-1 victory in the first-ever ECHL outdoor game on December 27, 2014 in Toledo at Fifth Third Field. They doubled their total outdoor wins on December 26, 2021 with a 3-2 shootout victory at Fifth Third Field, so they're looking to continue their winning ways with this third game. It will also mark Michigan's third outdoor professional hockey game after the Toronto Marlies and Grand Rapids Griffins battled in 2013 at Comerica Park in Detroit, and the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings met in the 2014 Winter Classic at at Michigan Stadium. How cool is that?

The average temperature at night in Kalamazoo is reportedly around -10°C, so hockey should be enjoyable if Kalamazoo is getting seasonal weather. The Broncos and K-Wings will look to avoid the weather that Hastings, Minnesota got last year when the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals and Iowa Wild took the ice at -22°C for their outdoor game, but I expect the students and fans in Kalamazoo to bring the heat when welcoming the Wolverines and Walleye to Waldo Stadium!

While today's announcement was mostly about an outdoor game from the K-Wings perspective, it's pretty incredible that an ECHL ownership group has invested in a new facility not only for its team, but for the community team as well. Having Greenleaf Hospitality Group cover the costs for this new facility means that no public taxpayer money was used, allowing the city of Kalamazoo to continue funding maintenance and growth without raising taxes or issuing bonds, meaning taxpayers pay nothing for this new events center.

That's a municipal improvement of which I approve because there is an effort being made to make things better for the community as well. We know that citizens of Kalamazoo and the surrounding areas support both K-Wings hockey and Western Michigan University sports, so seeing this kind of investment by the K-Wings in their community by building new facilities and organizing outdoor hockey games that welcome its community is how Kalamazoo does things right.

2027 could be a massive year for hockey in southwest Michigan!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!