Red Wings off to flying start with win over Ducks

By Steve Keating

DETROIT (Reuters) - The Detroit Red Wings opened the new season with a 3-2 shootout win over the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, but for the first time in almost 11 years Joe Louis Arena was not sold out for a regular season game.

Jiri Hudler scored the only goal of the shootout to get the Red Wings' campaign off to a winning start but nearly 2,500 seats were left empty in the 20,066 capacity arena.

It was the first time Detroit did not play to a full house in a regular-season game since December 10, 1996 and ended a run of 396 consecutive regular-season sellouts.

The impact of a struggling local economy is being felt in "Hockeytown USA".

"I did notice," Red Wings Norris trophy winning defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom told reporters.

"I think it's just the local economy right now, it's hurting us as well as everyone else.

"The Wings are trying to lower the price of some tickets, so we're hoping we can bring the fans back and by winning we can do that too."

The Ducks arrived in Detroit after a two-game series against the Los Angeles Kings in London at the weekend but showed no signs of jetlag in a fast-paced, entertaining contest.