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Throughout Black History Month, Ilitch Companies recognizes the rich legacy of our diverse community. That’s why, throughout the month of February, Little Caesars Arena will host a mixed-media display that pays homage to the impact Black athletes have had on hockey and baseball.

The second-annual Black History Month exhibit, a joint undertaking from the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers, gives fans the chance to see a curated collection of artifacts from influential Black athletes throughout NHL and MLB history. From game-winning pucks to signed Louisville Sluggers, this display highlights the milestones of Black players throughout baseball and hockey history — both in the game and beyond.

Specific items in the display include:

• The bat used by Willie Horton in the Tigers 1968 World Series win against the St. Louis Cardinals.
• First-goal pucks of current Black Red Wings players.
• A Detroit Tigers yearbook from 1961, featuring Ozzie Virgil, Jake Wood, Billy Bruton and Bubba Morton.
• Current Detroit Red Wings player Trevor Daley’s Stanley Cup Championship rings.

The exhibit is located at the Little Caesars Arena concourse and will run during each Red Wings home game:

• Feb. 18 against the Montréal Canadiens
• Feb. 23 against the Calgary Flames
• Feb. 25 against the New Jersey Devils
• Feb. 27 against the Minnesota Wild

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Members of the Detroit Red Wings organization joined Detroit Economic Club (DEC) members at MotorCity Casino Hotel for their 15^th-annual DEC luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 10. Team managers, coaches and players met with fans, reflected on the storied franchise and looked ahead to its bright future. Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman fielded questions from fans alongside coach Jeff Blashill and players Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin and Luke Glendening, while Chris Granger, Ilitch Holdings, Inc. Group President, Sports and Entertainment, served as host. Prior to the luncheon, retired Red Wing Niklas Kronwall and current defenseman Danny DeKeyser spoke with area high school and college students at a special breakout session.

For more about this unique event and why both the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers participate every year, check out the video below.

The DEC was formed in 1934 with a commitment to the discussion and debate of business, politics and social issues. The club has hosted an impressive roster of guest speakers, including every U.S. President since Richard Nixon, as well as Bill Gates and Walter Cronkite.

For the latest team news, visit DetroitRedWings.com.

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The Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development, Inc. (LA SED) Youth Center provides invaluable resources for young Hispanics and residents of Southwest Detroit. The bilingual volunteer staff of the Youth Center is dedicated to serving young people in need through advocacy, tutoring, summer employment programs and more.

In recognition of this impactful organization, the Detroit Tigers paid the staff and kids a visit while touring Southwest Detroit on their annual three-day Caravan. While there, the players spent time with the kids and fielded a variety of questions, ranging from baseball to culture and growing up. But there was one last surprise in store.

The players surprised the kids with tickets to ¡Fiesta Tigres! at Comerica Park. The annual gameday celebration honors Latino contributions to the game of baseball. The festivities include live entertainment and dancing throughout the ballpark. The public celebration, also attended by leaders in the local Hispanic community, is held this year on Aug. 15.

The team made multiple stops throughout the neighborhood to experience the one-of-a-kind setting Southwest Detroit offers to residents and visitors. The players also visited Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church, a community cornerstone and one of Detroit’s oldest churches, where they received a blessing.

Share in the experience firsthand through the video below.

Learn more about the LA SED Youth Center and all the organization does for the community at LASEDInc.org.

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Rock and roll legends Guns N’ Roses will come through Comerica Park in The District Detroit on Saturday, July 11 at 6 p.m. as part of their epic 2021 worldwide tour.

Tickets start at $49.50, and can be purchased at Tigers.com/GNR, the Comerica Park box office and Tickets.com.

The iconic rock heroes will show off their vast catalogue of hits on the road, including “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” and “November Rain.”

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The Detroit Tigers’ annual Caravan brings the players to the people, allowing them to interact directly with fans and show their appreciation. During the two-day event, the athletes take part in fun activities and shine a light on the incredible people and organizations impacting their communities.

This year, Tigers players took part in an exciting array of events, from teaching fitness and life skills to kids at Detroit Public Schools, to visiting patients in the Children’s Hospital of Michigan to lift their spirits. The players also surprised and thanked some of the first responders who help keep us safe — and that was just in the first day.

In this 30-minute special for produced for Fox Sports Detroit, Tigers fans get an inside look at the dozens of amazing stops on this year’s Tigers Caravan. The show’s highlights include Matthew Boyd’s one-on-one interview with Ron Gardenhire during their car ride to Toledo; Niko Goodrum and Christin Stewart in a push-up-and-sit-up challenge with cadets at a police training academy; JaCoby Jones learns the art of shooting slap shots with the Grand Rapids Griffins; plus action-packed coverage of the incredible moments that happen when Tigers players and coaches interact with kids and fans throughout the state of Michigan.

Follow the players as they laugh and learn with fans from throughout the region in the video below.

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Restoring historic buildings goes beyond preserving Detroit’s history; it creates jobs for Detroiters, and draws job creators and visitors to the city. Olympia Development of Michigan and Detroit-based Kraemer Design Group are reimagining the historic Women’s City Club building, which, once completed, will become a hub for small businesses and entrepreneurs, creating jobs and bringing increased density to the Park Avenue Historic District.

As The District Detroit prepares to welcome Women’s City Club’s new occupant, Spaces — an open, shared office concept from IWG plc — we look back on the nearly 100-year history of this nationally and state-recognized historic structure.

The Women’s City Club of Detroit was founded in 1919 “to promote a broad acquaintance among women,” according to the group’s bylaws, and to give women’s groups in the city a place to meet, network and collaborate. The club grew in ranks rapidly, and a new dedicated space was needed. They purchased the site, now 2110 Park Avenue in downtown Detroit, in 1922.

The Women’s City Club building’s compelling style was led by Detroit architectural firm Stratton & Snyder. The firm took inspiration from contemporary European modern design and the Arts and Crafts style for the exterior and interior, respectively. Construction began on the six-story building in 1923, and the building opened on April 22, 1924.

Furthering the building’s connection to the Arts and Crafts movement, the building interior features stylized tiling by Pewabic Pottery, which was founded in Detroit in 1904. The building also has three ornately designed drinking fountains, each bearing Pewabic’s signature style.

Learn more about Kraemer Design Group’s approach to revitalizing the historic Women’s City Club building in the video below.

As club members advanced in age, membership declined. The organization left downtown and leased the building to the Feminist Women’s Club, founded by Gloria Steinem, in 1975. Their time in the building was brief, however, and they ceased building operations in 1978. The building then served as a notable live music concert venue throughout the ‘80s.

Now nearing its centennial, the Women’s City Club building will be revitalized into 46,000 square feet of office space and 12,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Many of the building’s striking details remain, such as the brick masonry, first-floor storefronts, the curved staircase and Pewabic’s tiling. Detroit-based joint venture Brinker-Christman is leading the construction.

The building’s restoration and occupancy will enhance a historic district that features thriving retail and restaurants, including Cliff Bell’s, Rusted Crow Detroit and Brass Rail Pizza Bar. It also sits near Columbia Street, a block-long pedestrian-friendly strip that includes Rush Bowls, Frita Batidos and The M Den. This area will continue to grow with the upcoming openings of Sahara Restaurant & Grill and a new Union Joints restaurant.

The Ilitch organization also restored the magnificent Fox Theatre, now a National Historic Landmark, and moved the Little Caesars headquarters to the Fox Office Centre in 1987. In addition to the restoration of these projects, other historic buildings are scheduled for restoration in The District Detroit, including the former Eddystone Hotel 110 Sproat and the former United Artists building at 150 West Bagley. Along with the restoration of the Women’s City Club building, these projects will proudly preserve Detroit’s history for generations to come.

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Michigan’s most heated sports rivalry will meet on the ice in the fourth-annual Duel in the D. The hockey game at Little Caesars Arena pits the University of Michigan Wolverines against the Michigan State Spartans in a Hockeytown clash to see who will hoist the “Iron D” Trophy.

Get a glimpse of the upcoming showdown, featuring interviews with former Spartan Justin Abdelkader and Wolverines Luke Glendening and Dylan Larkin.

Michigan has won the last three years, while Michigan State won the inaugural match in 2016. See who wins this year’s match on Monday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at 313Presents.com.

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Ever wonder what it takes to make an ad for the biggest football game of the year? We did. So we hopped a flight from Detroit to Hollywood for an inside look into the creation of Little Caesars’ first-ever “big game” commercial.

The live ostrich wasn’t even the best part.

To see how this hilarious ad came to life, check out this exclusive behind-the-scenes video.

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“Sliced Bread, Inc.” CEO Rainn Wilson is No Match for Little Caesars

New Delivery with Savings of $5 or More vs. Competition

Little Caesars new delivery service brings everything customers love about Little Caesars to your door: extreme value, quality and convenience. The innovative new delivery service, with savings of $5 or more over the competition, will be the focal point of the Detroit-based company’s first-ever commercial during the Big Game, airing in the third quarter of the game.

The high-octane spot depicts Rainn Wilson as the embattled CEO of “Sliced Bread, Inc.” He implodes in the wake of Little Caesars announcing delivery of their delicious pizzas and extreme value directly to front doors across America. And just like Little Caesars Pizza, the spot delivers.

Rainn Wilson is best known for his portrayal of Dwight Schrute on the iconic series “The Office.” The spot depicts his center of power crumbling, as the simple act of delivering a pizza unleashes a frenetic whirlwind of chaos at the headquarters of his “Sliced Bread, Inc.” empire. It culminates in comedic anarchy — equal parts disaster film and slapstick at its finest.

Watch the full ad on the Little Caesars YouTube channel.

As a bonus, Little Caesars is offering viewers a chance to score a free lunch at participating Little Caesars restaurants on Feb. 17. If Little Caesars ad wins USA TODAY’s Ad Meter, the company will give away one free HOT-N-READY Lunch Combo® to every family who visits a participating store between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. (local time) on Feb. 17 and mentions this offer at the check-out counter. Simply sign up at Admeter.usatoday.com and rank the ad no. 1 before 1 a.m. immediately following the Big Game. If the ad ends up at no. 1, you end up with free pizza!