07/30/2006

Fans flock to training camp ticket sale

Overnight wait gets Morrisons to front of line

by mark urban

murban@record-eagle.com

Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
Larry Morrison and wife Judy Morrison, left, arrived at 9 a.m. Friday to claim the No. 1 spot in line for Detroit Red Wings training camp. The camp starts on Sept. 15 and concludes with the Red-White game on Sept. 20.

TRAVERSE CITY — The lines weren't nearly as long.

But the weather was dry — for the most part — as fans camped out at Centre ICE overnight to buy tickets to the Detroit Red Wings training camp.

Larry Morrison of Walhalla, east of Ludington, was first in line when tickets to the Sept. 15-20 training camp went on sale shortly after 10 a.m. on Saturday.

He said being first wasn't on his mind when he and his wife, Judy, arrived at 9 a.m. on Friday.

"Not necessarily," Larry Morrison said. "I took the day off of work, so I might as well be here."

Terry Marchand, executive director of Centre ICE, said a limited amount of tickets remain to the training camp gold medal game on Sept. 18 and the Red-White contest on Sept. 20. Detroit will have morning practices and scrimmages Sept. 15-17.

"The practices sold better this year than in years past just because those dates fall on the weekend," Marchand said. "We're at the mercy of the NHL for the schedule of training camp."

Marchand said the remaining tickets will be available online at www.centreice.org starting on Tuesday.

"They'll go on line pretty quickly," Marchand said of the roughly 100 left for the two games.

But there will be no waiting for tickets for those at the start of the line.

Larry Morrison said it's the second time he's camped out to land tickets. Sporting a black T-shirt with the No. 19 of former captain Steve Yzerman, Morrison said he was buying three tickets to each day of the camp and five for the Red-White game on Sept. 20.

When the Morrisons arrived, he was surprised not to see Tim Glasscock already there.

After being first last year, the Rockford man had to settle for the No. 2 spot.

"It was fine," said Glasscock, who said he arrived at about 10:30 a.m. on Friday. "We just wanted to make sure we got tickets. That's why we do it."

"He decided to sleep in," Larry Morrison joked.

Those at the front of the line said the temperature was fine for camping out. There was one unscheduled interruption in the proceedings.

"At about 1 a.m. the sprinklers came on," Larry Morrison said. "Everybody started screaming."

Glasscock, who was buying two tickets to each day of the training camp, said there were clearly fewer people in line this time. Last summer, the line stretched all the way to the back of the Centre ICE parking lot as fans welcomed the NHL back after the lockout season.

"It didn't fill up nearly as fast, that's for sure," he said. Last year it was about dark (the night before) and they already reached around the corner. This year it didn't reach around the corner until this morning.

Laurie Schulz and her son, Rob, were in line for the first time. The duo from Milan held down the No. 3 position.

"The person that was going to get them for us couldn't do it," said Laurie Schulz, who needed three seats for Sunday and Monday and eight for the Red-White on Wednesday. "He bought a diner, so he's working this weekend."

Other people, like Sharon Bell of Warren, arrived at Centre ICE during the night.

"My friend and I drove all night to get here," said Bell, who said she got in line at about 2:45 a.m.

Other people came just after the doors opened at 10 a.m. and got in the back of the line.

That's what Jared and Merrie Herron of Wyoming decided to do.

"We knew when we pulled up we'd be at the back of the line," Jared Herron said. "We came a couple of years ago and still got tickets when we showed up, so we were still hoping."