The ECHL has announced that the Kalamazoo Wings will host Warrior/ECHL Hockey Heritage Weekend on January 17 and 18th, 2025. Hockey Heritage Weekend will look very similar to this year’s All-Star Weekend as they will host a fan fest which will have the Stanley Cup on Display on the 17th along with the Hall of Fame Inductions with the Hockey Heritage Game at Wings Event Center on the 18th. “The K-Wings hosted the last ECHL Hockey Heritage Event back in 2016 to celebrate the history of the game of hockey, and thus it is very fitting to bring this event back to Kalamazoo for their 50th Anniversary Season,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin in the league’s press release. “K-Wings hockey has enhanced not just the Kalamazoo region but rather all levels of hockey, and the Warrior/ECHL Hockey Heritage Event will showcase this rich tradition next Season.” The Kalamazoo Wings will also have a 50th Anniversary Celebration.
One has to wonder if this event will replace the ECHL All-Star Game next season, as the event falls around the same time that the league has hosted its All-Star Game. The Hockey Heritage Classic will be a regular season game, the opponent for the Wings has yet to be announced. For reference, the league announced the Savannah Ghost Pirates as the host for the All-Star Game on February 17th. The NHL already announced that they aren’t doing an All-Star Game as a replacement for the Four Nations Tournament; one has to wonder if the AHL/ECHL will take a break with players possibly being pulled to represent their countries.
