The arena hosted its first event on December 12 , 1979 : a college basketball game between the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit . The Red Wings played their first game at Joe Louis Arena on December 27 , 1979 , hosting the St. Louis Blues . The game ended in a 3 – 2 loss for the Red Wings . The Red Wings first win at the arena came on December 30 , 1979 , where they defeated the New York Islanders 4 – 2 . Later that season , it hosted the 32nd NHL All-Star Game on February 5 , 1980 , which was played before a then-NHL record crowd of 21,002 . Joe Louis Arena was the site of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft , which marked the first NHL Entry Draft to be held in the United States . In 1980 , the arena hosted the Republican National Convention that nominated Ronald Reagan as the Republican candidate for President of the United States
Republican National Convention
1980 Republican National Convention
Joe Louis Arena